Page 10 - Jairam Ramesh

Economist Bibek Debroy passes away, leaders reflect on his life and legacy

Condolences and tributes poured in from across India for renowned economist Bibek Debroy, including heartfelt messages from PM Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, and other leaders

Monopolisation linked to India's shaky economic growth, unemployment: Cong

The Congress on Friday claimed growing monopolisation by five big conglomerates, including the Adani Group, was linked to India's shaky economic growth, unemployment crisis and high inflation, and asserted that companies must expand but the government had a responsibility to ensure oligopolies or monopolies did not emerge. The opposition party's remarks came days after the Adani Group said it had agreed to acquire CK Birla Group firm Orient Cement Limited in a deal valued at Rs 8,100 crore. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said on X, "Aap chronology samajhiye: September 2022: Modani acquires Ambuja Cements and ACC to become the country's second largest cement player." "August 2023: Adani acquires Sanghi Industries, India's largest single-location cement unit. June 2024: Adani acquires Penna Cements, giving it substantial market share even in the last remaining region of south India. October 2024: Adani acquires Orient Cement, gaining an additional 2

Jairam Ramesh slams NITI Aayog over call to pause emission-reducing gear

Congress leader and former Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday said sulphur dioxide emissions from power plants contributed significantly to air pollution and any argument suggesting that such emissions were of no concern to public health in India was ridiculous. His remarks came over a media report, which claimed the NITI Aayog had proposed halting the fitting of equipment to cut sulphur emissions at coal-fired power plants. However, there was no official word from the NITI Aayog. In a post on X, Ramesh said India was the world's largest emitter of sulphur dioxide and these emissions from power plants contributed significantly to air pollution. "A decision had been taken earlier that the power plants must install fluoride gas desulpharisers. First, a deadline of 2017 was fixed. This was later extended to 2026. Now it appears that the all-knowing NITI Aayog wants the deadline scrapped altogether," the Congress general secretary in-charge communications said. "To arg

Congress cites inflation data, claims India is in worst economic crisis

Asserting that India is in its "most precarious and difficult" economic situation in many years, the Congress on Wednesday said wage stagnation, inflation and inequality are undermining consumption growth in the country. These chokepoints will strangulate growth in the years to come if not taken seriously now, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said in a statement. He said that for the past three decades, the India growth story was one of consumption growth the story of crores of families escaping poverty and entering the middle class, newly able to afford products and acquire assets. It was the sign of a thriving economy, one that was growing rapidly and distributing its gains widely, the Congress leader said. In the last 10 years, India's consumption story has now gone in reverse swing and emerged as the biggest pain point for the Indian economy. India Inc. has now joined the chorus, with a leading CEO even going so far as to say that the middle cl

Ramesh backs renewable energy, public transport to tackle air pollution

Asserting that air pollution is one of India's leading public health challenges, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said cracking down on stubble burning will not suffice and there was a need to re-imagine India's economic and sustainability model, with a large-scale shift to renewable energy, electric vehicles, and public transport. Ramesh also stressed it is time to redo The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 to reflect the public health consequences of air pollution and also called for a review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 2009. Former environment minister Ramesh cited a report by The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change to flag concerns over air pollution. "A new report by The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change has revealed some disturbing findings on air pollution in India: A total of 16 lakh deaths in India in 2021 were due to air pollution," he said in a post on X. Fossil fuels, such as coal and liquid gas, ...

Modi govt systematically throttling MGNREGA: Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday accused the Modi government of "systematically throttling" MGNREGA, and demanded a hike in its budget as it is the "lifeline" of crores of India's poorest communities. "MGNREGA - the lifeline of crores of India's poorest communities - is being systematically throttled by the non-biological PM's government. "Budget allocations are being cut relentlessly, and wage rates have been stagnant. Now, through an ill-conceived reliance on technology, workers are being denied their right to work and their right to fair payment," Ramesh said in a statement. The Congress leader who served as the Union rural development minister in the UPA-2 government, said that in January 2024, the rural development ministry mandated the nationwide implementation of Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS) for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). To be eligible for ABPS, workers must meet several conditions, including linking Aadhaar to .

