Ironclad assurance? Adani not to employ Indians, other foreigners in $16.5 billion Australian coal mining project

By A Representative
No Indians would be allowed employment in the Adani Group’s controversial $16.5 billion Carmichael coal mining project in Queensland province. Melbourne-based South Asia Times (SAT) has quoted group chairman Gautam Adani as having assured the Australian authorities that he would not bring any foreign workers for his project.
SAT in a report from Melbourne says, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszuk told newspersons that she had received an “ironclad” guarantee from Gautam Adani during her meeting with him that there will be “no foreign workers brought under the 457 visas for the $ 16.5 billion Carmichael coal mine project.”
Pointing out that “there is no written agreement on it”, SAT says, “The Queensland Premier announced this after a meeting with the Adani Group boss in Townsville.”
Gautam Adani, considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier had a meeting the Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull at a private meeting in Melbourne and briefed him project details.
Meanwhile, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports that Queensland opposition leader Tim Nicholls said, written assurances about the decision not to bring any foreign workers for the project “would be preferable.”
“The Premier has said she takes Adani at this word and that’s fine, but I would have thought it would have been better to assure Queenslanders that we had some written commitments that jobs from this project will go to Queenslanders,” Nicholls has been quoted as saying.
In a related development, the Adani Group has announced that five regional towns will provide vital support services for the projects. In a media release, the Chief Executive of Adani Australian, Jeyakumar Janakaraj, said, Emerald, Clermont, Moranbah, Collinsville and Charters Towers would be “the source of support services, including workers for its projects.”
“We are particularly focusing on the construction of our planned near-400km rail line to be constructed between the Carmichael mine and our bulk port facility at Abbott Point near Bowen,” Janakaraj said.
“So we need people and services in the region to build that rail link, as well as companies to provide resources.”
“The provision of goods, services and labour from the regional towns would be supplemented by Rockhampton, Mackay and Townsville”, Janakarajan said, adding, “Townsville would be the site of the regional headquarters for the Carmichael coal mine project.”
Janakaraj also said that Townsville would also be home base for the company’s project management office, and provide port services for incoming materials. The original plan of the company was to have the project offices in Brisbane, one of the biggest cities of Australia.
Gautam Adani’s assurances to the country’s authorities came following the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF)-sponsored rally in Melbourne against the coal mining project. ACF called the decision to allow the project to go ahead a “dirty deal”.
It said, “This coal mine would be a global climate catastrophe. It is dangerous to our planet and the people and places we love. Australians don’t want this mine, we want our reef and a clean, safe future.”
Hitting out at Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull, the environmental group said, he has “a clear choice – honour an iron clad election promise or do a dirty deal with Adani to use Australian taxpayers’ money to fund a coal-carting railway line from the Galilee Basin to the Great Barrier Reef coast.”
Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners Council, which has opposed the project for long, said, it would file a fresh court action against the proposed project, regretting the Adani Group chairman did not meet them.

Comments

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Why experts say replacing MGNREGA could undo two decades of rural empowerment

By A Representative A group of scientists, academics, civil society organisations and field practitioners from India and abroad has issued an open letter urging the Union government to reconsider the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and to withdraw the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The letter, dated December 27, 2025, comes days after the VB–G RAM G Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16 and subsequently approved by both Houses of Parliament, formally replacing the two-decade-old employment guarantee law.

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

Interfaith cooperation in Punjab village as Sikhs and Hindus support mosque construction

By Bharat Dogra A recent heart-warming report on Sikh and Hindu families helping to build a mosque in a village of Punjab deserves wide attention. It is such examples that truly strengthen national unity. There are many instances of mutual respect and cooperation among people of different religions and faiths that need to be better known today.

'Caste oppression ignored': NCERT textbooks reflect ideological bias, says historian

By A Representative The Indian History Forum organized a webinar titled “Rewriting the Past: Distortions and Ideological Interventions in NCERT History Textbooks” on 22 December 2025. The session featured historian Dr Ruchika Sharma, who critically examined recent changes in NCERT history textbooks and their implications for historical understanding and social cohesion among millions of students across the country.

Investment in rule of law a corporate imperative, not charity: Business, civil society leaders

By A Representative In a compelling town hall discussion hosted at L.J School of Law , prominent voices from industry and civil society underscored that corporate investment in strengthening the rule of law is not an act of charity but a critical business strategy for building a safer, stronger, and developed India by 2047. The dialogue, part of the Unmute podcast series, examined the intrinsic link between ethical business conduct , robust legal frameworks, and sustainable national development, against the sobering backdrop of India ranking 79th out of 142 countries on the global Rule of Law Index .

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Search This Blog