The Chhattisgarh High Court has directed that no further action be taken towards granting environmental clearance to a coal mine operated by DB Power Ltd, a subsidiary of DB Corp, one of India's largest media corporations. The respondents have been given three weeks to reply. A writ petition filed in the court accuses the company of adopting “deliberate, illegal and manipulative” measures to influence the outcome of a public hearing held...

India’s per capita availability of water, on the basis of the 2011 population census, has fallen below the global threshold, signalling that the country will have to address conservation needs more seriously amid a growing population and an expanding economy. India’s per capita availability has been pegged at 1,545 cubic metre a year, including non-personal consumption, such as irrigation, according to an estimate of the water resources ministry — notches below...

Sehal Sagar village in Rajasthan has won the national water award instituted by the water resources ministry Nestled in Rajasthan’s bone-dry Tonk district, Sehal Sagar village boasts of lush green fields, wells full to the brim and healthy cattle. The surprise transformation has been possible because the village follows rainwater harvesting and develops its pasture land. Sehal Sagar has an elaborate network of ponds, canals and chaukas which ensure that every drop...

Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh today questioned the policy of providing free electricity to farmers in certain states, saying excessive pumping by cultivators had led to a depletion in groundwater levels. “In district after district, groundwater tables are falling. And there is no doubt that free electricity has caused excessive use of water. Our policies on pricing of water also do not lead to conservation. So we have to rethink on...

But existing campaign should be built around land, water, forests: activist P.V. Rajagopal Narmada Bachao Andolan leader and Team Anna core committee member Medha Patkar on Tuesday said there was no move to start a parallel anti-corruption movement. She was reacting to a news story inThe Hindu quoting renowned Water Conservationist Rajendra Singh about the possibility of a new anti-corruption group emerging, following a meeting of water sector workers at the Gandhi...