New Delhi: With the small island countries and the least developed states veering towards the European line on climate change, the larger developing economies came together with African countries binding around the BASIC four — India, China, South Africa and Brazil — to demand that principles of equity and ‘common but differentiated responsibility’ be operationalized in the post-2020 climate regime.

New Delhi: A panel headed by the PM’s chief economic advisor C Rangarajan has recommended exporting 2 million tonnes (mt) of wheat at a subsidy of Rs 1,500 crore through government channels and another 1 mt through private traders at a subsidy of Rs 150 crore. Warning that just exports would not be enough to manage the overflowing godowns and could cause political problems, the panel has also recommended distribution of 8 mt grain to below poverty line (BPL) and 2 mt to above poverty line (APL) families. The total subsidy bill for this would come to Rs 17,000 crore.

New Delhi: The surge of poaching of rhinoceros in South Africa could lead to threats to the one-horned Indian rhino in Assam and West Bengal if the African country decides to go ahead and demand opening the international trade in rhino horns. Speaking at the first stock taking meeting of the World Bank-led Global Tiger Recovery Programme in Delhi, Keshav Varma, programme director of the Global Tiger Initiative, warned that South Africa, unable to contain poaching, was inclined towards opening the trade in rhino horns.

New Delhi: In climate talks beginning on Monday in Bonn, India will oppose the EU’s move to start negotiations on the draft of a new climate protocol in 2012 itself. Considering it another shift in the goalpost by the Europeans, the Indian team of negotiators is expected to point out that no consensus was built at Durban last year that the only way forward is a new protocol that renders Kyoto Protocol redundant.

Depletion of groundwater and its increasing pollution could be leading to a silent, nationwide public health crisis as aquifers in many stretches across India are becoming unfit for drinking, according to the government’s own figures. Depletion of groundwater and its increasing pollution could be leading to a silent, nationwide public health crisis as aquifers in many stretches across India are becoming unfit for drinking, according to the government's own figures.

New Delhi: The fight against climate change will take a strategic jump in the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-2017) with the government intending to plough in almost Rs 2 lakh crore through the various missions, the working group on climate of the 12th Five-Year Plan has said.

New Delhi: The Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has sprung to the aid of villagers caught in a battle between hotel industry and wildlife groups, who are fighting for securing the Sigur elephant corridor that cradles between several wildlife sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu. In an affidavit filed before the SC, MoEF has opposed the Madras high court order asking everyone to hand over their land in the corridor in disregard to provisions of the Land Acquisition Act.

‘Raise PDS Allocation Or Wheat Will Go Waste Due to Lack Of Storage Facilities’
India could see unprecedented levels of foodgrain rotting this year in government godowns unless the central government increases the amount of grains it distributes to the poor through PDS across the country, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has warned in an internal note, which was accessed by TOI.

The total stocks across the country in the central pool are expected to be an all-time record of 750.17 lakh tonnes in June 2012 — almost one lakh tonne more than last year.

New Delhi: While former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa may have come under the scanner of Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee (CEC) in two specific cases of making financial gain from miners, the entire case of illegal mining in the state and the wealth stolen could end with a fine of less than Rs 450 crore and most of the miners could continue their operations, though under supervision and new regulations.

New Delhi: Jindal Steel and Power Limited got a jolt on Friday with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) cancelling the environmental clearance to the 4 million tonne per annum Gare IV/6 coal mining project in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh.
The NGT order did not even spare the Union environment ministry (MoEF) for its functioning in the case. The tribunal noted that the mandatory public hearing held to gain acceptance of the project from the affected people was a “farce”. “It was amockery of the public hearing and the procedure required to be followed,” it said.