-DNA A nursery in a small Tamil Nadu town is enabling Irula women, once a forest-dwelling people, to gradually join the mainstream, reports Marisha Karwa Where do you go when you have no place to call home? What do you do when your means of livelihood has been declared illegal? And how do you live a life that is alien to the ways and norms of what has been passed to...

-Economic and Political Weekly   The High-Level Committee set up by the Narendra Modi government to review the major laws relating to environment protection has, in its recommendations, worked towards two sets of objectives: one, to separate business from the messiness of governance, and, two, to redraw the line of demarcation between the judiciary and the executive. Manju Menon (manjumenon@namati.org) and Kanchi Kohli (kanchikohli@namati.org) are with the Centre for Policy Research - Namati...

-Business Standard TSR Subramanian committee for altering procedures under key laws to speed up decisions on applications from or for industries The T S R Subramanian committee has recommended a massive revamp of various forest laws, to expedite the processing of industrial applications. These range from the way forests are defined to cutting the procedures in attaining forest clearance for industrial projects. At present, three laws - Indian Forests Act (IFA) of 1927, Forest...

-Livemint The Subramanian committee reviewing environment laws was undemocratic in process and results A high-level committee, led by retired bureaucrat T.S.R. Subramanian and set up under the environment ministry to review laws that protect the country's environment, submitted its report on 18 November. There's no dispute that there is a need to review the entire body of environment laws, such as the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, Wildlife (Protection)...

-IANS Bhubaneswar: The status of "National Heritage Animal" to elephants has done little to save them, and at least 427 jumbos have perished in the last seven years in Odisha. Though the state claims it has taken steps to protect the animal, experts say industrialisation and urbanisation are the main reasons for elephant deaths. Elephants are continuously barging into human habitations, triggering a conflict. At least 23 people and 26 elephants have died...