Chhattisgarh Governor Shekhar Dutt has sought details from the State government on the declining population trends in six Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected districts of Koriya, Dakshin Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Sukma, Jashpur and Kanker as reflected in the Provisional Census 2011 figures.

The State government says while it would wait for a more detailed analysis of the final Census reports when published by the Registrar General of India, it is not averse to an independent population survey in these districts.

Ahmedabad: The people of Saurashtra take care of lions as they would of their own family members. If they spot a lion in the vicinity of their village, they take pride in the fact and protect it.

About 30% of people in India were below the poverty line in 2009-10 that was based on the monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) of R673 for rural areas and R860 for urban areas, Parliament was informed today.

“As per the latest available information, the poverty line at all India level for 2009-10 is estimated as MPCE of R673 for rural areas and R860 for urban areas. The percentage of people living below poverty line in the country in 2009-10 has been estimated at 29.8 per cent,” minister of State for Parliamentary affairs and planning Rajeev Shukla told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Kalahandi: The Centre would 'fight' Naxalites through welfare and empowerment schemes and protect the tribals from being used as shields by the ultras, Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday.

"In the name of protecting forest dwellers, Maoists have created an atmosphere of fear (in society). Our fight against the rebels is continuing. Through schemes for tribal welfare and women empowerment, with a strong political willpower, we will defeat their designs," he told a meeting of Adivasi Adhikar Samavesa at Narla in Odisha's Kalahandi district.

In a major step to empower forest dwellers, Jamguda in the tribal dominated Kalahandi district on Sunday became the first village in Orissa and second in the country to exercise its community right

As part of the effort to grant tribal communities rights to minor forest produce, the Maharashtra Government has granted permission to 81 gram sabhas in Gadchiroli and Gondia districts of the state

NEW DELHI: Maharashtra would have maximum urban population by 2026, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Quoting the population projection by the Census of India, the Union urban development ministry in a reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday stated that country's urban population will reach 53.48 crore in another 13 years. It is estimated that over 38% of total projected population will be living in urban areas.

As per the projection, India's total population would reach 140 crore by 2026, minister of state for urban development Deepa Dasmunshi stated in her reply to a written question.

Administration argues pulling down their huts will ensure ‘safety of wildlife’

A day after the Union government announced a Rs.100-crore grant for Chukutiya Bhunjia of Orissa, a primitive tribe which lives on the eastern border of Chhattisgarh, 30 huts of the Baigas, another primitive tribe, were razed to the ground by government officials in the western part of the State.
The incident took place on February 18, adjacent to the Bhoramdeo Reserve Forest in Kawardah district. While officials reasoned that it was done to ensure the ‘safety of the wildlife,’ the eviction is in violation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006.

The cabinet on Monday approved a draft bill proposing a maximum punishment of five years’ imprisonment and a fine of Tk one lakh for cruelty to children.