The Environment Ministry was hit by controversies in the year gone by which saw clearances for two big ticket projects -- POSCO and Lavasa -- and exit of Jairam Ramesh as the green minister.
Another highlight was India's participation at the Durban climate talks under the leadership of Jayanthi Natarajan who took over as Environment Minister in the midst of the year from Ramesh. The death of Swami Nigamananda, who was agitating for saving the Ganga River and checking illegal mining in Uttarakhand, raised several questions.