-The Indian Express From barring independent candidates from contesting elections to making it mandatory for corporates to seek shareholders' approval at their annual general meetings before donating funds to political parties, the Law Commission of India is set to recommend sweeping electoral reforms in its 255th report which will be submitted to the government on Thursday. Sources in the commission told The Indian Express that the panel has also opposed compulsory voting....

-The Indian Express New Delhi: After many years of political bickering, distribution of provisional certificates and promises by parties to regularise them, 895 unauthorised colonies face another uncertain wait. A legal status for these colonies may be many more years away as the AAP government has decided to redo the whole process from the beginning. The Urban Development department has mooted a proposal to allow three agencies to redo the boundaries of...

-Business Standard Environment ministry readies draft, which allows industry to fell trees in traditional forest areas without consent of gram sabhas After a lot of back and forth, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government is ready with a Notification to dilute tribal rights that would make it possible for most industries to chop down traditional forests without the consent of gram sabhas - a precondition that exists at the moment. After the Prime...

-Economic and Political Weekly   The stage is all set for the resumption of iron ore mining in Goa after it was suspended in the state in 2012, to curb its indiscriminate and illegal mining. The Goa government's decision to renew the mining leases comes at a time when the economics of iron ore mining have changed and environmental concerns have gained more prominence. Pamela D'Mello (dmello.pamela@gmail.com) is a Goa-based journalist. The state government...

The Hindu In the urgency to grant industry its due with promises of ‘Make in India,' the marginalised cannot continue to be victims of grave policy neglect and continuing alienation For some years now, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF)has been perceived as a roadblock to development or a facilitator for the industry depending on which side you are on. Former Union Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan's recent letter to Sonia Gandhi...