Political parties pledge to reduce pollution in manifestos Promises to fight the world’s most toxic air have made it to the manifestos of major political parties for the first time in Indian elections. Major political parties such as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the opposition Indian National Congress and the …
More than 100 Gurgaonites are joining a protest organized by the National Alliance for People's Movement in the capital on February 1, against ordinances brought by the government, especially on the land acquisition law. Entrepreneurs and social activists are particularly concerned about the land acquisition Act, which they feel might …
State, Centre differ over clause of lease renewal The Supreme Court will now decide the fate of 18 lapsed mining leases in the state, including two belonging to Tata Steel, which hoped to restart operation by virtue of the Mines and Minerals Development & Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015 that automatically …
After renewing nearly 43 iron ore mining leases by signing lease deeds in the last one month, the State government on Wednesday notified ‘The Goa Grant of Mining Leases Policy, 2014’. The policy, notified following the recent Mines and Minerals Development Regulation (MMDR) Act amendment ordinance 2015, has no changes …
Move comes after complaints about recently promulgated MMDR ordinance The Ministry of Mines has constituted a nine-member commitee to draft quality parameters for excavated minerals. The committee will be chaired by Ranjan Sahai, Controller of Mines, Indian Bureau of Mines. The move comes after complaints by various stakeholders about the …
Some others may need legislative amendments to laws The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) ordered 60 amendments to green clearance norms from the Union environment, forests and climate change ministry in September 2014. By the end of January, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and his team delivered on most of these. Some …
Uttar Pradesh has its vehicular traffic running without a policy. UP traffic directorate has prepared five-point charter of demands for traffic regulation. Districts are formulating specific traffic regulation policy based on the five points. "We prepared the charter for only Lucknow initially but later we circulated it to be followed …
The panel is headed by chief controller of mines, Indian Bureau of Mines, will have its first meet on January 22 A panel appointed by the Government of India to frame Rules for the Mines and Minerals - MMDR (Development & Regulation) Amendment Ordinance, 2015 is scheduled to meet on …
The government has refuted environmentalists’ allegations that key green laws in the country would be “diluted”. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar says his aim is to improve and smoothen environmental clearance processes by bringing in them “clarity and openness” without compromising on green issues. Javadekar, who has indicated his keenness to …
The four Union ministers today discussed the modalities for a proposed national environment regulator which would monitor compliance of green laws in the country. The four ministers were Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, Power Minister Piyush Goel, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar. …
The Cabinet today gave nod to the new HP Minor Minerals (Concession) Rules and Minerals (Prevention of Illegal Mining Transportation and Storage) Rules 2015. The rules have been amended after 1971 to check illegal mining. Under the new rules, illegal mining has been made a criminal offence. Penalty for illegal …
Under the UPA government, a working group was formed to look into the revision of pollution categories The Union environment ministry has begun work to ensure greater self-certification and self-regulation by industries. It has also asked state governments to do away with their licensing powers under environmental laws. These changes, …
Environment minister Prakash Javadekar has made it clear that changes to environment and forest-related laws will not be introduced in the form of ordinances. The minister said that he hoped to have the draft amendments ready for introduction in the forthcoming Budget session of Parliament. "We are now studying the …
Top environment experts have questioned the recommendations of the government-appointed committee to suggest changes to six existing environment and forest laws. In a deposition yesterday before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment and Forests, Science and Technology, which Congress leader Ashwani Kumar heads, eight civil society groups trashed majority recommendations …
Industries and local bodies will soon have to comply with 95% of environmental norms delineated by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) as per an enforcement policy drafted on directions of the National Green Tribunal. An MPCB official told TOI the policy will cover industries, operations or processes, local bodies, …
A number of steps have been taken in the past six months to speed up green clearances but the government is also examining 55 additional suggestions to achieve its twin goals of economic growth and environment protection. Many of the suggestions, extended by a high-level panel of the environment ministry, …
As the environment versus development debate continued to torment policy makers in 2014, the new government initiated the process of rewriting the rules of environmental governance in a bid to bring more clarity into the system. The NDA government appointed a committee under former cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian …
Pushing for mining sector reforms, the Cabinet is expected to take up Monday a proposal from the Mines Ministry to promulgate an ordinance to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. A note on “MMDR Ordinance” was circulated to various ministries with the instruction that the “concerned …
At present only courts have the authority to impose penalty on the basis of complaints filed by authorised officers; it has hardly ever led to action The Union government has finally agreed to set up an environment regulator that will have powers to appraise industrial projects. But it will not …
Expressing dissatisfaction over the State Government’s dillydallying attitude in framing draft rules for the State under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), the Right to Food Campaign, State Chapter here on Wednesday demanded immediate implementation of the Act without any further delay. Stating that the Campaign has submitted a list …
A high-level committee formed to review green laws has recommended the reduction of the role of inspectors in approving plans and monitoring air and water pollution. The panel formed in August, gave its recommendation report to Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday, said it had suggested measures to preserve the …
