It probably wasn't only in jest that a few months ago Jayanthi Natarajan likened herself to a mridangam, a percussion instrument that can be played from both sides. The minister for environment and forests revealed she felt caught between India Inc, pushing aggressively for environmental and forest clearances that will give it the land and resources to expand, and environmentalists who are accusing her of not doing enough to save India's shrinking forests.
Jairam Ramesh, must have felt similar pressures, although the detailed media coverage of his steadfast refusal to clear a clutch of large projects, including Vedanta's Niyamgiri facility and Hindustan Construction Company's Lavasa township, put the ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) under unprecedented scrutiny.
That is why many saw Natarajan's entry into MoEF as the United Progressive Alliance-2 (UPA-2) government's attempt to reverse the supposed anti-industry stance that Ramesh espoused.
But after a year in office — Natarajan took charge of the MoEF in July 2011 — it was the reconstitution of the Forest Advisory Com-mittee (FAC), an influential seven member statutory body advise the MoEF on the diversion of forest land for non-forest use, that has raised hackles and prompted the question: How successful has Natarajan been in her year-long tightrope walk between industrial growth and environmental conservation? Read the full report here.
Source: Devjyot Ghoshal & Piyali Mandal, Business Standard, New Delhi.
