Bhubaneswar: Forest and environment minister Debi Prasad Mishra on Tuesday said that a legislation on biodiversity is soon to be considered by the State Legislative Assembly. Addressing a workshop on ‘Biodiversity conservation in Odisha: Challenges and Opportunities’ organised by the Regional Plant Resource Centre (RPRC), Bhubaneswar to celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity-2012, Mishra said that biodiversity is important for our survival. Maintaining the equilibrium of biodiversity should get priority.

BHUBANESWAR: After opposing establishment of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in its present form, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday demanded modification in certain provisions, proposed in the MMDR (Mines and Mineral- Development and Regulation) Bill, 2011, on the ground that these would infringe on the rights of state governments. In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Chief Minister said the proposed Bill makes an attempt to transfer certain powers and functions, now being exercised by states, to the Central Government.

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.

With the Union Cabinet not taking up the much-anticipated amendments in the Lokpal Bill on Thursday, the fate of the anti-corruption legislation is now in a limbo. UPA strategists had earlier decided to bring a couple of amendments in the legislation and place it for passage in the Rajya Sabha after getting the Cabinet approval, but some points of disagreements still remain.

The government is likely to reject ‘radical’ recommendation of a parliamentary panel that proposed tighter norms for acquiring land for private businesses. In a report tabled in Parliament on Thursday, the Standing Committee on rural development has recommended key changes to the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, proposing to bar the government from acquiring land for industrial use.

New Delhi To ensure food security in the coming years, a parliamentary panel on Thursday recommended that the government refrain from acquiring agricultural land for industrial purpose. It also said the government should not acquire land for private businesses and stressed on a clearer definition of ‘public purpose’ in the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill (LARR), 2011.