IIMs hit back at Jairam Ramesh

May 25, 2011 |

New Delhi

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It appears that a war has broken out in the government over environment minister Jairam Ramesh’s controversial remarks on the faculty of the premier IITs and IIMs.

While Minister of State for Planning Aswini Kumar, who is also in-charge of Department Science and Technology, trashed the claim, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal came in defence of Mr Ramesh.

Terming Mr Ramesh's remarks “unfortunate,” Mr Kumar was of the view that it could at best be treated as Environment Minister’s personal opinion and the government has nothing to do with it. Mr Kumar said while he agreed that there could be inadequacies, “we cannot demoralise our scientists... I cannot appreciate the statement that lock, stock and barrel condemns our public sector institutions and IITs.”

Mr Sibal, while backing Mr Ramesh's contention, said, :Given the prevailing situation in the country, can we call even one of our institutions world class? If any one of them is world class, it must be in the top 100, 150 institutions in the world. But that is not evident.”

In lighter vein, the HRD Minister said that Mr Ramesh might be talking about his own experience.

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