Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Nizamuddin West Association Vs Union of India & Others dated 16/04/2025. The matter related to desilting of 24 drains with special focus on two drains - Kushak drain and Sunheri Pul drain before the monsoon. The court was informed that …
The name may have stuck, but it’s the Chhattisgarh part of the densely forested Naxal hotbed that is really ‘Abujhmaad’. As one drives on to Maharashtra, the first half of that name — abujh or “unknown” — falls by the wayside, thanks to policies pursued by successive governments in this …
The Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary in Adilabad district — where a new tiger reserve is being established but is opposed by tribals — has lost 27 sq km of dense forest area between 2000 and 2010 due to cutting of trees and encroachments. In the Jannaram Forest Division, in which Kawal …
Maharashtra government will spend Rs. 800 crore on the first phase of a health scheme for the poor, which is slated to benefit nearly 50 lakh families from eight districts, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said at a function here on Wednesday. Under the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee Arogya Yojana,' …
Jairam Ramesh finalises action plan for Saranda forest area in Jharkhand The United Progressive Alliance government on Monday chalked out its first multi-winged operation to tackle the problem of Naxalism through development programmes, implemented under the protection of Central security forces. Union Minister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh finalised the …
Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh has called for fast tracking construction of rural roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Naxalite-affected districts. He said this will be the single most important rural development initiative that can significantly transform the ground-level situation in these districts. Ramesh said an …
A tribal village in Gadchiroli that has pioneered the community management of forest land and produce, this week added a new feather in its cap — it became the first village in the country to earn a massive Rs 1-crore revenue from bamboo sales, carried out through a transparent and …
This is a war the jury backed unequivocally. The battle against deforestation by 135 EcoTask Force in Kokrajhar got their vote as the best effort by a government agency or body in the environment sector. This is endorsement the Territorial Army infantry battalion of ex-servicemen raised in 2007 will want …
Out of 102,692 children aged zero to six, 779 are in severe malnutrition category Four-year-old Pravin Maskare has spent a fortnight at the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) in Gondia where his weight increased to 8.3 kg. Even that is far from the ideal, but his mother is unwilling to let …
The fresh cool forest breeze and the greenery appears to act as a magic wand on the residents of village Ghati. Middle-aged men and women who just a few minutes ago had been involved in hard-core legal talk suddenly speak like children. Forty-something Gyaneshwar Sahare, who had been pouring forth …
Gadchiroli in Maharashtra may have acquired the model district status for clearing a record number of community forest rights (CFR) claims, but its 298 villages are angry with the forest department for stripping them of the basic right to manage forest produce. http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/forest-department-s-cheat-act
GADCHIROLI in Maharashtra may have acquired the model district status for clearing a record number of community forest rights (CFR) claims, but its 298 villages are angry with the forest department for stripping them of the basic right to manage forest produce. The department has also burdened them with conditions, …
In April this year, Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra made history. One of its villages became the country’s first to win the right to sell and harvest bamboo. Down To Earth reports how India's largest paper manufacturing company Ballarpur Industries Limited (BILT) is using most of the bamboo in Maharashtra, leaving …
In April this year, Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra made history. One of its villages became the country’s first to win the right to sell and harvest bamboo. Environment minister Jairam Ramesh handed over transit pass books to residents of Mendha Lekha village, allowing them to exercise community forest rights over …
Following the historic forest rights victory on April 27, mood in Mendha Lekha is upbeat. Gram sabha of this village in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district started felling about 90,000 bamboos a day after winning the right to harvest and sell the minor forest produce (MFP). With transit passes in hand, the …
Maharashtra government has demanded the Planning Commission to grant an environmental bonus for Gadchiroli to develop this region, known for its green cover. "We have demanded environmental bonus for Gadchiroli in our recent meeting with the Planning Commission as the region has 85-87% forest cover, which has hampered development there," …
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has written to states to include bamboo in the list of minor forest produce (MFP) and to take steps to facilitate its use, sale and management by communities. The letter, dated March 21, is addressed to all chief ministers. It acknowledges the …
As Mendha Lekha becomes the first village in India to exercise their communities right to harvest and freely sell bamboo under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), Down To Earth takes a look at the key players. A large crowd gathered at Mendha Lekha village in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district in the …
Mendha-Lekha, a remote village in the Maoist-affected Gadchiroli district of eastern Maharashtra, has become the first in the country where tribals have been given the right to sell bamboo harvested from the surrounding forests, an official said. The villagers, numbering around 3,000, attended the function Wednesday when village head Devaji …
