Business & Economy

Tribals to get right to
minor forest produce

What is India News Service, Wednesday, 29 December 2004, 2000 hrs IST

Forest dwellers, including tribals, will soon have the legal right to minor produce from forests. Besides this, the Centre is also considering granting clearance to states to carry out public utility development works, including the construction of schools, dispensaries, water harvesting structures and laying electric and telecommunication lines, in tribal areas. 

Union Minister of Environment and Forests A. Raja has said that the government was in the process of giving final touches to the draft model legislation of the State/Union Territory Forest Produce (Ownership of Forest Dependent Community) Act, 2005, which will give right to minor forest produce to forest dwellers. 

At a recently held meeting with the related consultative committee of Parliament, Mr Raja said to protect genuine tribals from being evicted, the Centre was also considering issuing instructions to the state governments, advising them not to evict them without conducting proper enquiries into claims of possession of forest land.

Smart rally in rupee: Rallying smartly against the U.S. currency on the back of strong bunched up dollar supplies from the long Christmas holidays overseas, the rupee today gained a steep 14 paise to close at 43.71/72 a dollar. 
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CSD owes Rs 298 cr to suppliers: The Canteen Stores Department (CSD) of the Indian Armed Forces is one such organisation of the Services, which owes over Rs 295 crore to its suppliers and is seeking more budgetary allocation to clear the backlog.

Govt opens .in registration: India is all set to open .in Internet domain aggressively for domestic and multinational companies for registration from new year till January 21, for firms who have registered trademarks.

'Patents Ordinance heavy on peasants and patients': The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (Citu) today condemned amendment in the Indian Patents Act through an Ordinance saying it would lead to Indians paying heavily for everything, especially medicines and pesticides.

'New legislation for data protection soon': Close on the heels of amending the Patent Law to bring in product patent regime, government is all set to come out with a separate legislation for data protection.

Unified food law, regulator on the anvil: The Government has finally cleared the decks for a regulatory body and unified law for the food industry.

Centre for export-led growth: Promising more exporter-friendly policies soon, the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Kamal Nath, said here today that external trade could play a crucial role in stepping up India's overall growth rate. 

Smart rally in rupee: Rallying smartly against the U.S. currency on the back of strong bunched up dollar supplies from the long Christmas holidays overseas, the rupee today gained a steep 14 paise to close at 43.71/72 a dollar.

Shipping, tourism and marine sectors hit: Leading industry chambers, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), today said the loss caused by tsunami disaster was limited to shipping, tourism and the marine sectors.