Page 13 - Jairam Ramesh

'Centre sabotaging education': Cong slams govt over delay in Class 6 books

The Congress on Friday slammed the Centre over the delay in publishing new Class 6 textbooks, alleging the Education Ministry is "sabotaging" the education of children. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh hit out at the government over the issue, saying that either the "rot runs deep", or the incompetence scales new heights everyday. In a post on X, he said, "After sabotaging the examination process through the incompetent National Testing Authority, the non-biological PM's Education Ministry is sabotaging the education of our children." "Even as the school year has begun, the NCERT - the National (read Nagpur) Council of Educational Research and Training - has failed to publish new textbooks for Science, Mathematics, and Social Sciences for Class 6 students," Ramesh said. The textbooks themselves have not been finalised by the National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC), he said. Ramesh pointed out that printing will take another 10 to 15 days. Officia

PM Modi breaks silence on Manipur: 'Leave behind politics, restore peace'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes his first remarks on Manipur in Rajya Sabha today, assures Parliament of decline in violence and schools reopening

PM's aura diminished; his govt on its last legs, can fall anytime: Cong

The Congress on Wednesday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's legitimacy has been diminished to "one-third" and his government is on its "last legs" and can fall anytime. The opposition party's assertion came over Prime Minister Modi's remarks in the Rajya Sabha that since the results came out, one Congress leader kept on beating the drum that there is a "one-third government" in place. "What can be a bigger truth than this that we have completed 10 years, 20 more are left. One-third is done, two-thirds are still left and so we are very happy for this prediction," Modi said in his reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address to the joint sitting of Parliament. Modi's remarks were an apparent dig at Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who has been referring to the PM as 'one-third PM'. Reacting to the remarks, Congress general secretary Ramesh said, "As always, the 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri is distorting. The label of 'ek tihai (one-third)' does not ref

Congress targets PM over 'Adani group taking Chinese help in solar project'

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a news report that the Adani Group has "selected eight Chinese companies to help" its solar manufacturing project and called for a strategy "to wean India of its dependence on China". He said it has to be ensured that the taxpayers' money does not benefit Chinese companies. In a post on 'X', Ramesh said, "The non-biological Prime Minister infamously told the nation on June 19, 2020, after the Galwan clashes that 'Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai (Neither has anyone entered our borders, nor has anyone occupied territories)'." "However, he shows no hesitation in liberally issuing visas to Chinese workers to help one of his 'tempowallah' buddies," he said in the post on 'X' while tagging with it a newspaper report about Adani Solar seeking Centre's nod to bring a few engineers from China. Ramesh's "tempowallah buddies" jibe is in reference to PM Modi's attack on Rahul ..

Time for proper strategy to decrease dependence on China: Jairam Ramesh

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the conglomerate company has reportedly selected eight Chinese companies to help its solar projects

It's Jairam Ramesh's view, not Congress: Sam Pitroda on 'assurance' remark

Sam Pitroda, who was reinstated as Indian Overseas Congress chief on Wednesday (June 26), clarifies his comments, distinguishes between personal and party views amidst controversy

Captive elephant transfer rules 2024 leave gaps for misuse: Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday wrote to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, expressing concern that the Captive Elephant (Transport or Transfer) Rules 2024 notified in March do not effectively prevent the wild capture and commercial trade of elephants. In his letter, Ramesh said the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2022, allowed the non-commercial transfer of elephants for "any other purpose" but failed to clarify what this phrase means, leaving room for misuse. "This is no way to treat India's national heritage animal, declared thus in 2010," Ramesh wrote on X and urged Yadav to reconsider the Rules in light of these concerns and those raised by various animal welfare organisations. Ramesh reminded Yadav that during his speech on the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2022, he had objected to the non-commercial transfer of elephants "for any other purpose". He said this was contrary to the recommendation of the Standing Committee that examined the Bill in

Exam cancellations happening due to PM's incompetence: Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday claimed that exam cancellations are happening in the country every day because of the "total incompetence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the "people around him". The scathing attack on the prime minister came on a day the NEET-PG examination was postponed as a "precautionary measure" in the wake of recent allegations on the integrity of certain competitive exams. The exam was scheduled to be held on Sunday. A day earlier, the June edition of the Joint Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (CSIR-UGC-NET) was postponed due to unavoidable circumstances and logistic issues. On Wednesday, UGC-NET was cancelled following inputs that the exam's integrity was compromised. Opposition parties have also claimed irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG, the results of which were announced by NTA on June 4. A probe into the alleged irregularities in this exam has been ...

