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, …
On Dunkel draft opponents: If the proposals become effective, bahuton ki dukanen bandh ho jayengi (many rackets will collapse). If agriculture is controlled by market forces, what -will farm leaders who thrive on raising issues like fertiliser subsidies and procurement prices do? They want to retain their position as traders. …
• Plant varieties to be brought within the purview of patents. This provision will be reviewed four years after the agreement comes into force. • Countries to provide market access to foreign produce. Custom duties on agricultural products to be reduced by 36 per cent, with a minimum rate of …
RESISTANCE to GATT secretary general Arthur Dunkel"s proposals is building up in India. But even as the government tries to pacify fears that it will give *in to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) - the all- encompassing global trade rules that are being negotiated - its game …
Indian government"s concerns with theDunkel draft Commerce ministry"s comments: What the critics say: If the facility for process palents, currently enjoyedby Indian drug manufacturers, is taken away,prices of several medicines patented by MNCs will soar. The magnitude of the price rise will depend on a variety of factors. in any …
Developing countries are concerned by the silent disappearance of some and the qver-simplificalion of other provisions of the Brussels Draft, 1990 -the first draft agreement reached during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations. These provisions were of special interest 10 developing countries and were open for negotiations. But they …
On the Dunkel proposals: Ye Dunkel to hamen dank maregi (Dunkel will sting us badly). This is a conspiracy against Indian farmers. Why did the government keep this a secret? Why wasn't the draft translated into Hindi? Why should we allow multinational companies to dominate Indian agriculture? If Dunkel gets …
BANGALORE is witnessing dramatic protests these days against foreign businesses. Less than a fortnight after agitated farmers raided the offices of Cargill Seeds India Pvt Ltd (Down To Earth, January 31), there were demonstrations in the city against the state government's intention to approve construction of a model township near …
Why are you opposed to the township? The Japanese are coming to make money for themselves. We do not agree this will benefit Karnataka or India. Moreover, the government has been so secretive about the nature and features of the township. The chief minister has given contradictory information. What are …
Why do you want the township? It will bring in an investment of more than Rs 20,000 crore. Nobody in India can match this scale of investment in the present economic situation. What do feel about the fears expressed by environmentalists? The Japanese are extremely quality conscious. They will go …
PRIME Minister P V Narasimha Rao warned a conference of state power ministers recently that the "agriculture sector (must) no longer be entitled to free or concessional power supply." But the ministers, reluctant to ruffle the rich farm lobby, instead passed a resolution to implement by March 31 a minimum …
FEARING a proposal to withdraw customs duty concessions on pesticides will result in price increases, farmers' organisations in north India are heading for a showdown with the government and pesticide manufacturers. The proposal to end customs concessions relates to certain pesticides that are also produced in India. The farmers contend …
THE RECENT attack on the Cargill Seeds India Pvt Ltd office in Bangalore, by members of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), is evidence of the growing awareness among Indian farmers about "gene thefts" by multinational corporations (MNCs) of the genetic resources of the Third World. More such attacks can …
TAKE A small part of a shoot tip and put it in a test tube. Then add some chemicals that will nurture the tissue and lo and behold, the part grows into a full plant. This may sound like witchcraft, but it is precisely what tissue culture technology is all …
SUSTAINABLE development is a growing concern for many grassroots organisations, such as the Mukti Sangharsh Movement (MSM) in Sangli district in western Maharashtra. Over the last decade, MSM has involved peasants and labourers in developing scientific alternatives as part of its anti-drought movement, and more recently, in the Bali Raja …
EVEN as J R D Tata, the grand old man of Tata Sons Ltd, called upon people to support the shrimp-farm project at Chilika the Union forests and environment minister Kamal Nath nominated scientists D K Biswas, Rajni Warrior and C L Trisal to assess the impact of Chilika Aquatic …
THERE can be no sharper indictment of the government's attempts to protect the environment than this: After 20 years of spending money and effort, Project Tiger is in shambles. Experts say the fate of tigers in India may be worse than when this much-flaunted conservation bid was launched. Some even …
THE HUMBLE tur or arhar dal, a traditional food crop in arid areas, is now being grown as a cash crop by farmers attracted by its high market value. Seed companies are thus showing a keen interest in a new hybrid of the dal, also known as pigeon pea (Cajanus …
RICE AS grown in India is a water-guzzler, because farmers use on an average 15,000 litres to produce one kg of paddy, though water technologists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi say no more than 600 litres is needed if proper water management techniques are followed. Given …
IN JUST two years, India's sesame seed exports have fallen dramatically -- by more than 75 per cent. While the government says this is due to higher prices in the domestic market, oilseed exporters contend it is because residues of banned pesticides have been detected in sesame seeds by importing …
AT A RALLY of 300,000 people in Shegaon, Maharashtra, last November, the Shetkari Sanghatana put forward a new farm programme called chaturang sheti (four-pronged agriculture). Sanghatana leader Sharad Joshi argued the economic crises and the collapse of statist development models have resulted in the state being unable to extract surpluses …
