A group of 91 retired bureaucrats has appealed to the Centre to withdraw the Green Credits programme, which they claimed may facilitate diversion of forest land to private entities. "Quick, smooth and easy diversion of our forest lands in favour of user agencies is apparently the sole intention of this set of Green Credits rules. "We urge the MOEFCC to recognise this danger and withdraw the Green Credits notification expeditiously," the group of former civil servants wrote in an open letter to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
The government is auctioning 42 coal mines among 204 coal blocks.
Key infrastructure sectors -- from railways to power, and from coal to petroleum -- will not only be part of the achievements but promises too, as the BJP fights to get a third term at the Centre.
As of now, only Indian power, steel and cement companies can mine coal for their own consumption.
JSPL, Tata Power, Monnet Power, Jindal Photo in the dock.
Dubbing the Bharatiya Janata Party ministry in Karnataka as the "most corrupt government in free India", the Congress on Wednesday demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and all ministers indicted by the Lokayukta in the illegal mining case. "Those holding constitutional positions should uphold high moral traditions. Yeddyurappa and all ministers involved in the nefarious activities should quit," party spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told reporters.
Over 65 Union ministers are likely to take oath, going by the visual of the meeting Modi held with his likely council of ministers.
The Goa Foundation started filing writ petitions before the Bombay High Court from 1992 onwards against several mining companies.
The Centre has appointed senior IAS officers Vumlunmang Vualnam and Neeraj Mittal as new secretaries in the ministry of civil aviation and the department of telecommunications respectively in a major secretary-level bureaucratic reshuffle, a government order stated.
The verdict on deemed licences has the Street question whether Sesa Sterlite owns any mines in Goa.
Minister of state for personnel Jitendra Singh said it is a major step to place the right talent for the right role.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said the larger interest of the public sector would be fully protected.
In a bid to diversify its portfolio, the state-owned National Thermal Power Corporation proposes to foray into new areas, including coal mining and coal washeries, through the joint venture route where it would hold minority stake.
At the time of bidding, Amit Bahadur had Rs 4,840 in his bank account.
A Maldivian minister, who was suspended in January for her derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has now mocked the Indian flag after including parts of the flag in an altered campaign poster of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), according to a media report on Monday.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday reluctantly admitted before the National Green Tribunal that illegal sand mining was going on in the state and not even a single environmental clearance had been granted for it in Gautam Budh Nagar district.
Mining companies will now have to cap mining activities in Goa.
Those for power sector to see tussle between prior owners & new challengers
In a significant move to enhance its strategic resource security, India has officially released its first-ever critical minerals list, identifying 30 key critical minerals crucial to the nation's economic growth and technological development. This pioneering step aims at reducing import dependence, enhancing supply-chain resilience, and supporting the country's net-zero objectives. Union Minister Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi, while releasing the Critical Minerals for India report in New Delhi on Wednesday, said, "India is readying for an Atmanirbhar Bharat."
More than legal and illegal mining of sand, the issue which stares us in the face is sustainable sand mining, says Gopal Krishna
The recommendation, if implemented, could severely dent coal miners' bottom line.
The shift to gross calorific value-based grading of coal aligned domestic prices with international benchmarks.
Amidst the storm over CAG report on coal block allocation, the Prime Minister's Office has expressed displeasure over inaction by the Coal Ministry in cancelling blocks where mining has not taken place and asked it to expedite the matter by September 6.
Union Labour Ministry has announced pension scheme for unorganised labour hands like mine and cine workers.
Environment ministry has given its go-ahead to POSCO's planned steel plant in the country, but has asked it to spend on "social commitments", a company spokesman said, raising the project's cost by $600 million to $12.6 billion.
An inquiry has been ordered by the Director General of Mines Safety and a high-level committee of experts has been constituted by Coal India to investigate the causes of the accident.
The divestment department has proposed that public sector units involved in mining ores alone should qualify for 'natural asset' status while imposing additional norms concering employment of labour.\n\n\n\n
The Cabinet can take a decision on the matter only after the Election Commission's approval.
The Trinamool Congress leader had been languishing without a portfolio for over four months.
How the 4 ministries have performed
All the 12 gram sabhas held in July-August last year had unanimously expressed opposition to the mining operation in the hills saying it would violate their social, cultural and religious rights.
The government, which currently holds 29.5 per cent stake in HZL and 49 per cent stake in Balco, is looking at exiting from the two firms in which Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Group holds majority stake.
The mining ministry's inordinate delay in giving approval to group firm Hindustan Zinc to buy London-based Anglo American's zinc mines has forced the company to route it through Sterlite.
Select committees on Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill and Coal Mines Bill recommended their approval without any change
A day after the Union ministry of environment and forest suspended the environmental clearances for all the 93 mining leases in Goa, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has said that he will appeal to prime minister to "set things right" in the green ministry headed by Jayanti Natarajan.
