-The Hindu Cutting down the Forests Right Act will only weaken the conservation regime and affect the rights of forest dwellers I have had the good fortune to work in, visit and learn about protected areas and wildlife habitats across India since 1980. Beginning in the late 1980s, I have written and spoken about the ecology and conservation of Indian wildlife to numerous and varied audiences. One question that is invariably asked...
More »SEARCH RESULT
A new mandi tax -Harish Damodaran
-The Indian Express A 2 per cent TDS on cash withdrawals beyond Rs 1 crore may hit the farm trade hard. One of the 2019-20 Union Budget’s less-discussed proposals, having significant implications for agricultural trade, is the levy of a 2% TDS (tax deducted at source) on cash withdrawals exceeding Rs 1 crore in a year from any bank account. The levy — aimed at promoting “digital payments” and a “less cash...
More »Environment minister's job to protect environment, not clear projects: Jairam Ramesh -Krishn Kaushik
-The Indian Express Ramesh, who had the independent charge of the ministry between 2009 and 2011, said the “Environment Minister must stand up and say that climate change is more important than Ease of Doing Business”. The job of the Environment Minister is to protect the environment and not look at it from the perspective of Ease of Doing Business, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said during a discussion on climate...
More »Expropriation in the name of conservation -Avi Singh & Peeyush Bhatia
-The Hindu It is shocking that a democratic government is seeking to strengthen the colonial-era Indian Forest Act The Indian Forest Act, 1927 was a remarkable piece of expropriation in the name of conservation. The British government carried out one of the largest land expropriations in history, where the rights to occupy and use forests were transferred from communities with customary and historical property rights to the colonial Central government. The act...
More »Maneka Gandhi's threat to single out Muslim voters isn't a bluff. India's ballot is no longer secret -Ishita Trivedi
-Scroll.in The BJP nominee in Sultanpur warned Muslims she would know whether they had backed her. If they don’t, she won’t help them if she’s elected to the Lok Sabha. Last week, Maneka Gandhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate for Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur constituency, caused a stir when she told Muslim voters that if they did not vote for her, they could not expect her to help them if she won. The...
More »