Jairam Ramesh is Congress coordinator for Lok Sabha polls

September 19th, 2009 NEW YORK - Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said developed countries should not expect miracles at the Copenhagen Climate Summit to be held in December. Ramesh said the goals sought for emission control by the developed countries should be more realistic.

August 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh, said on Saturday that about 11 per cent of the annual greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) is being absorbed by the country's forests. According to the World Resources Institute, India's total GHG emissions stood at 1,853 million metric tons equivalent of carbon dioxide, about 4.9 percent of global emissions in 2005.

July 20th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Monday agreed to include the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) in the opposition combine but said the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is not welcome. UDF convenor P.P.

July 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Many projects will no longer need environmental impact assessment (EIA) and clearance from the government, according to amendments to EIA rules proposed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh informed parliament Monday that the proposals included: * Threshold limits of construction projects (that require clearance) would be raised from 20,000 to 50,000 square metres * Modernisation and expansion projects without increase in pollution load would be exempt from EIA provisions * Prospecting of minerals would be exempt * Biomass based power plans up to 50 MW would be exempt Ramesh informed the Rajya Sabha in response to a question that the amendments envisaged more involvement of civil society groups in environmental clearance.

July 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Replying to parliamentary questions in English once again, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh found himself in trouble on Monday when a BJP member objected to him not responding in Hindi in the Rajya Sabha. During Question Hour, when Ramesh replied in English to a supplementary put to him in Hindi, it triggered a sharp reaction from Kalraj Mishra (BJP) who asked why was he not replying in Hindi despite being fluent in it.

July 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, known for his opposition to the use of English, Wednesday asked union minister Jairam Ramesh to reply to his question in Hindi, saying this was "the Lok Sabha, not London". Mulayam Singh had raised a query during question hour for Ramesh, the minister of state for environment and forest, on the "indiscriminate felling of trees in Lucknow and Noida".

July 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh Wednesday said the government would pursue a policy of encouraging bio-degradable plastic and argued that banning polythene bags was no solution. It is the failure of the solid waste management by (the) local bodies that is forcing the state governments to ban the use of plastic bags, Jairam Ramesh, who holds independent charge of environment ministry, said in parliament.

July 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Water security was a key area in the governments national action plan on climate change, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said Wednesday and described the drying up of natural lakes across the country as a matter of serious concern. The minister of state with independent charge of environment however said his ministry faced a problem of resources and suggested that the issue could be more aggressively addressed if the water resources ministry joined hands with him.

May 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Congress candidates Ramesh Kumar and Krishna Tirath Saturday won from the South Delhi and Northwest Delhi Lok Sabha constituencies respectively. Kumar, brother of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, defeated rival Ramesh Bidhuri from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by 93,219 votes.

April 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress Friday said its Delhi unit chief J.P. Aggarwal and Ramesh Kumar would replace the riot-tainted Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar as the party's candidates in two Delhi constituencies.

April 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A week before the Lok Sabha elections start, Congress strategist Jairam Ramesh has conceded it will be a 'tough fight' although he is optimistic that his party will win again. Ramesh said his party would contest around 440 seats out of 543 seats as against 417 in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

March 22nd, 2009 BANGALORE - Congress president Sonia Gandhi will launch the party's campaign for the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka at a rally in Davangere Monday, though the party is yet to nominate candidates for any of the 28 seats in the state. The state goes to polls April 23 and 30.

March 14th, 2009 JAMMU - The National Conference (NC) and the Congress have reached an agreement to share seats for by-elections in Jammu and Kashmir, necessitated after two former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad vacated their assembly seats on being elected to the Rajya Sabha. The NC will contest two of the three assembly seats going to polls.

February 26th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Minister of State for Commerce, Industry and Power Jairam Ramesh resigned from the council of ministers Wednesday to concentrate on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Ramesh, who is a Rajya Sabha member from the Congress, told IANS: 'Yes, I have resigned as a minister.' Asked about the reasons, he said: 'To concentrate on campaigning yaar (friend).'

February 26th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Minister of State for Commerce, Industry and Power Jairam Ramesh resigned from the council of ministers Wednesday to concentrate on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Ramesh, who is a Rajya Sabha member from the Congress, told IANS: 'Yes, I have resigned as a minister.' Asked about the reasons, he said: 'To concentrate on campaigning yaar (friend).' Ramesh added: 'I have resigned with the full consent to serve my party to help in the ensuing elections.