THE WORLD PORTAL

JAIRAM RAMESH

Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is in trouble due to his comments on the home ministry’s stance on China. In a visit to Beijing, Jairam Ramesh criticised the Indian home ministry of being ‘overly defensive’ and ‘alarmist’ in its approach towards the entry of Chinese companies in India. He also suggested the home ministry needed to be much more relaxed in its approach to Chinese investments in India. Bharatiya Janata Party criticised him for raising issues related to national security and the Prime minister Manmohan Singh warned him against making remarks about the functioning of other ministries. Home Minister P Chidambaram also expressed unhappiness over Jairam’s remarks that his ministry was putting needless restrictions on Chinese investments.However, Jairam Ramesh apologised to Home minister for his comments, but reported that he may be quit over his minister post.

BIOGRAPHY

Jairam Ramesh was born on 9th April, 1954 in Chikmagalur, Karnataka as the son of Late Prof. C.K. Ramesh and Shrimati Sridevi Rameshat. He gained his school education from ‘St. Xavier’s School’and B. Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. In addition, he also gained Master of Science in Management and public policy from Mellon University’s Heinz College. He has held many government and political posts. He served in the Planning Commission, Ministry of Industry and other economic departments of the Central government and has been entrusted with numerous special assignments such as reorganizing India’s international trade agencies, implementing India’s technology missions and analyzing energy policy. He has also served as Advisor to the Finance Minister, Advisor to the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and Advisor to the Prime Minister. In 2004 General election, he was elected from Adilabad District of Andhra Pradesh for Rajya Sabha. Then he served as the ‘Minister of State for Commerce and Industry’ and the ‘Minister of State for Power’ in the Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. In 2009 election, he was again elected from Andhra Pradesh to Rajya Sabha. Now, he has been the Indian Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment and Forests. He helped put together the ‘National Common Minimum Programme’ of the UPA. He is a man of diverse talents as he has authored a number of key Government reports in areas like energy, technology, capital goods, industrial policy and telecom. He is the columnist of many newspapers like ‘Business Standard’,’ Business Today’, ‘The Telegraph’, ‘Times of India’ and ‘India Today’ under the pen-name “Kautily”. His famous books are “Making Sense of Chindia: Reflections on China and India “, “Kautilya today - Jairam Ramesh on a globalizing India” and “Mobilising Technology for World Development”. He even serves on the boards of a number of public institutions in India and abroad and has been a founding member of the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. He is married to Jayashree and they have two sons, Anirudh and Pradyumna.

B S YEDDYURAPPA

Karnataka Chief minister B. S. Yeddyurappa will continue as the chief minister of the state. Monday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh told the reporters that Yeddyurappa will remain the chief minister. So the central BJP leadership smoothly resolved all crisis in the case of chief ministership in Karnataka. Earlier, Yeddyurappa sworned as the chief minister of Karnataka on 30th May, 2008 and he is the first Chief Minister from BJP of a South Indian state.

BIOGRAPHY

Yeddyurappa was born on 27th February, 1943 in the Mandya district of Karnataka. He belongs to the Lingayat community. His father is Siddalingappa and mother is Puttathayamma. After gaining a a degree in Bachelor of Arts, he worked as a clerk at Veeravadra Shastri’s Shankar rice mill. He learnt the leadership skills from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS). In 1970, he was appointed as the secretary of RSS’s Shikaripur unit and he was imprisoned during the Emergency in India between 1975 and 1977. In 1988, he was selected as the President of the BJP unit of the state of Karnataka. He was elected to the lower house of Karnataka Legislature for five times. Yeddyurappa always worked for farmers and laboureres and he lead many mass movements in the state, focussing the problems of landless farmers and bonded labourers. He prevented the introduction of the Bill intended at the clearance of unauthorized cultivators. He helped Janata Dal (Secular) party’s H. D. Kumaraswamy to form a coalition government in Karnataka. As per the deal of BJP and Janata Dal (Secular), Yeddyurappa sworned as the 25th Chief Minister of Karnataka on November 12, 2007. But JD(S) refused to support his government and he resigned his post on November 19, 2007. In 2008 Assembly elections, BJP gained victory and Yeddyurappa again selected as the Chief minister of Karnataka. As a chief minister, he made many progress in the state. American ‘Saginaw Valley State University’ honored him by giving a ‘Honorary Doctorate’ to him. He is married to Mythradevi and they have two sons and three daughters.