Whistleblowers will be protected: Jayanthi Natarajan

New Delhi: Two weeks after activist Shehla Masood's murder, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan has said that no green whistle blower will be targeted for speaking out. Speaking to CNN-IBN, Natarajan made it clear she may be keeping a low profile but she intends to take tough decisions.

"Before I became the Environment Minister, I became the Chairman of the Standing Committee that passed the Protection to the Whistleblowers Act and you can be assured that nobody will be allowed to suffer for having brought violations to the notice of the ministry," she said.

"In fact I believe that it's the duty of every thinking citizen to bring out violations and I would be extremely welcoming of any suggestions, ideas and violations that are reported to me," she added.

Natarajan also insisted that she will carry on the legacy of former environment minister Jairam Ramesh. "I want to place on record the fact that my predecessor has really mainstreamed environmental concerns. He has done a great job by putting it in the mainstream and by making sure that people sit up and are aware of their environmental rights in a way," she said.

When asked whether she will be as tough a predecessor as Ramesh, Natarajan said, "I will examine every project very very carefully from the point of view of protecting our country's environment. I am conscious every second of the day. We are at a very critical level in protecting our environment. There can be no development, real development, sustainable development unless the environment is factored into every aspect."

Speaking on go and no-go for coal, Natarajan said, "How much coal does Coal India already have in its reserve? Do we really need to go further into coal mining, do we really need to? We are committed to growth and are committed to development as much as the next citizen but we will keep a careful watch on the environment."

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