Indian Minister Makes Environment His Business
Author:
First published in Sanctuary Asia,
Vol. 31
No. 5,
May 2011
The South Korean steel major Posco signed a memorandum of understanding in 2005 to build a 510 billion rupee (Dh41.93bn) steel mill in the eastern state of Orissa. It was the biggest foreign direct investment in India's history.
But Posco's path to India was far from smooth: it faced regulatory hurdles from the government; came under fire from human rights activists for human displacement at the mill site; and faced violent protests by indigenous tribes in Orissa who accused the company of trying to usurp their land.
But the biggest opposition came from an unexpected source: the Indian environment ministry led by a feisty technocrat-turned-politician who has acquired the image of "Dr No" in corporate circles. Read the full report here.
Source: Anuj Chopra, The National.
