With the Finance Ministry cold-shouldering the proposals for giving incentives to special economic zones (SEZs) to revive investor interest in them, the Commerce Ministry is likely to approach the Cabinet on the issue in a last-ditch effort to revive the sagging fortunes of these SEZs.

The Finance Ministry and the Commerce Ministry officials have met a number of times on the issue but without any concrete solution emerging. “There has been no word from the Finance Ministry on the issue despite repeated reminders. Keeping in mind the importance of the issue, we are now contemplating going to the Cabinet directly. It is the Cabinet that will take a final call on the issue,” a senior Commerce Ministry official said.

While allegations of irrigationrelated illegalities continue to fly thick and fast, with Maharashtra at the epicenter, the status of irrigation projects across the country presents a dismal picture

New Delhi Over 1.7 lakh farmers from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, who grow the lucrative Flue Cure Virginia (FCV), have asked for representation in the upcoming WHO framework convention on tobacco control (FCTC) in South Korea during November 12-17.

FCV is the finest quality of tobacco used in cigarettes. Only health ministry officials have been invited to the FCTC meeting that seeks to reduce tobacco crop size across the globe. India, being signatory to the WHO FCTC, has committed to reduce the crop size so that a large chunk of agricultural land used for tobacco production could be used for grain production.

New Delhi Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said rehabilitation and resettlement norms included in the new land acquisition Bill would be applied to private land purchases as well.

Ramesh said that in case of private land purchase, the state government would be free to decide the threshold level for application of the provision. The move is expected to increase the cost of land acquisition by private sector players as they would now have to conform to the government stipulated R&R guidelines. The land acquisition Bill was earlier hailed by the industry as it diluted the consent provision for acquisition deals from 80% of the affected persons to two-third and allowed land acquisition by the government for private sector projects set up to serve a larger public purpose.

The finalised draft of the Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (LARR) Bill provides for rehabilitation and resettlement of land owners in all private purchases, but the threshold-level on which this will apply has been left to State governments.

The restriction on amount of irrigated multi-crop land and net sown area available for acquisition has also been left to the discretion of the States. Earlier, the quantity of irrigated multi-cropped land that could be acquired was capped at five per cent.

Union Cabinet okays comprehensive strategy for prevention, control of disease

In good news for millions of children vulnerable to Japanese Encephalities and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in 15 States, the Union Cabinet on Thursday approved a comprehensive strategy for prevention and control of the disease. The Rs.4,038-crore proposal of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for intervention/activities recommended by the Group of Ministers will be implemented in 60 priority districts for five years from 2012-13 to 2016-17.

PANJIM: Communist Party of India (Marxist) organised a workers rally from Panjim Kadamba Bus Terminus which culminated in a public meeting at Azad Maidan, to press for their demand to nationalise mining in the State and its takeover by proposed Goa Mineral Development Corporation.

The rally was addressed by Tapan Sen General Secretary of the National Unit of the CPI-M and Member of Parliament Tapan Sen as well as Thalmann Pereira, the state general secretary, Dr Vivek Monteiro and others. The rally submitted a memorandum of their demands to Collector, North Goa.

The Bill will be tabled in the winter session of Parliament later this year

Like the rest of corporate India, Larsen & Toubro Executive Chairman A M Naik will not be amused by the modified land acquisition Bill — Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Bill -- cleared by the group of ministers (GoM) on Tuesday. It was Naik who had complained early this year that the cost of projects such as the Navi Mumbai airport will go up by around Rs 4,500 crore as the draft Bill made it mandatory to give hefty compensation to landowners, and that too with retrospective effect.

A Supreme Court bench comprising Justices A.K. Patnaik and Swatenter Kumar made it clear that the matter of tourism-related activites in core areas of tiger habitats would continue to be heard further and also said any party aggrieved by the guidelines would have the liberty to challenge the same before the appropriate authority.

The bench’s direction came after additional solicitor-general Indira Jaising informed the court that the notification was formally issued on October 15 for 41 tiger reserves across India.

General agreement on most clauses, GoM to finalise loose ends in a few days

The group of ministers (GoM) on the land acquisition Bill on Tuesday agreed to present the draft legislation before the Cabinet in two weeks. The GoM would go through some consultation and tying up of loose ends at a meeting this week between Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who is also the GoM chairman.