Policies, Laws and Regulations

Faster, sustainable and more inclusive growth – An approach to the twelfth five year plan – Draft report by Planning Commission
Water and environmental issues are also critical to sustained and high quality urbanization, the report says. Posted on 03 Sep, 2011 09:28 AM

This draft report by the Planning Commission, which presents an approach to the twelfth five year plan among other things outlines some of the challenges related to agriculture, natural resources management and water resources management.

Restructuring of the Central Water Commission – Ministry of Water Resources invites comments on its proposal till September 30, 2011
The Ministry of Water Resources has invited comments from various stakeholders on restructuring of the Central Water Commission. Posted on 25 Aug, 2011 12:24 PM

CWC

The restructuring is being proposed primarily to adopt river basins as the fundamental block for integrated planning, development and management of water resources in the country. 

Draft of Land Acquisition and Resettlement & Rehabilitation Bill, 2011 in public domain - Comments invited by Ministry of Rural Development till 31st August, 2011
The MoRD has on 29th July, 2011 released the draft Land Acquisition and Resettlement and Rehabilitation bill, 2011 in public domain as part of the pre-legislative consultative process. Posted on 15 Aug, 2011 05:35 PM

Guest post by: Amita Bhaduri

The drafting of a new legislation on these issues was taken up by a Group of Ministers in May 2007 and this is the second draft bill presented by the UPA Government.

Integrated Low Cost Sanitation Scheme - Revised guidelines by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (2008)
The document presents the 2008 guidelines of the Integrated Low Cost Sanitation Scheme by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation. Posted on 12 Aug, 2011 04:29 PM

The objective of the scheme is to convert or construct low cost sanitation units through sanitary two pit pour flush latrines with superstructures and appropriate variations to suit local conditions (area specific latrines) and construct new latrines where economically weaker sections household have no latrines and follow the in-human practice of defecating in the open in urban areas. This would improve overall sanitation in the towns.

Draft guidelines for taking up works relating to access to sanitation facilities by Ministry of Rural Development - Request for comments by August 15, 2011
Request for comments by August 15, 2011 - Posted on 09 Aug, 2011 11:15 PM

The Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India has developed draft guidelines expanding the scope of works under schedule 1 Para 1 (ix) of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to include access to sanitation facilities. This has been prompted by demands from several States/quarters for ensuring sanitation facilities in rural areas with the main goal of ensuring a clean environment, thereby bringing about an improvement in the general quality of life and strengthening the livelihood base.

Small and mini hydel projects – Standing Committee on Energy – Sixteenth Report (2010-2011)
The report presents the observations and recommendations of the Standing Committee on Energy on small and mini hydel projects. Posted on 03 Aug, 2011 03:57 PM

 The Committee took evidence of the representatives of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in January, 2011.

Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules (2011)
One of the major provisions under the new Rules is the explicit recognition of the role of waste pickers. Posted on 28 Jul, 2011 08:21 AM

This document  on the Ministry of Environment and Forests site includes the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules replaces the earlier Recycled Plastics Manufacture and Usage Rules,1999 (amended in 2003).

Why India's 'growth' focus is ignoring the food access question - Article from Infochange India
How much food will India need to grow to feed our population in 2011-12? How much in 2013-14? Will we need to import wheat and rice or will we be self-sufficient? Do we know the environmental cost of this self-sufficiency? Are we willing to bear it? These are the questions that the Government of India, its ministries and its planning agencies must find answers to before the start of the Twelfth Five Year Plan period, which is 2012-17. Posted on 14 Jul, 2011 11:41 AM

Article and Image courtesy: Infochange India
Author: Rahul Goswami

Celebrating the fact that per capita agricultural income is increasing faster than overall per capita income, the government is targeting 4% growth in agriculture in the Twelfth Plan period. But this is a rosy view that does not stand up to scrutiny.

Why India's 'growth' focus is ignoring the food access question - Article from Infochange India

A functional Green Tribunal - Article by Kanchi Kohli in mylaw.net
This article discusses the background to the Green Tribunal and provides suggestions to improve its functionality. Posted on 12 Jul, 2011 02:08 PM

The Delhi High Court in its order in C.M. No. 15895/2005 in Writ Petition Number 17682/2005 relating to the National Environment Appellate Authority (“the NEAA”) had vehemently said the following.

Justice (retd.) N. Venkatachala of the Supreme Court headed the NEAA for three years. The image above and on article thumbnail is from the website of the Supreme Court of India Justice (retd.) N. Venkatachala of the Supreme Court headed the NEAA for three years
The image above and on article thumbnail is from the website of the Supreme Court of India 

“The numerous orders passed by this court in the past three years reflect both the concern of the court and the considerable restraint exercised by it in refraining from proceeding against the concerned officials for disobeying its binding orders. However, the government has failed to take satisfactory steps to address the concern expressed by this court. It has failed to comply with the court's orders and has left it with no choice but to issue further mandatory directions to ensure that the legislative mandate contained in the NEAA Act is not frustrated by executive apathy. The government has to be made accountable in law for its disobedience of the court's orders…”

Draft National Food Security Bill approved by the National Advisory Council
The proposed National Food Security Bill aims to provide every person with physical, economic and social access, at all times, either directly or by means of financial purchases, to quantitatively and qualitatively adequate, sufficient and safe food, which ensures an active and healthy life. Posted on 09 Jul, 2011 04:11 PM

Food Security

The issues related to the Draft National Food Security Bill approved by the National Advisory Council (NAC) were taken up for discussion by the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) in their meeting on 11th July, 2011 which approved it. The Bill has to be now ratified by the parliament where it is proposed to be introduced in December 2011 to become law. It would need about 61 million tonnes of grains a year, the bulk of which would be wheat and rice.

The EGoM tried to settle the differences between the views of the NAC and the Food Ministry on the contours of the legislation such as on coverage under the Bill, method to be adopted to ensure food security, amount of food grain required and the implication of the Act on the food subsidy ‘burden’. While the NAC had preferred legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrain for 90 per cent of rural population and 50 per cent of urban population, the Food Ministry was interested in lowering of the legal coverage for rural families. The Bill is now with the Law Ministry.

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