Feature Article

State to give 80 per cent of sand mine auction profit to panchayats

THE Jharkhand government has announced it will give 80 per cent of the amount collected from auction of sand mines in the state to block panchayats. This is the first time a state has decided to share business profits with local bodies.

Hemant Soren, deputy chief minister and minister in-charge of the department of mines and geology, made the announcement on August 11. “The decision has been approved by the state Cabinet,” he added.

The Union government's decision to ban onion export has not gone down well with farmers. Protests continued in Nashik district of Maharashtra, one of the largest onion growing regions in the country, while farmers blocked the National highway from Mumbai to Agra. The Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) has, meanwhile suspended onion trading for an indefinite period. 

On the biggest challenge facing palaeobotany in India


It is lack of a legislation to conserve fossils. Hence, we are not able to preserve geological and palaeontological heritage of India. Look at China and the US. If a site is declared a natural fossil park in these two countries, you cannot carry out any excavation there without the approval of the government. We need to safeguard our palaeobotanical heritage, just like we do our archaeological heritage.