As usually, Congress is fond of talking about what it does not know, their lack of knowledge and low-IQ, sometimes makes them laughing-stock in the national arena. On May 10, 2026, letter from Jairam Ramesh, criticized the Great Nicobar Island (GNI) Project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process as a mockery and an insult to science, claiming it relied on inadequate, single-season baseline data. Arayna Women’s Cotton Printed Kurta Set with Pants & Dupatta | Elegant Ethnic Wear for Women | Floral Print | Comfortable Suit Set

The political and environmental debate over the ₹72,000-crore GNI Project has intensified. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav issued a detailed, written rebuttal to Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, firmly defending the statutory environmental clearances granted to the mega-infrastructure project. Ramesh contended that statutory norms require multi-season baseline data collected over at least three seasons to properly understand the ecological vulnerabilities of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He claimed the clearances were rushed through based on data collected over a few days and weeks at best.

The Minister clarified that while primary field data was gathered over a single seasonal cycle, the analysis was thoroughly integrated with long-term historical datasets. These datasets were provided by premier scientific institutions, including the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), which possess decades of localized research experience.

Ramesh emphasised that under the Island Coastal Regulation Zone (ICRZ) Notification 2019, comprehensive multi-season studies are strictly mandatory for port projects planned on eroding coastlines. He stated that major chunks of Galathea Bay, the site of the proposed transshipment port, are actively eroding. The Minister countered that specialized shoreline and marine modelling exercises show the eastern flank of Galathea Bay, where the actual port infrastructure will sit, is predominantly stable. Because it is not a medium-to-high eroding stretch, the legal requirement for a comprehensive three-season study was not triggered. TMC expels two MLAs as CID probe into Vidhan Sabha "fake signature" controversy deepens

GNI project is a massive geopolitical and economic initiative spanning 166 square kilometres. It is designed to transform the region into a key maritime hub and comprises of an international transshipment container port, a dual-use international military-civilian airport, a greenfield coastal township and a 450-MVA gas and solar power plant. The project is aimed to reduce China’s influence on Hongkong and it’s intended to substitute Hongkong in Asia.   Smoke rises over the Rajouri and Poonch woodlands as Operation Sheruwali intensifies, to hunt down Pakistani militants

Jairam Ramesh or Sonia Gandhi, anti-Indian syndromes are in their instinct. They can never allow any project, pro-India. The project is approved and the government has started working on it.