OUR CORRESPONDENT

Officials at a review meeting. Pix: Srinivas
Jamshedpur, Jan. 15: The cost of the ambitious Subernarekha Multipurpose Project (SMP) has swelled to Rs 5,500 crore.

New Delhi: Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Government is likely to revise the parameters determining the minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural crops for the benefit of farmers.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), which is slated to meet on Thursday, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is likely to examine the methodological issues in fixing MSP.

S.Vydhianathan

CHENNAI: The State government has directed District Collectors of flood-hit areas to complete the distribution of compensation to the affected farmers before January 5.

More than 1,500 boxes of Chinese biscuits exported to Hong Kong and Singapore have tested positive for melamine as suspects in the protracted tainted-food scandal go on trial in China, local media reported on Tuesday.

Chinese dairy companies that sold melamine-tainted milk are ready to pay compensation to families of nearly 300,000 children who became ill or died from drinking contaminated infant formula, a news agency reported on Saturday.

DH News Service, Bangalore:

The government has fixed compensation of Rs 62 lakh per acre of land to be acquired for formation of IT park near Devanahalli. The aggrieved farmers have signified their consent for the price offered.

Villagers set to lose their land to the proposed airport city project in Andal today said they wanted direct talks with the developers and demanded jobs and shares as promised by the Jindals in Salboni.

Bengal Aerotropolis Proj-ects Ltd needs around 3,500 ac- res for the Rs 10,000-crore plan in Andal, Burdwan, 220km from Calcutta.

Compensation for land acquired, two toll plazas and maintenance of roads to be discussed on Dec 16

Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T R Baalu inaugurated the four-lane Chandigarh-Ambala highway on Wednesday. Speaking on the occasion, he assured the ministers from Punjab and Haryana that all the issues pertaining to the new stretch would be addressed by next week.