“Mining has only resulted in displacement of lakhs of tribal families instead of creating jobs for them”

Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday urged the governments in the mineral-rich Naxal-affected States to focus on development of agriculture and implementation of rural development programmes instead of focusing on mining to create employment. Addressing a gathering of Dongaria and Kutia Kandha tribal groups on the foothills of Niyamgiri hills in this tribal-dominated block of Kalahandi district, Mr. Ramesh underlined the need for prioritising agriculture and rural development saying that mining in the country’s mineral-rich States such as Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand had only added to the people’s miseries. Mining had only resulted in displacement of lakhs of tribal families instead of proving to be beneficial for them, he added.

Interview with Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister for Rural Development.

In a move that could speed up the ambitious direct cash transfer programme, rural development minister Jaiarm Ramesh has suggested other entities such as state governments and banks should be roped in to enroll residents in the Aadhaar system.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Ramesh said the direct benefits transfers (DBT) scheme would be successful if multiple registrars are allowed to enroll beneficiaries in the Aadhaar system.

The direct cash transfer scheme is not a “jaadu ki chhadi” (magic wand) to reform a “broken down” delivery system and problems are there in its implementation, Union minister Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday.

“It (Direct Benefits Transfer Scheme) is not a single ‘jaadu ki chhadi’ (magic wand). It is an experiment. The world's largest experiment in administrative reforms,” he told reporters.

Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday pitched for inclusion of green objectives and guidelines in the various social sector schemes of the rural development ministry like the flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme, Integrated Watershed Development Programme and Indira Awas Yojana.

“With an annual budget of around R75,000 crore, the ministry of rural development's schemes have an immense potential to contribute to the goal of sustainable poverty reduction and efficient use of natural resources,” Ramesh said while releasing a UNDP report on ‘Greening Rural Development in India’.

Each of our schemes must incorporate ecological objectives, says Jairam; report, co-authored with UNDP, looks at what needs to be done

To make important rural development programmes more environment-friendly, the ministry of rural development, along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), on Friday released a report defining ‘green’ outcomes for major government schemes and outlined strategies for inclusive and sustainable development. Titled ‘Greening rural development in India’, it looks at improving the quality of ecosystems, enabling sustainable livelihoods, strengthening the resilience of local communities to enable them to recover from extreme weather events and reducing ecological footprint through efficient use of energy, material and natural resources.

New Delhi: The Centre has set up an expert committee to determine the poverty mark to identify beneficiaries for the rural development ministry’s programmes.

JAIPUR: Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said that the new land acquisition law would ensure that state governments have little say in land acquisition process. The bill is to be tabled in the parliament which will ensure that the rights of farmers could be protected.

Ramesh, who was on a day's visit to the state to unveil the statues of martyrs, Ashok Verma and Kailash Meena at Bassi tehsil, addressed public gatherings and said the new bill will ensure the government do not force their way for land acquisition.

There was no dilly-dallying over the new draft of the land acquisition Bill nor was the technical opposition raised by the Trinamul Congress and other parties responsible for the government postpon

On the surface, it sounded like an outburst from a minister known to speak his mind.