Ramesh, Montek renew duel over green issues
Jan. 5: The duel between the deputy chairman of Planning Commission, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia and the minister of environment, Mr Jairam Ramesh, got even more interesting as the duo were at loggerheads discussing the manner and extent to which natural resources could be shared by the local community.
Dr Ahluwalia, making a dig at Mr Ramesh, called for greater transparency in the country’s environmental clearance approach. He was obviously making a reference to Ramesh’s delays in taking a decision on Posco and other mining projects.
The deputy chairman of Planning Commission, however was willing to concede that the “business as usual model” had not worked and that the 12th Plan would give primacy to allowing local communities to frame their own rules in forest management.
Meanwhile, Mr Ramesh, not willing to lose an opportunity to hit back at policy makers, insisting the government move towards adopting a new paradigm as ‘the institutionalised mono culture approach towards development’ was not working.
Dr Ahluwalia went on to suggest that the environment ministry was not doing a great job in applying principles of common governance either. Rather than go into a public spat, they are scheduled to meet for a private discussion on Thursday. The duo met met at a seminar on ‘The Challenge of Self Organising to Govern Commons in India,’ where the keynote address was made by Prof. Elinor Ostrom, the 2009 Economics Nobel Prize winner.
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