The CEC gave its latest report to the Supreme Court on Thursday.
The Karnataka government would abide by the Supreme Court decision on the recommendation of Central Empowered Committee to extend Central Bureau of Investigation probe into illegal mining in the state, Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said on Friday.
After being ticked off by the Supreme Court-appointed Centrally Empowered Committee over "erroneous and incomplete data" on mining, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has sought to deflect the blame on erstwhile Congress regime for the "mess-up".
Terming it a "very sorry state of affairs", the apex court said the state was just trying to find some excuse or the other.
The Supreme Court on Thursday cancelled 49 mining leases due to illegalities in Bellary, Tumkur and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka, but allowed resumption of activity in mines with lesser illegalities, as recommended by a Central Empowered Committee. CEC had categorised the mines in the area in three categories -- A, B and C. The mines with least or no irregularities were categorised as 'A' and those with maximum illegalities were placed in category 'C'.
Expressing shock at the magnitude of the alleged illegal export of 35 lakh metric tons of iron ore by private firms in Karnataka, the Supreme Court on Thursday said it wants to explore the possibility if the guilty could be punished within six months.
The Indian government is planning to repeal a 65-year-old law that disqualifies MPs for holding office of profit and introduce a new one aligned with current needs. The draft bill proposes to simplify the existing law, remove the negative list of offices that cause disqualification, and address conflicts with other statutes. It also seeks to empower the central government to amend the schedule of offices by issuing a notification, replacing the existing provision for temporary suspension of disqualification.
With the probe of the Centre-appointed Shah commission into alleged irregularities entering its last lap, Goan miners have started bracing themselves for a possible Karnataka-like blanket ban on mining and exports.
The Supreme Court on Monday lifted its ban on iron ore mining operations in Karnataka by those companies which had not flouted lease conditions. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam accepted the report of its Central Empowered Committee, which had said that Category 'A' leases which consist of 21 operational and 24 non-operational leases should be allowed to carry on their business as they have not violated any rules.
The Supreme Court on Friday suspended mining activities in Tumkur and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka, saying it would not change its order until a proper rehabilitation programme is formed. A three-judge forest bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia gave the order on a recommendation by its expert panel for halting extraction of iron ores in Tumkur and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka.
The Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee on Friday said that large-scale illegal mining was going on in Karnataka, particularly in Bellary district, in connivance with officials and public representatives.A special forest bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia issued a notice to the state government and sought its response on various findings in the CEC's interim report, including the export of 304.91 lakh metric tonnes of iron ore without valid permit.
The mining scam had first rocked Karnataka and now Goa. While the mess in Karnataka is well known, the scenario in Goa is no different. The Central Empowered Committee in its interim report on illegal mining in Goa has found various illegalities in its detailed report, a copy of which is with Rediff.com.
Bench, however, did not pass any order against 68 other mines
Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj on Thursday again turned the heat on the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state, accusing it of inaction on the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee's report on illegal mining.
Karnataka Tourism Minister G Janardhana Reddy on Friday night said the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee's report -- describing as 'illegal' the mining of iron ore by the Obulapuram Mining Company owned by him in Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka border -- was not that of the apex court. He said the report by the CEC is an 'ex parte report' since the Obulapuram Mining Company "was never heard before
SC has asked Posco to submit a composite forest diversion proposal for its steel project in Orissa, thereby putting the company in a Catch22 situation.
Posco's mega steel plant in Orissa is inching forward with the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests clearing a proposal under which Posco will plant trees on an area equivalent in size to the forest land where the project is coming up.
In the Union Budget for Financial Year 2023-24 (FY24), Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had held forth on the need for better governance and investor protection in the banking sector. She had proposed certain amendments to the Reserve Bank of India Act (RBI Act), 1934; the Banking Regulation Act (BR Act), 1949; and the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970.
The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday approved the biggest tax reform since Independence.
They've proposed a sub-committee under the proposed GST Council or the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers to resolve any disputes in the tax's implementation.
'Has the BJP not announced its candidates in Raebareli?'
Radha Timblo, a Goa-based miner whose name figures in the black money list submitted by the Centre in the Supreme Court, on Tuesday denied having any "undisclosed" bank account in the country or abroad.
A Supreme Court-constituted panel has asked the Union environment ministry to amend or withdraw the guidelines related to setting up zoos and safaris within tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries to discourage the use of wildlife habitats for tourism activities which are non-site specific.
Nivedita Mookerji goes in search of the elusive war room to track and respond to the coronavirus threat.
Sources said Rahul Gandhi is likely to contest from Rae Bareli, but a final call is yet to be taken by the first family of the Congress.
Even though the NIA claims that more than 90 per cent of cases charge-sheeted have ended in conviction, the figure is likely misleading. To date, very few cases investigated by the NIA have resulted in a completed trial, points out former CBI joint director Navneet Rajan Wasan.
Modi can abandon the path of Hindutva only at risk to his position within his own fraternity. But if he pursues a hard line, he faces the risk of being hauled up by his coalition-partners. For the first time in a decade, Modi is not in enviable situation, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
The Union finance ministry has rejected a proposal sent by the labour ministry to double the monthly minimum pension amount to Rs 2,000 under the Employee Pension Scheme (EPS). The Central Board of Trustees (CBT), the apex decision-making body of the Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), was apprised of the proposal's rejection during a meeting on Saturday. "According to the recommendations made by a highly-empowered monitoring committee constituted by the government, a proposal to increase the minimum pension under EPS from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 per month, by providing additional budgetary support, was sent to the ministry of finance.
Sushil Kumar Modi, who ceased to be Bihar Finance Minister following the JD (U)-BJP split, on Monday resigned as Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers looking into the implementation of the proposed new indirect tax regime - Goods and Services Tax (GST).
The bench asked senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Congress leader Jaya Thakur, who sought a stay on the new law, to serve a copy of the petition to the Centre's counsel.
The central government, in its revised draft of the constitution amendment bill, had proposed that fuel and liquor should be brought under the ambit of GST.
The Tamil Nadu government has told the Supreme Court that "repeated assertion" by Kerala to seek decommissioning of the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar dam is "wholly impermissible" as the dam has been found to be hydrologically, structurally and seismically safe.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Centre would soon form a committee which would adopt all possible ways for empowering Madigas (a SC community) with regard to their demand of categorisation of Scheduled Castes.
It will help to lower their costs by 7-8 per cent.
In his letters to Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Thackeray said it would be appropriate to opt for alternative alignment of Akola-Khandwa line considering the long-term irreversible impact the work will have on endangered species like tigers.
Radha Timblo, a Goa-based miner whose name figures in the black money list submitted in the Supreme Court, on Monday said she needs to study the government's affidavit before commenting on the issue.
The Congress has so far announced 82 candidates for the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls beginning April 19.
In its election manifesto -- 'Sankalp Patra' -- the Bharatiya Janata Party has vowed to implement the Union Civil Code (UCC), maintain peace in the Northeast, among other key poll promises.