Company Name : Generic Source : MSN Green News

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposed Memorandum of Understanding on green technologies that is among several agreements to be inked with China during the ongoing visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

 

Though Commerce Minister Anand Sharma raised concerns over some aspects of the proposed MoU, it was cleared after Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, who had moved the cabinet note on the proposal, found support from some senior ministers, including Foreign Minister SM Krishna.

 

According to sources, Sharma felt the MoU could provide China with another opening to flood India with its goods on the pretext of green technology.

 

The MoU was not expected to have a smooth sailing in the cabinet as most ministries had not got sufficient time to study and give their views on the proposal moved by the Environment Ministry just three days ago. Ministries such as Science and Technology, which is under the additional charge of HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, were not even given copies of the proposal.

 

Questions too were raised on whether the Environment Ministry could be the nodal agency in dealing with the matter, especially when it involved functions of various other ministries like Power, Coal and Industry.

 

Environment Minister Ramesh, however, is understood to have told the members that the MoU was only an enabling provision, not a full-fledged agreement. Though he did defend his ministry's decision to move the proposal, he conceded that any other ministry could have done so.