Will long-delayed census be used for allocation of seats in LS: Congress

The Congress on Monday asked whether the long-delayed census would be used for allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha and said the success of South Indian states in family planning should not end up reducing their political representation in Parliament. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the South Indian states should not be be penalised for their success in family planning and suitable formulae should be worked out to ensure that this does not happen. He said South Indian states were pioneers in family planning. First to reach replacement levels of fertility was Kerala in 1988, followed by Tamil Nadu in 1993, Andhra Pradesh in 2001 and Karnataka in 2005, he pointed out. However, there have been concerns voiced for quite some time now that these successes could end up reducing the political representation of these states in Parliament, Ramesh said. "That is why in 2001 the Vajpayee Govt amended the Constitution (Article 82) to make the readjustmen

Mahayuti govt favoured firms in return for campaign finance donations: Cong

The Congress on Friday alleged that the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra privileged certain companies in infra tenders in return for campaign finance donations, costing the taxpayer at least Rs 10,903 crore. The opposition party asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will be made answerable on this. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Mahayuti Sarkar in Maharashtra privileged certain companies in infra tenders in return for campaign finance donations, costing the taxpayer at least Rs 10,903 crore. He said this was akin to "pre-paid chanda, post-paid dhandha". Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "The entire nation is aware that BJP brought the Electoral Bonds Scheme to tunnel funds. We have time and again highlighted how certain firms who donated to the BJP through the illegal and unconstitutional Electoral Bonds Scheme were given hug

Crucial to act together to defend nation's image: Cong on India-Canada row

Canadian PM Trudeau also admitted that his government had not provided India with hard evidence but just intelligence regarding the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar

Hope PM will take Oppn into confidence: Jairam Ramesh on India-Canada row

Ramesh said, The Indian National Congress certainly hopes and expects that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take into confidence the Leaders of the Opposition in both Houses of Parliament

Make in India has simply become 'Fake in India': Congress' Jairam Ramesh

The Congress on Monday alleged that the objectives spelt out by the Modi government at the time of launch of 'Make in India' have turned out to be "jumlas", and that 'Make in India' has simply become "Fake in India". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also said that in the last decade economic policy making has been far from being stable, predictable and sensible. "When he announced 'Make in India' in 2014 with his usual hype and hoopla, the non-biological PM set out four objectives. Ten years later, a quick status check: Jumla One: Increase the growth rate of Indian industry to 12-14% per year. Reality: Since 2014, annual growth rate for manufacturing has averaged around 5.2%," Ramesh said in a post on X. "Jumla Two: Create 100 million industrial jobs by 2022. Reality: The number of manufacturing workers fell from 51.3 million in 2017 to 35.65 million in 2022-23. Jumla Three: Increase the share of the manufacturing sector to 25% of GDP by 2022, and ..

Haryana elections: Congress alleges 'EVM tampering' in 13 more seats

During vote counting, Jairam Ramesh noted that BJP-led EVMs had 99% battery levels, while those with 60-70% battery showed Congress winning

Ratan Tata was gentle colossus of India's corporate world: Jairam Ramesh

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday paid rich tributes to Ratan Tata, saying that for four decades, he was the gentle colossus of India's corporate world. Ramesh said Tata made the Tata conglomerate ready for a post-1991 India. Ratan Naval Tata, the former Tata Group chairman breathed his last at south Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital at 11.30 pm on Wednesday. A Padma Vibhushan recipient, Tata, had been in intensive care at the hospital since Monday. "For four decades, Ratan Tata was the gentle colossus of India's corporate world who made the Tata conglomerate ready for a post-1991 India," Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in-charge communications, said. "It was not easy because he was surrounded by legends themselves when he succeeded JRD Tata, but he prevailed by his vision, resolve, and grit," Ramesh said in a post on X. Ratan Tata had a stellar global reputation and was actually more than a business leader, the Congress leader said. "He was a philanthropist i

'Ill-founded': ECI refutes Congress's claim of delay in Haryana results

Haryana Assembly elections: The Congress had alleged that the Election Commission is delaying the uploading of current vote counting trends for the Haryana Assembly elections on its website

