Jairam rides roughshod over Govt,pushes tech deal with China

That proposal was moved barely three days ago,on December 11 — a Saturday — and most of the key Ministries affected by such an agreement have not even had the chance to study it and respond to the Cabinet note.

The proposed Memorandum of Understanding includes: green technology in modernisation of electrical grids; joint research in clean energy technology; clean coal technology; sustainable transportation including electrical vehicles; energy conservation,energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The Ministries of Power and Coal,and the Department of Industrial Policy and Planning,have not responded. The Ministry of Science and Technology has not even been given a copy. Yet,the Ministry of Environment and Forests has managed to muscle the proposal through into Wednesday’s Cabinet agenda. Clearly,sources said,such a proposal will be met with opposition because China is not really the global leader in clean technologies going by IPRs owned in this sector. More so,the Environment Ministry is not the nodal agency dealing with green technologies as this involves functions of various other Ministries like Industry and,in this case,Power as well as Coal.

Interestingly,the only Ministry that has given its go-ahead is the Ministry of External Affairs without even a detailed consultation process. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has been neutral and not offered any comments.

There could be serious objections to this effort as India is itself preparing to lay out an initiative to develop green technologies. Hence,the plan ought to be to develop partnerships with countries possessing high-end technologies and not those who are potential competitors.

The broad view is that this agreement is a sensitive proposal which needs proper debate and inter-ministerial discussion before an informed decision can be made. To push it through at the last moment,sources said,could prove detrimental in the long run.

Yet the MoU has made it to the Cabinet agenda for approval so that it can be signed during Wen’s visit. From all accounts,the matter may invite a deeper debate tomorrow.