Tribal affairs minister Kanti Lal Bhuria has written to environment and forests minister Jairam Ramesh that the committee the latter set up under National Advisory Council member, N C Saxena, is going beyond its purview to tell how the Forest Rights Act should be implemented. He has demanded that the committee should stick to looking at the role of the forest department in view of the Act. The letter, setting...

The implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act in Madhya Pradesh faces a host of problems due to a strange interpretation of the Act by the Forest Department. While the department's opposition to the Act is no secret — several petitions have been filed against it in the Supreme Court by retired forest officials or organisations run by them — new information obtained...

Union Ministry of Environment and Forests is investigating alleged violation of forest laws by Vedanta Co and Korean steel maker Posco in Orissa, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday. Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said a four-member expert group is currently in Orissa looking at all cases of alleged violation by Vedanta Co. An iron ore mining project may comprise both forest and...

While regretting the effectiveness of the regulatory system, Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Environment and Forests, told the Rajya Sabha on Monday that corporate majors Vedanta and Posco were being investigated for alleged violation of government guidelines. Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, Mr. Ramesh said a four-member Expert Group, which is currently in Orissa, was looking into all cases of violations. “Once I get the report of this group, we...

The three members central team, constituted by ministry of forest and environment and ministry of Tribal affairs visited proposed POSCO site villages and held public consultation to enquire about the implementation of ‘ The Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers and Forest Rights Act-2006 and Rules 2007’ The central team led by Ashish Kothari, a member of a Pune based NGO Kalparvriksh, Dr Ravi Chellam from wild life conservation society...