India to fight attempts to unseat Pachauri: Jairam

New Delhi, March 15 (IANS) The government would back Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) chief R.K. Pachauri and would fight "any attempt to unseat him", Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said Monday.

"We are backing the IPCC chairman and will fight any attempt to unseat him," Ramesh said in the Rajya Sabha during question hour.

Ramesh also admitted that the IPCC's fourth assessment report suggesting Himalayan glaciers would disappear by 2035 was based on poorly substantiated estimates of recession.

"In drafting the paragraph on melting of glaciers, the clear and well  established standards of evidence, required by the IPCC procedures, were not applied properly. India's objections to the report were upheld and we were vindicated," he said.

The IPCC, set up by the United Nations to study global warming, has been facing flak since January when it was found that it had included an alarmist statement about the disappearance of Himalayan glaciers in its benchmark 2007 report.

While the issue was raised in the upper house of parliament, Pachauri said at a function here that he would not resign over "one mistake" in the report.

"There is no several mistakes. Why should I resign? I have no reason to resign. I have a task to complete and I will finish it," he said.

Earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced an independent review of IPCC by InterAcademy Council, an international scientific organisation of the UN.