Defer implementation of three new criminal laws, says Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday demanded that the enforcement of the three criminal laws, which are to come into force from July 1, be deferred, saying the Bills were "bulldozed" through Parliament. In a post on X, Ramesh said the implementation of the Bills be deferred to enable a thorough review and re-examination by a reconstituted Standing Committee on Home Affairs as they were passed at a time when 146 MPs had been suspended. "On Dec 25 2023, the President of India had given her assent to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023,the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. The three far-reaching Bills had been bulldozed through Parliament without proper debate and discussion, and at a time when 146 MPs had been suspended from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha," Ramesh said. "Earlier the Bills had been bulldozed through the Standing Committee on Home Affairs without detailed interactions with stakeholders across the country and ...

People bearing double brunt of unemployment, price rise, says Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday attacked the Narendra Modi government, claiming that it is nonchalant and not concerned about the issues of unemployment and price rise. In a post on X, Ramesh shared a media report on increase in food prices, and said people are bearing the double brunt of rising unemployment and price rise. The increase in the prices of kitchen essentials such as potatoes, onions, tomatoes, vegetables and pulses are witnessing record increase, he claimed in his post in Hindi. "But one-third prime minister is completely nonchalant and unconcerned," Ramesh said. The Congress general secretary claimed that Prime Minister Modi never talks about inflation. "Amid rising unemployment, people are being hit doubly by high inflation. For how long will the public bear the brunt?" Ramesh said.

Modi govt cannot conduct exams without leaks, frauds, alleges Congress

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam, the Congress on Thursday said every year he conducts a "grand tamasha" of what he calls 'Pareeksha pe Charcha' and yet his government cannot even conduct an examination without leaks and frauds. The opposition party also asked the prime minister if he would "leak pe speak". The Union Education Ministry late on Wednesday night ordered cancellation of UGC-NET following inputs of the exam's integrity being compromised. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said every year the PM conducts a "grand tamasha of what he calls 'Pareeksha pe Charcha'." "Yet, his government cannot even conduct an examination without leaks and frauds," he added. Ramesh said the NEET UG 2024 Examination faces very serious questions that even the Education Minister has been forced to acknowledge. The integrity of the National Testing Agency (NTA) is under severe doubt, he said. Now the UGC-NET conducted just the day bef

People gave vote of no-confidence in him: Cong before Modi's Varanasi visit

On a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses his first event in Varanasi after the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress Tuesday said the people of his constituency gave a vote of no-confidence in him as he barely managed to edge past his Congress rival after trailing in multiple rounds of counting. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also posed a set of nine questions to the prime minister on issues concerning his constituency and asked why they have not been addressed. Ramesh asked the PM why river Ganga is "dirtier than before" even after spending Rs 20,000 crore on the Namami Gange project. He also asked why the nomination papers of 33 candidates were rejected in the Varanasi constituency during Lok Sabha polls. "The 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri is visiting Varanasi again, a few weeks after he barely eked out a victory after trailing @kashikirai for multiple rounds of counting. It was a vote of no confidence in him by the people of Varanasi. Here are 9 Varanasi-centric Questions

NCERT working on RSS directions, assaulting Constitution: Jairam Ramesh

Amid the row over revision of NCERT textbooks, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday alleged that the institution has been functioning as an RSS affiliate since 2014 and is mounting an assault on the Constitution. In a post on X, Ramesh said the National Testing Agency has blamed the NCERT for the 'grace marks' fiasco in NEET 2024. That is only drawing attention away from the NTA's own abject failures, he alleged. "However it is true that the NCERT is no longer a professional institution. It has been functioning as an RSS affiliate since 2014. It has just been revealed that its revised Class XI political science textbook criticises the idea of secularism as well as what it considers policies of political parties in this regard. "NCERT's objective is to produce textbooks, not political pamphlets and propaganda," the Congress leader said. "NCERT is mounting an assault on our country's Constitution in whose Preamble secularism features explicitly as a foundational pillar of the Ind

Govt must ensure corp takeovers are fair, monopolies not created: Cong

The Congress on Saturday said it is the government's responsibility to ensure that competition among corporates is not stifled, oligopolies or monopolies do not emerge and corporate takeovers are free and fair. It is also the government's responsibility to ensure that undue advantage arising out of access to political power is not exercised, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said. His comments came after the Adani Group acquired Penna Cements while strengthening its share in the cement sector in southern India. "Aap chronology samajhiye (understand the chronology): September 2022: Adani acquires Ambuja Cements and ACC, to become 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." he said. "Upcoming: Adani is exploring the acquisition of Saurashtra Cement, Vadraj Cement, and

