Adani advisor's role in environment ministry panel sparks uproar
New Delhi, Nov 14: The inclusion of an advisor from Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) in an environment ministry panel created a political uproar on Tuesday, with opposition parties slamming the government for a perceived 'conflict of interest'.
Janardan Choudhary, a key advisor to Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL), was named as one of the seven non-institutional members by the Union Environment Ministry when it reconstituted the Expert Appraisal Committee for hydroelectricity and river valley projects in September.
The AGEL's 1,500 megawatt Tarali pumping storage project in Maharashtra's Satara came up for consideration during the reconstituted EAC's first meeting on October 17-18, according to the minutes of the meeting available on the Environment Ministry's PARIVESH portal.
Choudhary clarified to PTI that while he attended the October 17 meeting, he refrained from participating in the session focusing on the AGEL Tarali project. He said he serves as an advisor to AGEL and is not on the company's payroll.
Choudhary had a 36-year tenure with NHPC and retired as director (technical) in March 2020. He assumed the role of advisor to AGEL in April 2022.
He also said he had disclosed his affiliation with the company to the ministry before his appointment to the EAC.
The primary function of the EACs is to offer recommendations to the environment ministry regarding project proposals after evaluating their potential impacts. Based on these recommendations, the ministry decides whether to reject the proposal or grant clearance with specific conditions to mitigate or compensate for the impacts.
Latching onto the issue, political parties criticized the Narendra Modi government, questioning who appointed Choudhury to the EAC and why.
"Adani Pradhan Sevak appointed Adani employee Janardhan Choudhury as a member of EAC under Environment Ministry. This committee has to approve 6 Adani projects (10,300 MW)," the Kerala Congress posted on its official X account.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi said on X: "Please don't even mention conflict of interest etc. that applies for others not where friends with benefits are concerned."
"If an ethics committee can hold an elected member of parliament guilty for sharing email by calling it a national security and conflict of interest issue, how is a person working as an advisor to a private company, a company that has pending approvals in MoEFs NAC be allowed a seat on the NAC itself? No issues of conflict of interest applicable here? No reasons to investigate and find out how he made it there, who put him there & why is he the chosen one?" she said.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra, facing possible expulsion from the Lok Sabha following a recommendation by the Ethics Committee, said, "Modiji's Ministry of Environment appointed Adani employee Janardhan Choudhury as a member of EAC - 6 Adani projects totaling 10300 MW up for appraisal by this @moefcc committee."
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55-bed free palliative care centre to open near Bengaluru’s Nelamangala
Bengaluru: A new 55-bed palliative care centre for terminally ill patients, named the Nemmadi Centre for Palliative Care, will be inaugurated near Nelamangala on Sunday. The facility will offer all services completely free of cost.
According to a report published by Deccan Herald on Saturday, the centre has been set up by the Sukruthi Charitable Trust in collaboration with Rotary Bangalore Midtown. Around Rs 20 crore has been invested in the project, which will operate without a billing counter, ensuring that families do not have to pay for treatment.
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The centre will provide comprehensive palliative care, including medical support, counselling for patients and their families, and bereavement care. The facility aims to help families cope with the physical and emotional challenges of caring for terminally ill patients.
“A cornerstone of the project was the generous donation of land by former MLC E Krishnappa, which made the centre possible,” DH quoted Palani Loganathan as saying.
The inauguration ceremony will be attended by Madhusudan Sai, founder of the Sri Madhusudan Sai Global Humanitarian Mission, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and Rajya Sabha MP Dr C.N. Manjunath who also serves as the chief medical advisor to the centre will also be present, along with several senior government officials and healthcare leaders.
