20-Yr Extension If States Don

CHENNAI: The Central Government will soon introduce a bill to make rain water harvesting compulsory throughout the country.
The bill is being fine-tuned by the Ministry of Water Resources for introduction in Parliament, said N. Vardraj, Regional Director, Central Ground Water Board, here on Friday.

Chinese legislators said on Thursday that their country will "strive to control greenhouse gas emissions" and consider new laws to fight climate change, while warning against using the issue to raise trade barriers.

Saubhadro Chatterji / New Delhi August 26, 2009, 0:21 IST

Though the country is facing drought and low agricultural output, political parties seem to be reluctant to take up responsibilities to head the parliamentary panel on Agriculture.

Our politics of poverty is characterised by our poverty of politics. Although poverty is the overwhelming fact of our national life, it is hardly the theme of our politics.

CHENNAI: A draft Fishermen Rights Bill will be introduced in Parliament in December to protect the traditional rights of fishermen. It will be modelled on the Forest Rights Act, or The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

The proposed National Food Security Act (NFSA), which aims to provide 25 kg of rice or wheat per month at Rs 3 per kg to every family below poverty line, is likely to be delayed.

Bangladesh and UK Parliamentary Groups have launched a joint inquiry on climate change to find out how Bangladesh and many other very low carbon dioxide footprints have been prevented from benefiting from mechanisms like the Clean Development Mechanism.

Saubhadro Chatterji / New Delhi August 7, 2009, 0:18 IST

The long-awaited Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill 2009 is in more trouble, with the government scrambling today to withdraw a copy of the final Bill that it circulated to MPs this morning ahead of introducing it in the Lok Sabha.

MPs will head committees which will be set up to monitor various rural development schemes of the Centre, Rural Development Minister C P Joshi said answering supplementaries during Question Hour.

"Orders in this regard would be issued soon," Joshi said amid thumping of desks by members.