Flying to Italy for G7 to salvage diminished int'l image: Cong slams PM

The Congress on Thursday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his first visit abroad in his third term, saying he is flying to Italy to "salvage his diminished international image" at this year's G7 Summit. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the G7 Summit of the heads of state of USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, UK and Japan has been taking place since the late 1970s. Between 1997 and 2014, Russia was also a member, he pointed out. Since 2003, India, China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa have also been invited to G7 Summits, Ramesh said. The most famous of the G7 Summits from India's point of view was in June 2007 in Helligendamm in Germany as it was here that the famous Singh-Merkel formula for ensuring equity in global climate change negotiations was first presented to the world, he said. "It is still talked about. Dr. Manmohan Singh and German Chancellor Angela Merkel created history. Dr. Manmohan Singh had emerged as the voice of the Global Sou

Will PM Modi deliver special category status for Andhra, asks Congress

The Congress on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give clarity on whether he would deliver the special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared on X his speech in the Rajya Sabha from seven years ago about the Modi government's "failure" to deliver on the promise of the AP Reorganisation Act of 2014. "I made this speech in the Rajya Sabha seven years ago, about the Modi Government's failure to deliver on the promise of the AP Reorganisation Act of 2014. Unfortunately, it still holds true today," he said. "Unless (Chandrababu) Naidu garu takes this issue up aggressively, there is little hope that the? 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri will act," Ramesh said. He said there are five broad issues that the PM should give clarity on. "Will the prime minister deliver the special category status for Andhra Pradesh like he promised in the holy city of Tirupati in March 2014, he asked. "Will he release the pending funds for the Polavaram ..

No census in 2021, at least 140 mn deprived of NFSA benefits: Congress

The Congress on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to tell the country soon when the updated census will be conducted and demanded that it must also provide data on the population of communities categorised as OBCs to give "true meaning" to social justice enshrined in the Constitution. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said a comprehensive census essential for socioeconomic development is carried out by the Union government every 10 years. The last census was to be completed in 2021. "But Mr Modi didn't get it done. One immediate consequence of not having census 2021 conducted is that at least 14 crore Indians are being deprived of benefits under the National Food Security Act, 2013, repackaged as PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana," he said. "The 'one-third' prime minister has to tell the country soon when the updated census will be conducted," the Congress general secretary said. The decennial Census has since 1951 provided data on the population of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled

'Narendra Destructive Alliance': Cong's swipe at PM Modi before swearing-in

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi, the Congress on Sunday said he will get himself sworn-in this evening as "the leader of the Narendra Destructive Alliance (NDA)" even though he lacks all legitimacy. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Remember May 28th, 2023? It was the day that Narendra Modi walked into the new Parliament building with the Sengol for which a August 15th 1947 history was fabricated 'to not only justify Modi's pretensions of being Samrat but also to appeal to the Tamil electorate." "That day itself, I had exposed Modi's fakery using archival material," he said. "We now know the outcome of that drama. The Sengol remains a respected symbol of Tamil history but the Tamil electorate and indeed India's electorate has rejected Mr. Modi's pretensions," Ramesh said. The Congress leader claimed that Modi has suffered a huge personal, political, and moral defeat. Modi has been forced to bow to the Constitution that he has subverted in the

Poll results 'moral defeat' for Modi, 'morale booster' for Cong: Ramesh

The Congress on Saturday claimed the mandate of the Lok Sabha polls has been a "moral, political and personal" defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said efforts were now being made to justify his "pathetic" electoral performance. The BJP has won 240 seats in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, falling short of the halfway mark in the 543-member House, but the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) together won 293 seats. The Congress has won 99 seats. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the drumbeat to find silver linings in the mandate that has been a "moral, political and personal" defeat for Modi has started. "It is being propagated that Mr. Narendra Modi is the first to receive a mandate thrice in a row after Jawaharlal Nehru. How leading a party to 240 seats and becoming an 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri is a mandate is not explained," the Congress leader said. "Nehru, on the other hand, got 364 seats in 1952, 371 seats in 1957, and 361 seats in 1962 - a 2/3rd majorit

BJP trying to justify 'moral, political, personal' defeat of Modi: Congress

The Congress on Saturday claimed the mandate of the Lok Sabha polls has been a "moral, political and personal" defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said efforts were now being made to justify his "pathetic" electoral performance. The BJP has won 240 seats in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, falling short of the halfway mark in the 543-member House, but the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) together won 293 seats. The Congress has won 99 seats. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the drumbeat to find silver linings in the mandate that has been a "moral, political and personal" defeat for Modi has started. "It is being propagated that Mr. Narendra Modi is the first to receive a mandate thrice in a row after Jawaharlal Nehru. How leading a party to 240 seats and becoming an 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri is a mandate is not explained," the Congress leader said. "Nehru, on the other hand, got 364 seats in 1952, 371 seats in 1957, and 361 seats in 1962 - a 2/3rd majorit