Monday, July 18, 2011

India's New Environment Minister Makes Plenty Of Promises

Mr. Jairam Ramesh is out. His place as India's Minister of Environment and Forests has been taken by the equally voluble Ms. Jayanthi Natarajan. Here are some snippets of her statements as reported by The Hindu (emphasis mine):

....Jayanthi Natarajan has assured the corporate world that steps will be taken for promoting growth and “one window” fast clearances for big projects. 

at the same time, said she would “do everything” to protect the environment. ...

She said that there will not be “any change” once clearance is given to a project....

Asked whether she could assure speedy clearances for such projects, Ms. Natarajan said she will do so but environment should be protected at “all cost” in all its “dimensions.”  

Dismissing the perception that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed her as a result of a compromise to appease corporate India, Ms. Natarajan said, “My actions will show that there can be no compromise on either issue that I will always act for the best welfare of the country.

If you are looking to write an essay on how many wishy-washy statements and contradictions can be crammed in one paragraph,  then this will be a good example to use.

2 comments:

  1. Looks like she was saying all the stereotyped statements in one go. Protecting environment and giving projects clearance in one go is not possible Madam. Great compilation.

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  2. Saru- thanks for visiting.. yes it does sound like standard government issue.

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