The debate on whether to privilege economic growth over ecological security is passé. Environmental considerations must be at the heart of economic growth, especially for a country of 1.25 billion people destined to add another 400 million by the middle of the century. Green Signals chronicles the '1991 moment' in India's environmental decision-making, telling the story of how, for the first time, the doors of the environment ministry were opened to voices, hitherto unheard, into the policy-making process. It details efforts to change the way environment is viewed both by proponents of environmental security and those who prize economic growth at all costs. Told from the perspective of a pivotal decision maker, the book addresses the challenges involved in trying to ensure economic growth with ecological security. It takes us through India's coming of age in the global environmental and climate change community to take on a leadership role that is progressive, proactive, and steeped in national interest. Using speaking orders on high-profile projects, notes and letters to the Prime Minister, ministerial colleagues, chief ministers and others, Jairam Ramesh gives an insight into the debates, struggles, challenges, and obstacles to bringing environmental considerations into the mainstream of political and economic decision-making. This collection reveals the story of the author's attempt at the highest levels of governance to introduce effective decision-making, a transparent and accountable administration, and to make environmental concerns an essential component of a nation's quest to accelerate economic growth and end the scourge of poverty and deprivation.

Green Signals: Ecology, Growth, and Democracy in India

Business & Money

Ramesh, Jairam

Economics

Oxford University Press

Land ownership in India has always been a risky proposition. The hitherto unfettered power of acquisition and the refusal of the Parliament to recognize the right to own property as a fundamental one, had emboldened the state to stake claim on any land it saw fit. However, in the years 2012-2014, the Government of India embarked on an exercise to not just amend but to rewrite the law on acquisition. This process saw the radical polarization of public opinion into two sharp sides a those who saw acquisition as a necessary tool to India's development (given the absence of other mechanisms guaranteeing clear title), and those who were sharply opposed to an archaic relic that defied the rule of law.  This book attempts to explain the rationale employed behind each and every provision by the then Minister and his Principle Aide who helped draft the law. The book is a firsthand account of the challenges faced and the factors that drove the decisions in regulating the Stateas approach to a resource that is arguably the most important in a land deficit people surplus nation.

Legislating for Justice: The Making of the 2013 Land Acquisition Law

Khan, Muhammad Ali

Business

Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India for sixteen years, was as charismatic as she was controversial - at once admired and criticized for her political judgements and actions. Yet beyond such debate, what has not been fully understood is her life-long communion with nature and how thatdefined her very being. Weaving personal, political, and environmental history, politician-scholar Jairam Ramesh narrates the compelling story of Indira Gandhi, the naturalist. He tells us why and how she came to make a private passion a public calling; how her views on the environment remainedsteadfast even as her political and economic stances changed; how her friendships with conservationists led to far-reaching decisions to preserve India's biodiversity; how she urged, cajoled, and persuaded her colleagues as she took significant decisions particularly regarding forests and wildlife;and how her own finely-developed instincts and beliefs resulted in landmark policies, programmes, initiatives, laws, and institutions, that have endured.Drawing extensively from unpublished letters, notes, messages, and memos, Indira Gandhi: A Life in Nature offers a lively, conversational narrative of a relatively little known but fascinating aspect of Indira Gandhi's tumultuous life. Equally, the book acts as a compass to India at a time when thecountry faces the formidable challenge of ensuring ecological security and sustainability in its pursuit of high economic growth.

Indira Gandhi: Prakriti Mein Ek Jiwan

Biographies & Memoirs

Pandey, Anchit

Leaders & Notable People

This is a compelling new biography of one of India's most fascinating and controversial public figures. V.K. Krishna Menon commands our attention not just because he was Jawaharlal Nehru's confidant and soulmate but also for his own political and literary accomplishments. A relentless crusader for Indian independence in the UK in the 1930s and 1940s, he was a global star in the 1950s before he was forced to resign in the wake of the India-China war of 1962. Meticulously researched and based entirely on new archival material, this book is also a rich history of the tumultuous times in which Krishna Menon lived.

