Even elephants, after they mate, come up with a calf in 22 months. But India's love story with Korea, of which the $14-billion Posco investment in Orissa was supposed to be the culmination, has been going on for over five years and is yet to produce a result.

Monday's orders by the Ministry of Environment, however, should end the extended labour pains. The Minister for Environment and Forests, Mr Jairam Ramesh, who has been excoriated for being obstructive and has even been spoken to by the Prime Minister, has come out with a set of conditions — 28 new ones — that make a lot of sense because they address genuine problems in respect of the environment, the forests, and the people who live off the forests.

That someone needed to start taking these things seriously was never in doubt. That this was not being done before Mr Ramesh came on to the scene is also not in doubt. That he is doing no more than implement the law is also quite clear.

He, therefore, deserves due credit for having made the care of the environment and displaced persons an integral part of the project sanctions. For example, by making it mandatory that the companies concerned devote 2 per cent of net profits to CSR, he ought to be able to end what has become a farce, where planting a few trees and running some elementary schools at a laughably low cost, has become the norm.

Much the same can be said about the other conditions as well because, taken singly as well as collectively, they address a felt need, apart from the added advantage of quieting the NGOs.

That said, the old aphorism that the path to hell is paved with good intentions must also be kept in mind. India abounds with well-intentioned laws which, either because of forgetfulness or for a consideration, it then fails to implement.

It is impossible not to wonder, therefore, if the Ministry has the wherewithal, even if it has the intention, to ensure compliance. This is important because Posco has to fulfil the conditions only after, and not before, the project gets underway.

Nor must it be forgotten that in India every condition, onerous or otherwise, can open an equal and opposite window for bureaucratic rascality. Inadvertently, therefore, Mr Ramesh may have laid a lot of eggs from which very golden geese may hatch for the benefit of low-level functionaries.

Politically, the ball is now in the State government's court. It is up to the Orissa government to provide such certification as is necessary.

In that sense, Mr Ramesh has deftly skipped away and thus taken the Central government, which was coming under increasing criticism for frightening away investors, out of the firing line.

The Prime Minister should call him for tea now and thank him for having killed many birds with one stone.

Related Topics