In a big blow to Vedanta Resources, the government on Tuesday rejected environment clearance to its $1.7-billion bauxite mining project in Orissa after accepting recommendations of its key panel clearing such ventures.
Earlier, a government panel had said no to the controversial project in Orissa citing violation of a series of laws by it in active collusion with state government officials.
The villagers who support the Posco project had also invited Ramesh to visit the proposed plant site to assess the truth behind their rivals' claim about the Rs 52,000 crore (Rs 520 billion) mega steel plant.
In the last 10 days, at least two high-profile companies joined the long list of those whose mega projects have come under the ministry's scanner.
Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh has written to the Prime minister on the need to review the earlier central plan to develop six 'nuclear parks'.
The two signed an agreement on Monday to study and clean the Ganga.
'A lack of agreement at Copenhagen may not be suicidal for the US,' he said, 'but for a country like India, it is absolutely critical to have an agreement at Copenhagen,' says Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.
The government on Tuesday said it may consider putting in place additional environmental safeguards to ensure safety of the proposed nuclear reactor in Jaitapur in the aftermath of the tsunami in Japan that has endangered atomic power plants there."Based on the technical reviews the NPCIL does, we will certainly be in touch with them and if additional safeguards have to be built in as part of the environmental clearance, we will certainly look at it," said Jairam Ramesh.
The panelists expressed their views at a national workshop on 'Reforms in Environmental Regulation' organised in New Delhi with an aim to provide a platform to discuss the proposed role of National Environment Protection Authority.
The minister was addressing a session of Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2011.
Defence Minister A K Antony today made it clear that India is not paranoid over China and said the relationship between the two countries is improving and getting better even though the border dispute existed.
Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Thursday pressed Gujarat to part with some of its lions, saying they should be translocated and have a second home in Madhya Pradesh. The minister, who visited Sasan Gir Sanctuary in Junagadh district, the only abode of Asiatic lions, said he is hopeful that the Narendra Modi government will agree to the proposal of having a second home for Gujarat lions in MP. The Gujarat government has already rejected the proposal.
As Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh faces flak back home for his support to boosting trade with Beijing, the Chinese media has come out in his favour pressing for removal of "needless restrictions" on country's investment in India.
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh tendered written apologies to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for his recent remarks on the Union Home Ministry's functioning.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh summoned Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Monday and asked him to explain why he had made the uncalled-for comments earlier.
Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Monday announced a proposal to ban trade of peacock feathers to protect the national bird from illegal poaching and killing.
The ministry also plans to set up a compliance committee along with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry on a public-private partnership mode to look into issues of small and medium enterprises and help them comply with the environmental laws.
Jairam Ramesh denied that he was going after the big fish to get into limelight.
The fate of industrial projects worth over Rs 60,000 crore will be decided by an expert committee of the environment ministry at a two-day meeting beginning Wednesday. The committee will take up 32 new proposals, including modernisation and expansion of steel, aluminium and cement plants belonging to the top-notch companies.
Under attack from opposition parties and NGOs back home, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday admitted to 'nuancing' of the Indian position that it will not accept internationally legally binding emission cuts.
The minister came under attack from Opposition parties and NGOs in India which attacked him for taking unilateral stand, deviating from long held Indian position that it will not accept any internationally legally binding emission cuts.
Ramesh expressed deep concern about the US offer to reduce carbon emissions by 17 per cent from 2005 levels.
The Kyoto Protocol is the "make or break" issue for UN climate talks in Cancun, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said, as he pointed not only Japan but many other countries are opposed to continuation of the treaty that legally binds industrialised nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Shyam Saran, Prime Minister's special envoy on climate change,demitted office on Sunday after a fruitful tenure which saw him play a key role in ending India's nuclear isolation and drafting policies on environment-related issues.
To break the deadlock at the meet which began on day, efforts will be made to bring Brazil and South Africa, two other members of the BASIC group, on board.
The Environment Ministry on Monday said there were loopholes in Lavasa Corporation's reply to its notice for alleged violation of norms in its 25,000-hectares hill city project near Pune.
Pune's Lavasa Lake City has run into rough weather with the environment ministry slapping a showcause notice on Lavasa Corporation for carrying out construction activities without its approval in 25,000 hectares.
Bt brinjal is a genetically-modified vegetable which is infused with Cry1Ac gene from a bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis to make the plant resistant to the fruit and shoot borers and certain pests.
Bacillus Thuringiensis Brinjal, popularly known as Bt brinjal, is at the centre of a major controversy in India.
The understanding was reached during a meeting between Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel in New Delhi to decide the fate of the airport which has been embroiled in 'green' wrangle.
Countering Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's statement on introducing Bt brinjal in the market, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said the Centre has every right to take the final decision when public safety is concerned.
Challenges posed by climate change hit centre stage in 2009 which saw the government doing a flip-flop ahead of the crucial Copenhagen summit even as the Opposition and experts alleged that India succumbed to pressure from rich nations on emission cuts.
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Monday said he is not sure countries like the United States are prepared for sustainable development which for people of developing countries like India is a question of livelihood.
Environment minister Jairam Ramesh said a major achievement was that it was a 'non-legally binding' accord and negotiations would continue under the Kyoto Protocol and Bali Action Plan to be completed at the end of 2010.
The institutes are excellent because of the quality of students.
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has said that there have been some developments in the three provisions of the draft prepared under the Long Term Cooperative Action (LCA) track, which India presently finds "unacceptable".
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh along with his counterparts from Brazil, South Africa and China walked out to meet Connie Hedegaard, the Danish President of the COP, and convey their protest.
The climate innovation centres are aimed at identifying and developing local technology requirements and also for facilitating dissemination of current technologies.
The international climate change talks, which started in Copenhagen today, will see a 35-member official delegation from India. The attempt will be to negotiate a new global climate treaty to replace or extend the 1997 Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012.
The recent Vedanta verdict is an aberration, not a trend, feels Nityanand Jayaraman.
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