‘The changing role of India in South Asia’ – lecture by Indian Cabinet Minister for Rural Developmen

The Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS), the academic wing of the S.W.R.D Bandaranaike National Memorial Foundation, will be hosting Indian Cabinet Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh to a lecture on ‘The Changing Role of India in South Asia’ on Thursday, 12 July from 5p.m. onwards at the BCIS Auditorium.

Speaking about this initiative BCIS Director Prof. W I Siriweera said, “At BCIS we endeavour to reposition academics and learning in such away, our students, academia and alumni get an opportunity to have a firsthand glimpse to the latest happenings in the international relations discipline and create a platform for intellectual deliberation. The lecture by Ramesh will undoubtedly give an opportunity to our associates to take a closer look at the changing political and economic dynamics of India in a more analytical manner.”     

Ramesh has been an illustrious bureaucrat for the Government of India, before he was elected to Rajya Sabha to represent Andhra Pradesh in 2004.  

Since then he has served in National Advisory Council, Public Accounts Committee, the Standing Committee on Finance and the Committee on Government Assurance, where he played a key role in strategy and policy formulation. Following his 2009 re-election to the Indian Parliament, Ramesh was given independent charge of Environment and Forests as Minister of State in the Congress-led administration. On 12 July, 2011, Ramesh was promoted to Cabinet Minister as the Minister for Rural Development.

The famous book on China-India relations, ‘Making Sense of Chindia: Reflections on China and India (2005)’ was authored by Ramesh. He has also been an active columnist to prominent Indian newspapers such as the Business Standard, Business Today, The Telegraph, Times of India and India Today. The lecture is open to the public.