Declaring that the first in-situ slum rehabilitation project undertaken at Kathputli Colony in his New Delhi parliamentary constituency was close to his heart, Union Housing and Poverty Alleviation Minister Ajay Maken said on Tuesday that more such projects would be planned to rid the city and other urban areas across the country of slums.

Speaking after assuming charge of the new Ministry, Mr. Maken who has been elevated to the Union Cabinet rank now, said he would also be working on expediting the process of redevelopment of slums. “At the time of the 1982 Asian Games when construction of various projects was undertaken, little thought was paid to the need of housing for the workers

At the instance of Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, changes have been introduced in the proposed draft Land Acquisition Bill. According to the revised draft, the consent of 80 per cent of the landowners has been made obligatory if it procured for private purposes. Earlier, the proposal was to secure the consent of just 67 per cent of the landowners. But, if the land is acquired for a public cause, the no consent was required.

Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar disclosed this to reporters after his meeting with Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh over the issue. He said, “A detailed discussion was made in the last GoM. Some of them suggested changes and these were discussed and finalised on Monday.”

The Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is learnt to have agreed for different criteria of “consent” of landowners for land acquisitions for government, private com

Despite SC ban, 123 saw mills operating within prohibited area
*Funds meant for forest protection used to purchase ACs

JAMMU: In what could be termed as insensitivity towards the green gold wealth, only one per cent of forest land has been demarcated in Jammu district by the Forest Department thereby leaving 99 per cent area prone to encroachment by the land grabbers. Moreover, 123 saw mills are operating within the prohibited area in contravention of the ban imposed by the Supreme Court and incident of illicit felling and consequently the outstanding damages cases have been increasing year after year due to the slackness of the Forest Department officers.

PANJIM: While the ore rich talukas of Goa have begun to bear the brunt of closure of mining industry, Chief Secretary B Vijayan claimed that the downturn had not affected the State exchequer, even as revenue collection was only 30 percent of the estimates.

Vijayan refuted fears of a recession even though the State earned only Rs 360 crore of the estimated Rs 900 crore mining revenue in the last seven months.

Pawar, Jairam agree on remaining details in land Bill, draft to go to Cabinet next month

Acquisition of land for private purposes will require the consent of at least 80 per cent of the owners, is the almost-final decision of the group of ministers (GoM) tasked with recommending on this. This will be one of the provisions of the new land Bill. GoM chairman Sharad Pawar and rural development minister Jairam Ramesh met briefly today to finalise key aspects on which some differences had remained. This issue of acquisition for a non-public purpose was one aspect.

From the production guidance of about 15 MT for 2012-13, it has produced 3.7 MT iron ore in the first half of the fiscal

Vedanta group firm Sesa Goa is likely to miss the production target of about 15 million tonne for the current fiscal due to mining ban in Goa, a senior company official said today. "Obviously not. We can not give you any number at this time," Sesa Goa's Managing Director P K Mukherjee said when asked whether the company will be able to achieve its guidance after the imposition of ban.

Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) has so far completed 8511 projects in earthquake hit areas of Azad Kashmir and areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhaw while work is continuing on

Affected Families Can Opt For Plots Or Choose From LIG Flats, Affordable Housing Plans

Jaipur: The much-awaited special rehabilitation policy for the affected house owners of Amanishah Nullah was finalised by the state government on Friday. The policy draws separate rules for the Below Poverty Lines (BPL) and Above Poverty Lines (ABL) families, which have houses constructed in the catchment areas of the nullah. The policy has provisions of allotting land and financial assistance along with shifting facilities for replacement. The constructions at the nullah are to be demolished following a recent high court directive.