Steps for resolution of issues raised by him to be discussed

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has deputed a senior official from his office to meet Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand to discuss further measures that could be taken for an early resolution of issues raised by the Ganga Seva Abhiyanam. The Swami is on a hunger strike to save the Ganga. In a statement issued here on Friday, the Prime Minister's Office said the government is committed to improving the ecological health of the river, to make sure that there is continuous and pollution-free flow of water.

The Planning Commission hailed it as a future fuel and the industry projected it as a viable biofuel crop. But the Union Rural Development Ministry led by Jairam Ramesh feels otherwise.

CHENNAI: Forest and tree cover has declined in Tamil Nadu and the State has not prepared its own forest policy even though five years have passed since a recommendation to do this was made by the National Forest Commission, says a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

The report - released by principal accountant generals Suhasini Srinivasan and S Murugiah at the office of the the Principal Accountant General on Wednesday - states that the state achieved only 22 per cent forest and tree cover against the target of 25 per cent, by 2007.

This despite the recommendation of National Forest Commission''

The State has failed to frame its own forest policy even six years after the National Forest Commission recommended that each State should have its own policy for sustainable development of forests and wildlife resources. The Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) Report (Civil) for the year ended March 2011, which was tabled in the Assembly on Wednesday, has found that the State had failed in its set targets in improving the forest cover and in allocation for the sector during the XI Plan period.

It will be a while before Karnataka can expect any grant from the Centre for drought relief.

The Central drought assessment team headed by Parvesh Sharma on Wednesday directed the State government to furnish detailed statistics within a week’s time. The officials, at a meeting presided over by Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, expressed dissatisfaction over the information provided by the Gowda-led all-party delegation in its memorandum.

New Delhi Punjab, the grain bowl of India, is in danger of losing the coveted tag as depleting groundwater levels force the state to seriously consider reducing the planting of water-intensive paddy crop in the medium-to-long term to avoid a disaster.

After a recent meeting with Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, the Planning Commission has decided to send a team of experts to the state to review the problem and suggest ways to tackle it, official sources told FE.

The Centre is contemplating to hike retail prices of urea by 10 per cent. The proposal is likely to be put up before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs soon for its consideration.

A panel, led by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, had last year approved a new draft urea policy, which proposed partial freeing of retail prices, allowing companies to hike urea prices by 10 per cent in the first year of policy implementation.

The Annual Plan for Punjab for the current fiscal has been finalised at Rs.14,000 crore at a meeting here between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Initiating the discussions on Punjab's Plan performance, Mr. Ahluwalia lauded the State Government's efforts towards improving the health of the State's economy as also initiatives targeted at providing a boost to sectors such as health and education.

Planning Commission nod for cancer hospital in Malwa; water-logging, depleting water table to be dealt with.

New Delhi The Planning Commission today approved a plan outlay of Rs 14,000 crore for Punjab during 2012-13, an increase of 12 per cent compared to the previous fiscal.

The state outlay was finalised by Commission's Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister of Punjab Prakash Singh Badal in a meeting here.