Rajya Sabha chairman allowed 'subversion' of Standing Committee's basic function: Jairam Ramesh

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on April 6 wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar over the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, being sent to a Joint Committee, alleging that this was an “open-and-shut case” of his allowing the government to deliberately circumvent the Standing Committee concerned.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on April 6 wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar over the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, being sent to a Joint Committee, alleging that this was an "open-and-shut case" of his allowing the government to deliberately circumvent the Standing Committee concerned.

Mr. Ramesh alleged that Mr. Dhankhar had allowed the "subversion of the Standing Committee's basic function". His letter to Mr. Dhankhar over the issue, the second in just over a week, came in response to a letter dated April 5 from Ranjit Punhani, Secretary in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, asking him to "state the exact premise" for his objection to the reference of the Bill to the Joint Committee.

Mr. Ramesh heads the Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

"This is an extraordinary request given, I have met you personally and also written to you on my objections. I have already informed you that the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 amends the Forest Conservation Act 1980 which falls fairly and squarely in the domain of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and consequently fairly and squarely in the domain of the standing committee of this particular Ministry itself," he said.

"Sadly, this is an open-and-shut case of your allowing the government to deliberately circumvent the Standing Committee concerned, a Standing Committee of the Rajya Sabha I may add in which you have shown special interest by assigning officers of your own secretariat to be associated with it as with all other committees of the Rajya Sabha," the Congress MP said.

Mr. Ramesh said when he was the Environment Minister he had got referred the National Green Tribunal Bill, 2009, to the Standing Committee dealing with environment and forests since the subject matter of the Bill pertained directly to the domain of that panel.

"Similarly, I had got referred the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011, to the Standing Committee on Rural Development since the subject matter of the Bill was clearly a responsibility of the Ministry of Rural Development," he said.