CB Bureau‘Economic growth is our overriding priority; there is no doubt that we have to grow at 8 to 9 per cent a year, but not at the cost of environment, not at the cost of nature, not at the cost of our forests, mountains, rivers and land. So, we have to find that balance between environment and development. So far we have focused on the fiscal aspect of economic growth. Now, we have to think about the environmental aspects of our growth,’ said environment minister and chief climate change negotiator Jairam Ramesh in an interview to Time.
‘We cannot have blind economic growth. We must have economic growth that is sensitive to the concerns of people. There are lots of issues on land acquisition and environment. Environment today in India is becoming a serious public health issue and is not anymore a middle class, elitist pastime. So, we have to listen to the people. There has been no bigger champion of the Indian private sector than me. Long before economic reforms and liberalization became fashionable in India, from the early 80s, I have been advocating that we must privatize, bring in the private sector, redefine the role of the government, and so on and so forth,’ he added.
Ramesh said that he was committed to his job and is actually confronting his own friends in politics. He said, ‘Many of these people against whom I am supposed to be taking tough actions are my friends. But there is no such thing as friendship over here. I have a job to enforce the law. So, no matter however close someone is to me, if he is breaking the law, he is breaking the law, and action has to be taken against him.’
He said that charting a green path for India was challenging. ‘Challenging, yes, even thankless, but not frustrating. I make one decision and the environmentalists are very happy, but the growth guys are unhappy; then I take another decision and the growth guys are very happy, the environmentalists are very unhappy. I cannot please everybody,’ said Ramesh.