Order of the National Green Tribunal (Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata) in the matter of Nabin Kisan Vs State of Odisha & Others dated 15/05/2025. The matter related to discharge of wastewater by the municipality of Belpahar on the applicants land. The affidavit filed by the District Magistrate, Jharsuguda, May 14, …
Roughshod riding SEZs will trample on farmers' rights A farmer in Cheete Kalan village in Amritsar, Harjeet Singh Hundal, has big plans. For the past year, he has been using organic manure on his fertile and irrigated agricultural land and he can't stop talking about it. function table() { var …
But the farmers are not the only ones who have been protesting against these special zones. An unlikely but forceful voice has been that of the ministry of finance. Though the commerce and finance ministries had drawn swords over the issue of whether sezs will result in a revenue loss …
The internal structure of sezs and their relations with the world outside are equally controversial. Environment and labour standards followed inside sezs are suspect all around the world. Chinese sezs are particularly notorious for their lax labour and environmental standards. The sez Act has in its own way tried to …
Why is organic farming not picking up in India? Firstly, there is little consumer awareness. Secondly, there is no proper infrastructure and marketing chain in place and retailers lack interest in organic produce. Most important is consumers' unwillingness to pay for organic produce. An International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture …
while some areas in Rajasthan are still fighting to drain floodwater, in other districts, farmers have revived their agitation for more water for irrigation. On October 11, hundreds of farmers demanding water from the Indira Gandhi Canal (igc), protested in Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh and Bikaner
The recent spate of farmer's suicides in Vidharbha have once again thrown the spotlight on faultlines in Indian agriculture. Farmer's suicides are, of course, not the only indicators of agrarian distress. But they do bring into sharp focus how the rural credit system
The trend of cotton farmers' suicides in Vidarbha keeps showing an upward spike since prime minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the area in early July and the announcement of a package for the beleaguered people. September saw 116 farmers committing suicide in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. This surpasses the …
the furore over Tata's proposed Rs 1,000 crore small car plant in Singur, Hooghly may be creating rifts among longtime Left partners, it's also helping bring old foes together. But the fear of being labelled anti-industry has the new allies still hedging their bets. The latest installment of this drama …
in orderto allay fears of tax evasion and land grab, the Board of Approval (boa) for special economic zones (sezs) recently issued fresh guidelines for building social infrastructure, hospitals, schools and houses within sez s and also set new investment criteria for developers to qualify for tax breaks. In its …
"Sarita's away in Warangal,' Parvata Reddy told HRK. It was past 7 pm, and villagers tend to be suspicious of strangers who walk out of the dark. I moved to a well-lit portion of the courtyard. He looked closely. Better sight led to better memory. He recalled meeting me two …
At a media-studded book release function, a leading editor was recounting a recent incident. He was travelling with a top Uttar Pradesh politician (who we will not name but call Mr A) in his brand new plane. The politician told him that the plane was a gift from a leading …
The Zimbabwean government has deployed soldiers to seize grain harvests from farmers. The "massive grain collection exercise' is to ensure food security, as the country falls 1.8 million tonnes short of its annual cereal requirement, says a recent statement of the state-controlled Grain Marketing Board
India will host the second International Rice Congress from October 9-13 in New Delhi. This is the most important event in the calendar of rice research since the International Year of Rice in 2004. But in this short span, the field of rice science has registered phenomenal growth and probably …
I was the wrong person for the right story at the wrong time. But I didn't realise this when I got off at Rajahmundry station (location: East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh). I called up Venkat Rao, who owns a plant nursery in nearby Kadiyam mandal. Over a laboured conversation featuring …
It is not a widely known fact, but 25 per cent of the total tea produced in West Bengal and Assam, and other northeastern states is produced by small growers. Their contribution to the total national tea production is 14 per cent. Very few of these small growers are officially …
There are a large number of indigenous rice varieties in India, which are still grown by the tribal people and small farmers of the remote areas where the modern agricultural practices, sufficient foods as well as healthcare systems are a dream. Nature has provided them some alternative ways. They have …
it has been less than two months since prime minister Manmohan Singh visited Vidarbha, Maharashtra's cotton country, with a special package for the beleaguered farmers. Since then 200 more farmers have committed suicide across the 12 districts of the region, 110 in August alone, which is the highest recorded monthly …
