Funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) are now being put to a strange use - building walls around government forests!

In a letter addressed to chief ministers of states, Tribal Affairs Minister KC Deo has lamented the development saying it’s ironic how MNREGA funds were being used in states to build “high stone walls around government forests” thereby denying tribals and traditional forest dwellers access to their own land and produce.

Lucknow: Famous Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib had once said, “A a m k h o o b h o a u r m e e t h e h o,” (mango must be in plenty and sweet) after having tasted Lucknow’s famous Dusseheri variety of mango. However, this time the king of fruit is likely to lose on both counts – volume and sweetness.

The blame for this goes to the increasingly unpredictable weather pattern and climate change that have taken a toll on the mango crop in the state this year. Adding to this are the brick kilns that have also played a wicked role as far as the mango crop is concerned. There is uncertainty over the yield and horticulture experts are predicting a sharp fall in production.

Around 72 villages from Maharashtra’s Raigad district have started a sit-in demonstration in front of the tehsil office in Mangaon against the multi-billion-dollar ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Industrial

BJP, JD(U) now ask for leasing instead of takeover; Jairam, Sharad Yadav to discuss on Friday.

In a push to the contentious Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill before the all-party meeting on April 18, the Centre is reaching out to various political parties in an attemp

To tap technology to the full

The agriculture policy being formulated by the State government to exploit the opportunities provided by the new technology for the sector will be presented in the next Assembly session, Minister for Agriculture K.P. Mohanan has said. Replying to questions in the Assembly on Wednesday, the Minister said the draft of the policy, being worked out by the former legislator K. Krishnankutty, would be presented in the House and discussions held with people’s representatives, farmers, and all stakeholders before finalising the policy.

To speed up the process of consultations on the controversial Land Acquisition Bill and enact it in the current session of Parliament, the Centre today asked political parties to send in their sugg

Governors can repeal or amend any law when peace is disturbed: Kishore Chandra Deo

Unrelenting in his battle against destruction of tribal habitations for exploitation of forestland and resources, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs V. Kishore Chandra Deo has written letters to Governors of various States asking them to cancel mining leases in the Agency areas.
Noting with alarm the growth of extremism in Schedule V areas, the Union Minister said that this was due to the neglect of these areas by the people in power, who are mostly from urban areas.

Hulhumale Development Corporation (HDC) has stated that it would start the USD60 million second phase of the Hulhumale reclamation project within the next month or so.

BHUBANESWAR: The state government is planning to restart land acquisition work the mega Posco steel project in Jagatsinghpur district soon, official sources said on Monday.

With the Budget session of the state assembly having ended last week, the Naveen Patnaik dispensation is making all arrangements to go all-out to give the proposed 12 billion US dollars FDI project a push, a senior government officer said.