India’s northeastern state Nagaland has declared independence from the Union oil ministry and invited bids for 11 exploration blocks in the state without involving the petroleum ministry, which has rushed to the home ministry in protest.

The centre was caught napping, when Nagaland invited “expressions of interest” from oil companies after setting up a ministerial group on petroleum, officials in the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, technical arm of the oil ministry, told ET.
“It appears that this action of the state government of Nagaland is ultra vires of the Constitution,” director general of hydrocarbons RN Choubey said in a letter to the oil ministry.

CPI-Maoist have formed several committees to oppose the project

Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), one of the main steel-producing units of Steel Authority of India (SAIL), ‘will fund construction of barracks’ for paramilitary forces to ensure security for the coming mining project at Raoghat in Kanker, central Chhatisgarh. The construction has been initiated, both Union Home Ministry and SAIL sources confirmed.

Central team arrives to assess damage

GUWAHATI: The agricultural sector appears to be the worst affected by the devastating floods in the State this year and this is evident by the fact that the total agricultural damage stands at around Rs 900 crore. This figure was arrived upon after an internal assessment carried out by the State Agriculture Department. While agricultural crops in almost all districts have been destroyed, Barpeta district has seen the most extensive damage to agricultural crops. This was disclosed by State Agriculture Minister Nilomoni Sen Deka while talking to mediapersons in Guwahati on Tuesday.

Facing stiff opposition from the Naxals, the Indian Railways, which is building a track to augment supply of iron ore for Bhilai Steel Plant, has told the Ministry of Home Affairs that contractors

IMPHAL, July 2 – Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh presented the budget estimates for the year 2012-13 in the State Assembly here today.

United Nations The UN is monitoring the floods situation in India and Bangladesh and is ready to provide assistance to the countries where more than a million people have been displaced due to heav

Arduous & Lengthy Process To Obtain Admin Permission

Jaisalmer: Wind and solar power producing companies in the districts of Jaisalmer, Barmer and Bikaner are staring at the bleak prospects of projects getting delayed as they cannot deploy labourers owing to an existing ban on outsiders entering these border areas for national security reasons. The police stepped up surveillance after Jaisalmer subdivisional officer Ramesh Chandra Jainth under the existing rules issued an order on April 9 giving directions that outsiders have to take permission for entering the scheduled police stations areas.

German company GIZ, which has offered to airlift the highly-dangerous toxic waste from Union Carbide’s Bhopal plant for disposal in Germany, has raised “doubts” about the logistic support facilities at Bhopal airport for handling of such sophisticated cargo to avoid any environment problem.

The Centre, which though had decided to engage GIZ for disposing the 350 tonnes of highly-dangerous toxic waste of methyl isocyanate left in the UCIL plant after the 1984 gas leak disaster, has left it to the company to make independent assessment of the airport facilities.

We have already written to the Prime Minister: Sheila

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said on Friday that her government would be approaching the Supreme Court for relief in the matter of Yamuna water supply if Haryana does not change its ways. Ms. Dikshit said she did not want a confrontation with Haryana but Delhi's larger neighbour had by deciding to cut 45 MGD (million gallons a day) supply to the Capital in the past fortnight left the city with little option.

The government on Thursday raised minimum support prices (MSPs) of primary kharif crops for the 2012-13 crop marketing year by up to 53 per cent, leading to concern this could further raise food inflation.

“The government has accepted the suggestion made by the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP), which recommends MSPs after taking into account the cost of production,” Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

Pages