Ramesh, who is often said to be anti-development and anti-growth, allowed opening up of the coal blocks, while rejecting the recommendations of the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC).
In an order, Ramesh said he disagreed with the final recommendations of the FAC, which advised him to reject the proposals made by the Chhattisgarh government to open up the coal-blocks. "While FAC has to do its due diligence with single-minded focus, as the minister, I have to necessarily keep the broader developmental picture in mind and balance out different objectives and considerations," he said.
He added one of the reasons "for my rejecting the FAC recommendations arises from the imperative to sustain the momentum generated in the 11th Plan in terms of capacity addition (52,000 Mw, compared with 21,000 Mw in the 10th Plan)." Read the full report here.
Source: BS Reporter, Business Standard, New Delhi.
