Devolution of more powers to panchayats in the management of national rural drinking water mission and the issues of arsenic and shortage of drinking water will figure prominently at the two-day national conference of state ministers of rural drinking water supply and sanitation beginning in New Delhi tomorrow.

New Delhi, May 23: The raised petrol prices and the untouched diesel reflect a disturbing trend that is pushing consumers towards private diesel vehicles and hurting the country’s environment, health and economy, analysts have said. The increase announced today will mainly jack up the fuel bills of owners of small cars and two-wheeler motorbikes, the analysts said, pointing out that most big cars, and virtually all of public transport, freight trucks and railways run on diesel.

BHUBANESWAR: In what can be seen as a missive to embarrass Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the tribal issue, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday alleged that a large number of ‘adivasis’ are in jail in Odisha, for no reason whatsoever, and they should be freed at the earliest.

KOLKATA, 22 MAY: State panchayat and rural development minister Subrata Mukherjee today asked all zilla sabhadhipatis and district magistrates to submit a detailed project report (DPR) for at least 5,000 km of roads across the state under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) by 14 June 2012.
Mr Mukherjee today held a series of meetings with elected representatives, district magistrates and engineers to ensure that the reports are submitted within the given deadline.

JAIPUR: Rajasthan has been allotted 13 per cent of the total funds for providing drinking water the Centre claimed on Monday. Union minister for rural development, drinking water and sanitation minister Jairam Ramesh on Monday said that the Centre has sanctioned the highest allocation of Rs 1,300 crore to the desert state and assured that Rajasthan would get top priority in various central schemes for provision of drinking water.

New Delhi, 18 MAY: Finding faults with the MGNREGA scheme, a Parliamentary Panel has said that there was confusion over its definition of the term 'households' which was being twisted to suit male heads of families which should be corrected. In its report, the Committee on empowerment of Women in Rural areas said that due to this confusion the scheme was not reaching its targeted beneficiaries.

Panel’s Report On Land Acquisition Not Binding On Govt: Jairam
New Delhi: Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday rejected the standing committee’s recommendation that government should not acquire land for private businesses, saying the state’s role could not be eliminated since the private sector did serve a public interest.

The government appears in no mood to pay heed to a Parliamentary panel’s key recommendation that the state should stay away from acquiring land for private businesses. Asserting that the government must have a role in land acquisition as private companies help fulfill public interest, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh today categorically said “the priority of the government was to facilitate, revive and restore economic growth and not depress investor sentiments”.

Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday rejected the Parliamentary standing committee's suggestion to delete a clause in the Land Acquisition Bill allowing the government to acquire land for public-private-partnership (PPP) projects.

He said the government would not compromise with the fundamental principles in the Bill, whose thrust is on urbanisation and industrialisation. A similar assurance came from Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, who said his ministry would not allow any compromise on manufacturing and industrial activities as they were a national priority.

Views of State governments will be accommodated, says Jairam Ramesh

The Centre has decided to revise the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011, incorporating suggestions made by State governments to protect the interests of tribals and the sanctity of gram sabhas. Reacting to the parliamentary committee report, Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh said most of the recommendations pertaining to preserving the federal structure would be accepted but asserted the government would have to necessarily play a role in land acquisition.