These days, environment minister Jairam Ramesh is beginning to resemble a Kung Fu master in a Chinese movie tackling dozens of students from a rival school, all at the same time. From SUV drivers to avaricious miners and retired generals violating Coastal Regulation Zone norms, he takes them on with astounding dexterity. He has resurrected old deterrents such as the Environment Protection Act and Forest Act and is planning to launch new ones soon.
But unlike Chinese heroes, the 56-year-old minister often battles masters from his own school. He has raised the hackles of almost all his colleagues. Sharad Pawar's defense of the Lavasa project, two days after Ramesh stopped its construction, was an editor's dream. So was minister of coal Sriprakash Jaiswal's call to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to 'get real' and clear mining in forest areas.
Articulate and media-savvy (he used to be a journalist), Ramesh has kept the public involved in his battles. The national consultation on Bt cotton last year took him all over India and lasted almost six months. "It was an experiment in building opinion and staying on the front pages," says a bureaucrat who worked with him. Read the full report here.
Source: Cuckoo Paul, Forbes India, U.S.A.
