The alleged irregularities in the coal block allocations came under judicial scrutiny today with the Supreme Court directing the Centre to explain if the guidelines were strictly followed in allotting the natural resource to private companies.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday defended the washout of nearly the entire Monsoon Session of Parliament by the Opposition saying a similar exercise in 2010 on the 2G spectrum issue had led to cleansing of the telecom sector and hoped it will bring transparency in allocation of natural resources.
The Bombay high court on Monday suggested that the warring Ambani brothers could approach an independent body to resolve their dispute relating to supply of natural gas from the Krishna-Godavari basin. "The MoU is not able to resolve the issue and we would suggest both the parties to approach an independent body for the same," observed justice J N Patel.
These states make India one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
"There are eight companies (who have put in expression of interest)... RNRL is one of them," said A K Ahuja, managing director, Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd, the company that operates the nation's biggest gas-fired power plant and the adjacent LNG import facility. Others in the fray include state power utility NTPC and GMR. Ahuja said RGPPL will frame the bidding criteria and call for financial bids by next month.
The United Progressive Alliance government in its robust defence has rubbished Comptroller and Auditor General's charges against the allotment of coal mines and its estimate of losses to the exchequer.
The tabling of CAG reports on coal block allocation, power and Delhi airport on Friday prompted erstwhile Team Anna to target the political class once again as it accused all the parties of being together in corruption and benefitting from the "loot" of natural resources.
This time Modi has no emotive message to take to the stump. Muscular nationalism doesn't work against the backdrop of China's successive inroads into Indian territory. Rising prices is a sore point that cuts across class and caste barriers; unprecedented levels of unemployment has the youth in a ferment. This has reduced the BJP campaign to a laundry list of recycled grievances and thinly veiled communal appeals, neither of which are working as well as they have in the past, argues Prem Panicker.
The anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam on Monday led 10 other militant groups based in the Northeast to call for boycott of Republic Day celebrations in the region and a general strike during 1.00 am to 5.30 pm to protest 'India's unrelenting colonial occupation of the region with the sole objective of exploiting its rich natural resources by gagging to people's voice for liberation from its clutches."
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The Centre on Tuesday decided to withdraw from the Supreme Court its plea for review of the 2G judgment, which had held that natural resources should be allotted to private companies only through "auction" and not on the basis of first-come-first-served policy.
On instructions from the Prime Minister's Office for a more uniform distribution of the natural resource, the petroleum ministry had in December 2007 scrapped all contracts for sale of gas produced from PMT fields and nominated GAIL for selling it to 'fuel-starved' fertiliser plants outside Gujarat. But after protests, the ministry agreed to partly restore 3.6 million standard cubic meters per day of gas out of 5.1 mmscmd consumed by RIL's petrochemical plants.
These nations have faced adversities like consequence of poverty, genocide, years of war, lack of natural resources, poor farm management, and limited access to clean water and health care.
The challenge of Maoism can be met with equitable and inclusive socio-economic progress.
RIL in a letter to the ministry said if such an "untenable" policy was allowed it would encourage KG-D6 allottees to sell the cheap gas at higher rates during times like plant shutdowns when they don't need the fuel.
Asserting that the country has made it a priority to rescue all Indians stuck in Ukraine, Modi said, "It is due to India's rising strength that we are are able to bring back stranded Indians from Ukraine. Operation Ganga has been launched and I have sent four ministers to oversee the evacuation."
'A few rich people, because of their proximity to powerful people, are able to gain unduly,' says journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, who has just made a documentary on illegal iron ore mining.
The ULFA made light of the OIL stand that seismic survey in Brahmaputra riverbed has become necessary,
'ESG is actually a concept which cannot be applied effectively in the very short run.'
Advocate Prashan Bhushan talked exclusively to Sheela Bhatt on the trend-setting judgment.
The ongoing slanging match between the civil society group and the government poses a danger of stalling the Lokpal Bill and derailing the movement against corruption.
Alleging "loot" of natural resources and corruption in implementation of central schemes in Uttarakhand, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday asked people in the hill state to recognise the "fraud" being played with them and oust the BJP government from the state.
'We seem to be in a situation where we can do little, and nothing needs to be done anyway.'
Shares of Reliance Industries plunged on Friday after a court ruling that the Mukesh Ambani-led company can not sell its KG basin gas to any company except NTPC and Anil Ambani group's Reliance Natural Resources.
The Union Government on Thursday said that 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves have been found for the first time in the country in Jammu and Kashmir. Lithium is a non-ferrous metal and is one of the key components in EV batteries. "Geological Survey of India for the first time established Lithium inferred resources (G3) of 5.9 million tonnes in the Salal-Haimana area of the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir," the ministry of mines said on Thursday.
Zero-debt Cairn India has $2.85 billion cash reserve.
The 41 workers trapped in Uttarakhand's Silkyara tunnel for the last 11 days are likely to be rescued in the next few hours or by tomorrow, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain said on Thursday evening.
The meet will provide J&K an opportunity to showcase its strengths, strategies and potential. It will also help allay fears and apprehensions in the minds of trade and business community outside the state.
US Vice President Kamala Harris would host a separate meeting with the prime ministers of three Quad countries -- India, Australia and Japan -- at the White House to discuss with them the important factors for democracies to go forward, officials said.
Petroleum ministry has rejected Reliance Industries Limited's plan to sell natural gas to Anil Ambani Group firm Reliance Natural Resources Ltd at less than half the market price.
Shares of Reliance Natural Resources Ltd on Friday surged over nine per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange after the Bombay High Court issued an interim order restraining Reliance Industries from selling natural gas from KG gas field to a third party.
The revised GSMA was signed pursuant to the Supreme Court's May 7 judgement, turning down RNRL's demand for cheap gas from RIL based on a family agreement.
The Enforcement Directorate, which is investigating possible violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act by some former UBS employees, has written to the UK's Financial Services Authority, seeking details of the alleged misuse of accounts of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group-controlled Reliance Energy and Reliance Natural Resources.
The Centre on Thursday admitted before the Supreme Court that something went wrong with the coal blocks allocation and that it could have been done in a more refined manner.
In the short run, ONGC and OIL should both reap a bonanza given the government hike.
However, no formal confirmation of the meeting and the issues discussed could be obtained from either group.
Billionaire Anil Ambani on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at 7 Race Course Road for close to an hour but refused comments on the purpose of his meeting. The meeting comes within days of the Supreme Court rejecting his group firm Reliance Natural Resources Ltd's plea for cheap gas from Reliance Industries as had been decided in a private family agreement of 2005.
The Supreme Court, on Friday, will pronounce its verdict on the nation's most talked corporate battle over gas supply, outcome of which will shape the future of flagship energy firms run by brothers Mukesh and Anil Ambani.
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