A total of 28 relief camps have been opened and 850 people evacuated across two rural blocks in East Singhbhum district.

- Rs 3800 crore earmarked for projects

RANCHI: At a time when there is 22.4% growth in the overall population in Jharkhand, that of the scheduled tribe, for whom the state was carved out of Bihar, has declined by 0.1%.

Forest fire is one major reason behind the depleting forest cover in the state, claims environmentalist and forest activist. And such fires are frequent with the onset of summer.

Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has opposed the Forest Advisory Committee recommendation to divert over 500 hectares of land in Saranda forest division of Jharkhand for iron ore mini

The apex Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the environment ministry has gifted away 5,000 hectares of pristine forest, much of which provides crucial corridors for animals to move from one habitat to another.

The FAC has recommended the diversion of 60 hectares of forest located within the Gola corridor in Uttarakhand. Green lawyer Ritwick Datta points out, “This corridor is the only feasible path for the movement of elephants across the Gola river but it is being diverted for the construction of the NH-87 connecting Rampur to Kathgodam.”

The state government has decided to tighten the noose around companies that extract ore in excess of what has been specified in their leases in violation of Indian Bureau of Mines and environmental