Chequered Brilliance

India Viking

The Light of Asia&nbsp;is an epic poem by Sir Edwin Arnold that was first published in 1879. It is a narrative of the life and message of the Buddha. It quickly became a huge sensation and has continued to resonate powerfully across the world over the last century and a half. The poem captivated an Indian monk who remains an iconic personality--Swami Vivekananda. At about the same time, it deeply moved a young man in Colombo who has become famous in history as Anagarika Dharmapala. It caught the attention of an aspiring Indian lawyer in London in 1889. This man later became immortal as Mahatma Gandhi. A few years hence it impacted a teenager in Allahabad who would, in 1947, become the first Prime Minister of India--Jawaharlal Nehru. Two copies of the book adorned the bookshelves of B.R. Ambedkar, the prime architect of the Indian constitution. Weaving together literary, cultural, political, and social history, Jairam Ramesh uncovers and narrates the fascinating story of this deeply consequential and compelling poem that has shaped our thinking of an ancient sage and his teachings. Jairam Ramesh brings into this unusual narrative the life of the multi-faceted poet himself who, among other things, was steeped in Sanskrit literature. Sir Edwin Arnold's English rendering of the Bhagavad Gita was one of Mahatma Gandhi's abiding favourites. Sir Edwin was also in many ways the man who shaped Bodh Gaya as we know it today.

The Light of Asia: The Poem that Defined The Buddha

Community & Culture

To the Brink and Back: India's 1991 Story

Rupa Publications Private Limited

This collection of articles represent the corpus of Jairam Rameshs columns for India Today. Writing under the name de guerre of Kautilya, originally the author of Indias greatest ancient work on statecraft, Ramesh brings his renowned intellect and humour to bear on the events and characters that have dominated public life over the past five years. Here the reader will find the pressing economic, social, political and intellectual concerns that grip both India and the wider world analyzed in an unprecedented combination of brevity and clarity. Hollywood, exchange rate mechanisms, federalism and international affairs are discussed alongside the usual and unusual suspects of Indian political life including the future of secularism, the obstacle facing economic liberalization and the intricacies of Budget-making. This must read collection form one of Indias most prominent columnists showcase a globalizing India that is often talked about but rarely understood.

Kautilya Today: Jairam Ramesh on a Globalizing India

Politics & Social Sciences

Politics & Government

India Research Press

Presenting an overview of current and future geopolitical interactions between India and China, this series of essays addresses the huge potential for trade and other forms of exchange that exists between the two countries. Essay topics address continuing security concerns, the issue of democracy in China, and the ongoing battle against HIV/AIDS in the context of two complementary, competitive, and fast-growing economies.

Making Sense of Chindia: Reflections on China and India

International

From an acclaimed economist and politician, a unique, never-before-seen look at the life of one of India's most well-known prime ministers--Indira Gandhi--and her work to protect the environment and champion the preservation of nature and the climate. Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India for sixteen years, was as charismatic as she was controversial--both admired and criticized for her political judgments and actions. Yet what has never been fully revealed is her lifelong commitment and love for nature and how that defined her very being. Weaving personal, political, and environmental history, politician and scholar Jairam Ramesh presents a compelling portrait of an extraordinary public figure. He chronicles how and why she made a personal passion a public calling; how her views on the environment remained steadfast even as her political and economic stances evolved; how her friendships with conservationists led to far-reaching decisions to preserve India's biodiversity; how she urged, cajoled and persuaded her colleagues in making significant decisions regarding forests and wildlife; and how her own finely developed instincts and initiatives resulted in landmark policies, programs, and laws that have endured to this day. Drawing extensively from unpublished letters, notes, messages and memos, Indira Gandhi: A Life in Nature is both a lively, engaging narrative about the little-known parts of Indira Gandhi's life, and also sheds important light on climate change and sustaining the environment--today's most pressing global issues.

Indira Gandhi: A Life in Nature

S&S India

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Books by Ramesh, Jairam