-Outlook Paradip (Odisha): Land acquisition for the proposed mega steel plant of Posco is likely to resume tomorrow despite a day-long opposition by local residents, officials said. Odisha government halted Land Acquisition Activities for Posco's proposed Rs 52,000 crore mega steel plant project for a day today in view of stiff opposition from locals. "The process is on though we have halted the Land Acquisition Activities for one day," Jagatsinghpur district collector S...

-The Hindu Land acquisition for the proposed steel project of Posco at Gobindpur village in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha was halted and police force withdrawn from the locality on Wednesday following stiff opposition from the locals, particularly women and children. The land acquisition exercise that was resumed after a long gap on Sunday came to a halt after hundreds of agitating villagers and leaders of different Opposition parties reached the spot where...

-Outlook A new land acquisition bill readies for budget session. How will it fare? Bill Of Blights     Defines “public purpose” too broadly, allows govt to acquire land for PPPs     Less landowner consent required for PPPs than private-only projects     The bill’s compensation norms likely to face strict challenges in the courts     States have been given R&R powers but could lead to arbitrary outcomes     Doesn’t consider govt projects where compensation, R&R are neglected *** The...

-ANI Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has said India must chalk out a middle ground for the continuous development of the tribals for rooting out the Maoist menace that is gripping the country. Addressing a lecture, Ramesh pointed out the four Ds that form the base of the ultras operation and resulted violence from their actions. “India’s Maoist challenge, stripped of all its complexity is a challenge that we face in dealing with...

-Tehelka Edited Excerpts From An Interview NOTED ECONOMIST and Columbia University Professor Jagdish Bhagwati’s pro-free trade stance is well-known. A friend of the prime minister and his batch mate from Cambridge University, Professor Bhagwati feels the UPA’s departure from the stagnation of the past few years is a welcome change, and lauds the decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail. In an interview to TEHELKA Business Editor Shaili Chopra, Bhagwati says more...