Chandigarh: The Centre on Sunday rejected Punjab’s charge that it was “deliberately denying” the state a drought-relief package in the wake of deficient monsoon rains. “There is no such thing.

With around 60 per cent of world’s open defecation happening in India and manual scavenging still a dark ugly truth, India, according to Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, presents a rather

The ‘Nirmal Bharat Yatra’ to promote the message of making the country open defecation-free and ensuring proper sanitation in rural areas will begin from October 3, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh said on Friday.

Accompanied by actor Vidya Balan, the brand ambassador of the Ministry’s campaign for improving sanitation, Mr. Ramesh said the 2,000-km yatra will rope in people from all sections, including school children, to pass on the message.

A 12-member group of ministers (GoM) headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, formed to vet certain provisions in the controversial Land Acquisition Bill, met in New Delhi on Thursday, but did not take any decision on the draft legislation.

The meeting took place amid criticisms from civil society activists that the rural development ministry had watered down some provisions of the Bill, which has been renamed as The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011. Industry representatives, however, welcomed the changes.

New Delhi An empowered group of ministers (EGoM) on Thursday deferred a decision on the land acquisition Bill, confirming sharp divisions within the government over some of its key provisions.

Sources said the EGoM meeting remained inconclusive as several ministers failed to give their opinion on the Bill and wanted to register their concerns before it got the final nod. The next meeting is scheduled for October 3.

The first meeting of the Group of Ministers on a proposed land acquisition law succeeded in narrowing down some of the differences of various ministries though a few contentious issues remain resol

Draft Says Nod Of 66% Of Owners Against Earlier 88% Enough For Go-Ahead

May incorporate an industry-friendly provision that will allow the government to acquire land for showcase projects such as the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial corridor.

Bill balances needs of economic growth with concerns of aam aadmi, says Jairam Ramesh.

Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on Monday said that Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by him to consider the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill would clear the legislation in a week’s time. The GoM’s clearance may enable the land bill to be tabled in the Parliament in the Winter session.

Earlier, the Union Cabinet had referred the land bill to the GoM to reconcile difference in opinion of various ministries. A number of Union ministers, including Anand Sharma, C.P. Joshi, had opposed the provisions of the land bill.