Category: News

Centre wants to dilute environment clearance norms for irrigation projects, mining of 47 minerals

The central government wants to dilute environmental clearance regulations for irrigation projects and the mining of 47 minerals, including sand, marble, limestone and brick earth.

In a draft notification issued on December 18, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has proposed that projects irrigating up to 5,000 hectares be exempted from environment clearance. Currently, all projects irrigating over 2,000 hectares require the clearance from the Centre or the state government concerned.

The ministry also wants state governments to get greater responsibility for assessing environmental impact of irrigation projects. Under the proposed norms, state authorities would be able to clear projects irrigating up to 50,000 hectares instead of the current 10,000 hectares. Projects irrigating over 50,000 hectares would require clearance from the Centre.

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Courtesy: Scroll.in

Amendments to Land Acquisition Act opposed

VIJAYAWADA: The State-level meeting of the Bhu Porata Hakkula Samithi (BPHS) has opined that the Centre has asked the State government make changes in the Land Acquisition Bill as it could not directly do that. The BPHS held a State-level meeting at Hanumantharaya Library on Friday against the amendments to Land Acquisition Act, 2013 demanding its withdrawal.

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Courtesy: The New Indian Express

ACB has diluted Himmavu land acquisition case, says Vishwanath

Mysuru: Former MP and JD(S) leader AH Vishwanath charged the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) with diluting the case pertaining to the acquisition of 841 acres at Himmavu village at Nanjanjgud taluk in Mysuru.
Alleging that the decision of the state government to hand over the investigation to ACB when JD(S) leader GT Devegowda was its president was politically motivated, Vishwanath added, “Let the ACB conduct an independent investigation into Himmavu land acquisition deal. The real face of several top leaders will get exposed. Chief minister Siddaramaiah has issued oral directions to ACB to dilute the Himmavu land acquisition case.”

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Courtesy: The Times of India

National Green Tribunal strikes down Environment Cell

CHENNAI : The move by the State government to amend the Development Control Rules and create an Environment Cell in Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority suffered a blow after the National Green Tribunal (NGT)’s principal bench in New Delhi quashed a Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notification of 2016, which ordered setting up the facility. The Union Environment Ministry notification had specified constitution of the cell by the local body and the State government recently held a crucial meeting to bring in changes in its development regulations.

However, the Green Tribunal comprising Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, Justice Jawad Rahim (judicial member) and Bikram Singh Sajwan (Expert Member) in its order said the setting up environment cell in the local body will result in a conflict of interest.In its order passed in the first week of December, the Green Tribunal observed, “As per the notification of Union Ministry of Environment, Environmental Cell is to be constituted by the local authority or the State Government, whereas the implementation of the environmental law is vested with the Central Government.”

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Courtesy: The New Indian Express

E-waste provisioning may put pressure on electronic goods companies

MUMBAI: Electronic goods companies, including multinationals that have been operating in India for at least a decade, could see pressure on profit due to a proposed rule on electronic waste disposal and its treatment under current accounting standards. Companies such as Samsung, LG, Apple and Nokia will be required to collect a predetermined percentage of the goods they sell every year, stretching back over the past 10 years.

Under Indian Account Standards (Ind-AS), the companies will be required to provision for this cost in the current fiscal, leading to a possible erosion in earnings. They have asked the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to amend the rule and strip out its retrospective nature.

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Courtesy: The Economic Times

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