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| HC asks Bengal to explain occupation of schools by forces | 21-NOV-09 |
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| The Calcutta High Court today directed the West Bengal government to file an affidavit explaining its position on a PIL regarding occupation of 16 schools in Paschim Midnapore district by security forces engaged in anti-Naxalite operations. Treating the matter of thousands of children missing school due to their occupation as a very urgent matter, a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice Prasenjit Mondal directed the state to submit an affidavit by Tuesday. |
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| 'A Himalayan double whammy' | 20-NOV-09 |
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| For almost a decade now, Maharaj K Pandit has been spending a lot of time in the eastern and western Himalayas studying the changes to the fragile ecology brought about by large-scale development projects. The current research of Pandit, who is the director of the Centre for Inter-disciplinary Studies of Mountain & Hill Environment (CISMHE) as also the director of the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Delhi, is tracking the biological signatures of climate change in the Himalayas. In a forthright response to the controversial report released last week by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) which says the glacial retreat is not linked to climate change, Pandit says India oscillates between “a conspiracy of silence and a conspiracy of denial” on critical issues. Although his specialisation is biology, Pandit has been conducting multi-disciplinary research on the changing Himalayan environment and has come up with some startling findings. |
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| Govt may rework pricing Ordinance for sugarcane | 20-NOV-09 |
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| The Manmohan Singh government is trying to find a middle path in the impasse over the recent sugarcane pricing Ordinance that created an uproar inside and outside Parliament today. According to top sources in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), the government may rework the Sugarcane (Control) Order to relieve the states' burden and appease a united Opposition that claims to have the power to defeat the Bill in the Upper House. |
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| Sugarcane price issue may sour UPA's winter session | 18-NOV-09 |
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| The six month-old second United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government may suffer a major loss of face in the upcoming winter session of the Parliament as it stands against an united Opposition over the sugarcane pricing ordinance issued last month. |
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| Another telltale diary | 18-NOV-09 |
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| After the Jain hawala diaries, the next telltale diary that’s creating waves is that of an aide to former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda. The diary has names of key Congress functionaries, some junior ministers in the UPA, some senior bureaucrats and former chief ministers. |
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| Bengal govt unclear on people displaced by new projects | 17-NOV-09 |
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| The West Bengal government has earmarked 30,000 acres for industrial projects (around 7,000 acres has been allocated, the rest is at different stages of acquisition), but even as it faces one of the most violent battles for land rights, figures for displacement or project-affected persons are yet to be aggregated. |
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| It ain't broken | 17-NOV-09 |
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| After strong protest from civil society organisations, the government has admitted that it is considering amending the Right to Information (RTI) Act. It has, however, assured activists that a transparent and consultative process will be adopted before any action is taken, and the amendments will not be persevered with if activist groups are able to convince the government that they are either unnecessary or counterproductive. These assurances notwithstanding, it is unfortunate that the government should again be contemplating changing a law that stands as one of the first UPA government’s main achievements. |
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| Ranbaxy finding ways to make two of four acquisitions work | 16-NOV-09 |
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| The key strategic investments made by the erstwhile promoters of Ranbaxy Laboratories may seem to be floundering on the surface, but the Daiichi-owned company is looking at bigger engagements with at least two of these companies. |
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| Pranab meets Rajapaksa today | 15-NOV-09 |
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| Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will meet Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa over lunch on Sunday to deliver a message of a worried United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to address the rehabilitation issue more effectively and expedite the long-pending devolution of power for the Tamils. |
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| No leaks please | 15-NOV-09 |
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| Telecom Minister A Raja has been served a “gag order” against the backdrop of the 2G spectrum controversy. According to top sources in the UPA government, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee recently summoned Raja and told him not to speak to the press about the 3G auction. He has also been strongly advised to ensure that intra-ministerial communications and letters don’t reach the press through his office. Recently, Raja’s letter to Mukherjee, seeking his intervention for getting the defence ministry to vacate 3G spectrum, was leaked to the press. Mukherjee was extremely upset at this. |
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| Two key finance Bills to miss Winter session | 14-NOV-09 |
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| While the Life Insurance Corporation (Amendment) Bill and the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill are already pending in Parliament, the other four are the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, the State Bank of India (Amendment) Bill, the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Bank Laws) Amendment Bill and the State Bank of Saurashtra (Repeal) Bill. |
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| Gateway Ummed targets NRIs occupancies for winter | 14-NOV-09 |
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| With the festive season continuing from Diwali in October till Christmas and New Year till December, The Gateway Ummed Ahmedabad is planning to target non-resident Indians (NRIs) during the period. For this, the business hotel plans to introduce an array of discounts and other offers. |
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Content Guide