Congress alleges delay in vote count updates as BJP surges in Haryana polls

Congress leaders highlighted the discrepancies between the rounds of votes counted and the data broadcast by news channels, which was based on Election Commission figures

Why is PM Modi delaying Census that must include caste count: Jairam Ramesh

The Congress on Monday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the "delay" in the Census and asserted that it is only through a caste count that full and meaningful social, economic, and political justice can be ensured in education and employment. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that in the midst of its political transition and economic turmoil, Sri Lanka has just announced that its latest Population and Housing Census - last done in 2012 - will begin Monday. "What about India? The decennial Census was due in 2021. There is still no sign of it happening," Ramesh said in a post on X. Over 10 crore Indians are being denied benefits under the National Food Security Act, 2013 or the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana because still the 2011 Census enumeration is being used, he said. And what about integrating questions on caste in the census, as is being demanded by Congress and all other political parties, he asked. "Detailed enumeration of Schedu

Claims on economy conceal choke points that will strangulate growth: Cong

Asserting that the last 10 years have seen "highly detrimental economic trends", the Congress on Sunday said the monsoon has receded but at least "three dark clouds" of languishing private sector investment, stagnating manufacturing and decline in real wages and productivity for labourers, still loom over the Indian economy. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said bombastic claims on the economy are being made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his drumbeaters but what these claims conceal are the choke points that will strangulate growth in the years to come if not taken seriously now, in a spirit of humility. "The monsoon has receded. But new evidence has shown that at least three dark clouds still loom over the Indian economy," Ramesh said in a statement. "First, after a brief surge in private sector investment during 2022-23 on the back of the COVID-19 recovery, investment has returned to an unsteady path," he said. New project announcements by t

No 'spin-doctoring' can change fact that 2014-24 saw jobloss growth: Cong

The Congress on Monday dismissed as "half-truths" the government's assertions of creating eight crore employment opportunities between 2021 and 2024 and 6.2 crore net subscribers joining the EPFO database, and said no "spin-doctoring" can take away from the fact that 2014-24 has seen "jobloss growth". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that amidst the "U-turns and scandals" that have marked the last few months of this "tottering" government, "the non-biological PM and his drum beaters have tried to find some solace in their economic record, claiming to have created eight crore employment opportunities between 2021 and 2024". "This claim initially emerged from the RBI KLEMS data, which we had earlier countered on July 15th, 2024. The Government's spin doctors have now mustered another statistic - that of 6.2 crore net subscribers joining the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) database between September 2017 and March 2024. Both claims are

Great Nicobar project recipe for ecological, humanitarian disaster: Ramesh

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday said the present design of the Great Nicobar Island infrastructure project "endangers ecology" in a "needlessly unacceptable manner". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh on X cited the views of former Chief of Navy Admiral Arun Prakash, who has stated that it is both desirable and possible to bolster security without harming ecology. Sharing a report on Prakash's remarks, Ramesh said on X, "These views on the very controversial Greater Nicobar Integrated Development Project expressed by a very distinguished former Chief of the Indian Navy, Admiral Arun Prakash, who has served in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands merits serious attention. His basic point is this: It is both desirable and possible to bolster security without harming ecology." "The present design of the project being pushed through by the non-biological PM endangers ecology in a needlessly unacceptable manner," Ramesh said. The Congress general .

Govt hell-bent on inflicting ecological disaster: Ramesh on Nicobar project

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has written to Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav over the Great Nicobar Island infrastructure project, alleging the high-powered panel tasked to revisit environmental clearances to the project was "biased" in its very composition and did not carry out any meaningful reassessment. Ramesh also expressed "grave concern" over expressions of interest being invited even as the National Green Tribunal deliberates on petitions before it. In his letter to Yadav, Ramesh also questioned the credibility, composition, and conclusions of a high-powered committee (HPC) tasked to revisit the environmental clearances granted to the Great Nicobar Island infrastructure project. "It is also a matter of grave concern that while the NGT deliberates on petitions before it, ANIIDCO has already invited expressions of interest that is a precursor for the clearing of around 65 square km of biodiversity-rich forests. I believe the Government of India is hell-bent on ...