Carbon Copy A freshly passed amendment to the Forest Conservation Act has created a stir among ecologists, parliamentarians and stakeholders. With several contentious provisions, the amendment reveals an afforestation push where rights and justice take a backseat to commercial interests. This week, amidst a raucous monsoon session, the Indian Parliament saw the passage of several consequential pieces of legislation in quick succession. Among them was the contentious amendment to the Forest Conservation...
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Joshimath continues to sink as the government plows ahead with giant projects - Shruti Jain
Scroll.in Since making headlines in January, Joshimath town in Uttarakhand continues to sink while the massive development projects, which locals insist are causing the subsidence, also continue. New cracks are appearing in the houses and roads of Joshimath town, along with deep cavities in the fields. But people who are affected, wait for rehabilitation, with only a few having received meagre compensation, that too for their houses alone. The government has neither come...
More »135 Million Indians Exited “Multidimensional" Poverty as per Government Figures. Is that the same as Poverty Reduction?
The Niti Aayog recently released its National Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023, according to which the poverty headcount ratio declined from 24.85 percent in 2015-16 to 14.96 percent in 2019-21. In absolute numbers this translates to 135 million people exiting multidimensional poverty in this time period. In addition, a few days earlier, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released its own Multidimensional Poverty Index, which in a press note said that,...
More »No Plan to Grant Autonomy to National Statistical Commission: Union Government - The Wire
The Union government told the Rajya Sabha on Monday (July 31) that it has no plans to empower the National Statistical Commission (NSC) using a legislation. Minister of state for statistics and programme implementation Rao Inderjit Singh was answering a question on whether the government is planning to empower the NSC by insulating the selection process from political bias. Singh responded that said the chairman and members of the NSC are selected...
More »Explainer: Why are Tomato Prices on Fire?
Tomato prices are up through the roof. Retail prices are in the range of Rs 120-150 per kilogram in most mandis across India, making the household vegetable more expensive than petrol. Prices, which at the beginning of the year were in the range of Rs. 25 a kg, have increased by an order of between 500-600 percent. What does the data show? The National Horticultural Board is a body under the...
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