Some projects under the Smart Cities Mission would not be able to meet the June 30 deadline and the respective state governments would be responsible for completing them thereafter, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs. In its report on the …
The current economic downturn consitutes an opportunity for a sustainable future. But there is a risk that the EU member states free themselves of their responsibilities laid down by the renewable energy directive.
Apex court steps in, asks states for afforestation plans THE bill that proposed centralized management of funds, collected in lieu of permission to divert forestland to non-forest uses, was defeated in the Rajya Sabha on February 25. Members of the house objected to the bill saying centralized forest fund management …
2000: Intervention application filed before the SC bench hearing forest case of 1995. It pointed out irregularities in compensatory afforestation. March 2002: MoEF drafts scheme for compensatory afforestation. April 2004: CAMPA notification issued but not implemented May 2006: SC directs setting up ad hoc CAMPA. May 5, 2008: CAMPA Bill, …
Left and right unite to stall twin bills in Parliament THE land acquisition bill and the resettlement and rehabilitation bill, criticized for harming land rights of people living in rural areas, were turned down in the Rajya Sabha on February 26. This was a day after the twin bills were …
Important bills are better dropped than approved without parliamentary debate THE government failed to push through Rajya Sabha three critical bills that had been cleared by the lower house of Parliament recently. The upper house rejected government bills on land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation, and compensatory afforestation. These bills address …
In 1998, the European Parliament passed a law that requires EU Member States to recognize isolated genes and nucleotide sequences as patentable inventions, further reiterating obligations under the European Patent Convention. Patents can also be granted for methods of genetic testing without claiming genes themselves, as illustrated by recent rulings …
Sri Lanka parliament today approved the Environment Conservation Levy on mobile phones by a majority of 46 votes. Total number of 57 MPs casted their votes in favor of the levy and only 11 parliamentarians were against it. Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has opposed the new levy on mobile …
Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka told Parliament yesterday that the government would launch its programme for recycling the electronic wastes such as mobile phone batteries very soon. The Minister was speaking during the debate on the Environment Conservation Levy which was introduced earlier. He said that his …
The European Parliament agreed in December to a proposal that emissions of nitrogen oxides from new heavy duty vehicles shall be cut by 80 per cent and those of particulate matter by 66 per cent, as compared to existing standards.
Patent bill may be pushed through Parliament without debate THE Ministry of Science and Technology has introduced a bill in the Parliament that may make life-saving drugs unaffordable for poor people. The bill gives scientists and researchers in government-funded universities the right to patent innovations and research outcomes. This includes …
PROJECTS in states with coal mines may be given preferential treatment in allocation of coal blocks as the government looks to push growth in coal-rich states that remain economically backward. The new policy, which forms part of the proposal to allow competitive bidding for coal blocks, may allow companies that …
Devesh Kumar NEW DELHI FOR the second consecutive day, the Manmohan Singh government had to face a huge embarrassment in Parliament when the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill, 2007 and the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill 2007, could not be tabled in the Rajya Sabha because of stiff resistance from the BJP …
IN an attempt to prevent skirmishes of the kind that left the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government badly bruised in the wake of Nandigram and Singur clashes, the Manmohan Singh government is racing against time to get the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill, 2007, and the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2007, passed in …
ASI May Give The Job To Roorkee Institute Richi Verma | TNN New Delhi: The tilting of the 12th century Qutab Minar has sent alarm bells ringing in Parliament. Concerned about the stability of the structure, which is also Delhi
Turkey's parliament yesterday approved its membership of the Kyoto protocol, the United Nations-led pact to combat global warming, the Anatolian news agency said. Turkey announced its intention to sign the accord in June, after years of delays because of concerns about the cost. Reuters, Istanbul
CII wants government to reconsider land acquisition bill THE Confederation of Indian Industry (cii) has opposed the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill 2007 likely to be tabled in the next session of Parliament. The cii in a press release said it wants the government to reconsider the bill that mandates industries …
Lok Sabha passes forest fund bill THE Lok Sabha on December 23 passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill without any amendment. The bill has been severely criticized by conservationists who say it institutionalizes diversion of forests to other land uses through a system of monetary compensation and does not protect …
