Goa's Movement Against SEZs (GMAS) has questioned the move of the government to acquire huge tracts of land for allocation to educational institutions from India and abroad. This issue was discussed among others by GMAS, at a meeting held on Saturday. "Parting with nearly 40 lakh sq mt land for so-called higher educational commercial institutions appears to be another attempt to sell Goa to builders and land sharks from all over India and abroad', said a statement issued by GMAS.

Bhubaneswar: Tension continued to grip the Posco project site in Jagatsinghpur on Sunday as 26 people were arrested for allegedly killing an anti-land acquisition activist. The anti-land acquisition brigade began observance of

Torrential rain did not deter 75 people in Dakpai, Zhemgang, from planting tree saplings and live cuttings on a five-acre area above the Zhemgang

Without caring at all for the government permission or maintaining environment codes, people are lifting rocks from vast patches of cultivable land in Panchagarh and some parts of Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari. Once arable, the pieces of land in the neighbourhoods of Tentulia turn uncultivable as the rock-lifters, who don't pay the government any revenue, abandon those. After extracting every available piece of rock, the lifters find it too expensive to fill up the pits, which contain only sand and oozing water and lie unused for years.

Sri Lanka must focus on maximising its production in the agriculture sector without following absurd recommendations of western advisors, Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama said. Addressing a conference at the New Town Hall, Colombo, to mark the 97th birth anniversary of late Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake, the Minister said we must not have faith in instructions given by foreigners calling for the import of rice to the country and filling in paddy fields.

The SEZ Virodhi Manch has reiterated that no compensation whatsoever should be paid by the government to the SEZ promoters, saying the Board of approvals have violated SEZ rules in hastily approving the notifying the SEZ. Welcoming the government decision of revoking the land allotted for SEZ purpose by the GIDC and claiming it to be a victory of the people, the Manch prayed that there is no hidden agenda in the decision and that the government stays with the people in the same manner till the land is finally revoked officially and the three notified SEZs are denotified.

Palash Kumar A separate clause is being introduced in Rule 19 of the SEZ rules as 19(8) to allow the government to set up its project to build strategic oil reserves on SEZ land without the mandatory export condition.

For a change, the quarterly meeting of North Goa Zilla Panchayat (NGZP) held today turned out to be without any trouble. Congratulatory motions dominated the meeting. A motion was moved congratulating the government about its decision to go head with the proposed Mopa International airport. There was also a motion moved congratulating the government for scrapping Special Economic Zone (SEZs.) Both the motions were moved by Upadhyaksha Kishore Narvekar. A motion was also moved congratulating Adhayaksha Amol Morajkar for completing one year in office.

Goa Pradesh Youth Congress, while welcoming the resolution of Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) to cancel and revoke land allotments to SEZ companies in Goa, has ridiculed the Opposition Leader Manohar Parrikar for refusing to appreciate Chief Minister Digambar Kamat's decision to scrap SEZ from Goa. GPYC chief Sankalp Amonkar said CM deserved kudos for his latest decision to cancel land allotment to SEZ promoters.

The Sindh government has introduced 'Land Grant Policy' for poor farmers in the 2008-09 Budget for 'absolute' elimination of feudalism from the province. "Absolutely, this is to eliminate feudalism and change this (feudal) mindset," Sindh Minister for Information Shazia Marri told Business Recorder when asked if the Policy, under which 212000 acres land would be granted to landless farmers, could be termed as a step towards elimination of feudalism in the province.