The Orissa government has to give an assurance that not a single person is entitled to benefits under the Forest Rights Act, according to one of the conditions set by the Union environment ministry while giving provisional clearance to the Posco project today. The condition has been imposed following allegations that claims under the Forest Rights Act had not been settled. The act deals with dependants on forests for livelihood. The project,...

Controversies surrounding the two real estate projects, the Adarsh Society building in Mumbai and the Lavasa city near Pune, bring to the fore the huge costs of poor enforcement of town planning rules and inept administration of urban development. In the case of Adarsh housing, a 31-storeyed apartment building raised in the Backbay reclamation area and meant for Kargil heroes, the Maharashtra government not only turned a blind eye to...

As many as 9.063 lakh Manav Divas under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) have been created for the job card holders, since April in Dehradun district, said a department officers while talking to The Pioneer on Tuesday. He said that the department has spent `15.11 crore for providing employment to the job card holders under the MNREGA since April in the district. While talking to The Pioneer Doiwala Block...

If forests belong to the forest-dwellers, then the coastal areas should belong to the fishing community. Acting on this line, the government is proposing to bring in a new law — modelled on the Forests Rights Act — to establish rights of fishermen on the coastal areas and resources found therein. The Forests Rights Act, passed by Parliament in 2006 and brought into force in 2008, recognises the rights of tribals...

‘Akshardham, CWG Village on Yamuna bank shouldn't have got nod' Neither the Commonwealth Games Village nor the Akshardham Temple should have been allowed to be built on the banks of the Yamuna, according to Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh. He proposes to issue a River Regulation Zone notification to protect riverbeds from such harmful constructions in the future. “The manner in which the Yamuna riverbed has been devastated by constructions should be a...