Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said the government would soon announce an ex gratia payment for persons whose lands were acquired for the Jaitapur nuclear power plant. “The compensation has been declared under the Land Acquisition Act. We will give an ex-gratia payment. The government will be taking a decision on it,” Mr. Chavan said. Earlier, State Industries Minister Narayan Rane said the land rate was fixed at Rs.46,000. The government...

Civil society members of the joint committee on the drafting of the Lokpal Bill have invited the government representatives for a public debate on the six contentious issues they could not resolve at Monday's meeting of the panel. In a letter, committee co-chairman and senior advocate Shanti Bhushan has invited Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the committee, to participate in a national debate, which the civil society members intend...

To ensure transparency in delivery of commodities to the poor in Rajasthan The Rajasthan Government has decided to conduct the much sought-after social audit for fair price shops functioning under the public distribution system (PDS) to ensure transparency and effectiveness in the delivery of essential commodities to poor people. The move follows the success of similar exercise for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The social audit is being introduced...

-The Telegraph   The Mamata Banerjee government today struck at the foundations of a crony real estate network that allegedly flourished during the reign of CPM leader Gautam Deb and was spreading its reach by co-opting operators from the Opposition as well. The government disbanded the authority that had arranged the land for Vedic Village, abolished the Hidco chairman’s quota for distribution of plots and decided to review all New Town land...

-IANS   Alleging that there was forcible land acquisition at Rajarhat in the city's outskirts during the Left Front's tenure, the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government Tuesday decided to halt the distribution of land. 'I held talks with our Chief Minister. It has been decided to hold up the further processing of distribution of land. We will review the distribution process conducted from Dec 1, 2010,' Housing Minister Shyamapada Mukherjee told reporters...