Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravishankar Prasad on Tuesday said that a massive scandal appears to be brewing in the reckless approval of special economic zones (SEZs). Mr Prasad said SEZs were giving realtors a chance to grab prime land. The SEZs are degenerating into land grab, he said.

biofuels have often been billed as the silver bullets of climate change. In recent times, however, their benefits have come under scrutiny. One analysis suggests that clearing forests and savannah

The empowered group of ministers (eGoM) meeting scheduled to be held on Tuesday to discuss outstanding issues concerning special economic zones (SEZs) including relaxing the controversial 5,000-hectare ceiling on large SEZs, has been called off.

The state government has notified the classification and the conditions for leasing out panchayat land (village common land) on a long-term basis. The government, in a communication to the district authorities, has disclosed that the leasing process can be done in four categories and all these will invite different commercial rates, depending upon the nature of the lease.

Authorities of the horticulture and forest departments dealing with survey and compensation payment for the evacuees of the three-decade-old Somasila project have reportedly siphoned off compensation funds, meant for those who lost their trees along with their lands. Farmers said officials had created false records, mentioning the presence of hundreds of trees and thereby sharing the compensation amount.