US study on Reliance's UMPP termed part of "malafide intention" by foreign NGOs to "malign Indian cos"

Counterview Desk
Strongly defending the Reliance Power Ltd’s Sasan ultra mega power project (UMPP), under attack by a group of American NGOs for “neglecting” people’s livelihood and environment, a pro-UMPP blogger, Prof Satish Rai, has said this seems to be “part of the efforts by foreign NGOs/ foreign funded NGOs to stall development work in countries like India.” Citing the latest study (read HERE) by NGOs led by Sierra Club, top US environmental group, Prof Rai calls it just an “extension of the malafide intentions by foreign NGOs to malign the image of Indian companies and large scale infrastructure projects.”
Prof Rai, who reacted the study in his just-created blog, has approvingly quoted the controversial Intelligence Bureau (IB) report submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accuse “foreign funded NGOs” such as Greenpeace, Cordaid, Amnesty and Action Aid for “serving as tools for foreign policy interests of western governments by sponsoring agitations against nuclear and coal-fired power plants”, leading to negatively impacting “GDP growth by 2-3%”.
A scan through Prof Rai’s blog shows he is a “teacher” and is based in “Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh”, but nothing beyond. Virtually acting as Reliance UMPP’s spokesperson, Prof Rai says, the US study makes “whole lot of baseless allegations not only against the project managers, but it also assumes that there is no law and order or monitoring mechanism in India that can ensure fair resettlement and rehabilitation initiatives by large corporate houses.”
“The allegations against the company such as abductions of locals, demolition of houses in the middle of night, compensation below government notified rates give an impression that India is a country with virtually no law and order and governance”, Prof Rai says, insisting that “this is just ridiculous.”
Prof Rai argues, “The project comprises of six units of 660 MW each and in last one year five units have become operational within a gap of three months each.” Despite this the American report “accuses the project of spreading air and water pollution and contaminating the ground water.” He wonders, “How can a power plant within couple of months contaminate the ground water of its surrounding villages?”
Disputing the American study’s “claims” that Reliance Power failed to provide basic amenities like education, drinking water etc. to the local resettled families, Prof Rai says, “The fact is that it has been actively involved in various social and environmental organizations to address the issue of sustainable development and social upliftment in areas around its power plant sites. The company in discharge of its responsibility as a corporate citizen actively contributes to community welfare measures and takes up several social initiatives.”
He adds, “The company has built a school at the site for the children of the affected families and other children of the villages around the sites. The company provides free school bus facility for the students, stipend to every child who attends school, free uniforms, study tours for children, teaching aids to the teachers, training of teachers,as well as night schools for uneducated adults etc. Over 1,000 children are getting quality education in this school.”
Apart from this, Prof Rai says, “The housing colony constructed by Sasan Power is filled with all facilities such as primary health centre/ medical centre, water pumps, temple, local community office, etc.” In fact, he points to how the efforts of Sasan Power towards integration of the local community “were recognized nationally and Sasan Power has received the prestigious Greentech Award for Outstanding achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility.”
Coming to the the company's safety and environment protection norms, Prof Rai says, “they are in line with the stipulations specified by India's Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF). The complete ash handling system at the plant is mechanical and automated, there is no manual handling of ash in the entire process; therefore, the allegation of workers getting infected with skin disease due to this is completely baseless.” He concludes by suspecting “a hidden agenda” by foreign NGOs while producing such reports on Indian mega projects.

Comments

Gram sabha as reformer: Mandla’s quiet challenge to the liquor economy

By Raj Kumar Sinha* This year, the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj is organising a two-day PESA Mahotsav in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 23–24 December 2025. The event marks the passage of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), enacted by Parliament on 24 December 1996 to establish self-governance in Fifth Schedule areas. Scheduled Areas are those notified by the President of India under Article 244(1) read with the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for a distinct framework of governance recognising the autonomy of tribal regions. At present, Fifth Schedule areas exist in ten states: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana. The PESA Act, 1996 empowers Gram Sabhas—the village assemblies—as the foundation of self-rule in these areas. Among the many powers devolved to them is the authority to take decisions on local matters, including the regulation...

MG-NREGA: A global model still waiting to be fully implemented

By Bharat Dogra When the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MG-NREGA) was introduced in India nearly two decades ago, it drew worldwide attention. The reason was evident. At a time when states across much of the world were retreating from responsibility for livelihoods and welfare, the world’s second most populous country—with nearly two-thirds of its people living in rural or semi-rural areas—committed itself to guaranteeing 100 days of employment a year to its rural population.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Concerns raised over move to rename MGNREGA, critics call it politically motivated

By A Representative Concerns have been raised over the Union government’s reported move to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), with critics describing it as a politically motivated step rather than an administrative reform. They argue that the proposed change undermines the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and seeks to appropriate credit for a programme whose relevance has been repeatedly demonstrated, particularly during times of crisis.

Rollback of right to work? VB–GRAM G Bill 'dilutes' statutory employment guarantee

By A Representative The Right to Food Campaign has strongly condemned the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–GRAM G) Bill, 2025, describing it as a major rollback of workers’ rights and a fundamental dilution of the statutory Right to Work guaranteed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). In a statement, the Campaign termed the repeal of MGNREGA a “dark day for workers’ rights” and accused the government of converting a legally enforceable, demand-based employment guarantee into a centralised, discretionary welfare scheme.

Making rigid distinctions between Indian and foreign 'historically untenable'

By A Representative Oral historian, filmmaker and cultural conservationist Sohail Hashmi has said that everyday practices related to attire, food and architecture in India reflect long histories of interaction and adaptation rather than rigid or exclusionary ideas of identity. He was speaking at a webinar organised by the Indian History Forum (IHF).

Policy changes in rural employment scheme and the politics of nomenclature

By N.S. Venkataraman* The Government of India has introduced a revised rural employment programme by fine-tuning the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which has been in operation for nearly two decades. The MGNREGA scheme guarantees 100 days of employment annually to rural households and has primarily benefited populations in rural areas. The revised programme has been named VB-G RAM–G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission – Gramin). The government has stated that the revised scheme incorporates several structural changes, including an increase in guaranteed employment from 100 to 125 days, modifications in the financing pattern, provisions to strengthen unemployment allowances, and penalties for delays in wage payments. Given the extent of these changes, the government has argued that a new name is required to distinguish the revised programme from the existing MGNREGA framework. As has been witnessed in recent years, the introdu...

India’s Halal economy 'faces an uncertain future' under the new food Bill

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The proposed Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Bill, 2025 marks a decisive shift in India’s food regulation landscape by seeking to place Halal certification exclusively under government control while criminalising all private Halal certification bodies. Although the Bill claims to promote “transparency” and “standardisation,” its structure and implications raise serious concerns about religious freedom, economic marginalisation, and the systematic dismantling of a long-established, Muslim-led Halal ecosystem in India.

Search This Blog