While most of the departments of the government are sluggish in taking decisions on the governance of the country, there is a particular department which seems to be working round the clock. It is nothing else than the Disinvestment Department. During the earlier NDA government it was a ministry itself, but was downgraded to a department after the UPA I government took over.

Disinvestment was at very low pace in the UPA I since it was sustaining itself with the support of the left Parties,which strongly opposed disinvestment of PSUs. The UPA II wanted to speed up disinvestment, but could not move much due to various reasons. Its target of enriching the exchequer through sales of PSU shares could not be reached.

Now that the NDA with huge majority is taking over the government, the Disinvestment department will be feeling that it is the right time to directly sell the PSUs, instead of piecemeal. The sale of PSUs to strategic partners ( as in the the case of VSNL to Tata Telecommunications) they want to pursue now.

Accordingly, the Disinvestment Department has recommended to the new government for strategic sale of PSUs in the non-core PSUs like Cement, Steel, Textiles, petrochemical, fertiliser etc., which may also be extended to core PSUs later.

What will be the decision of the new government is not known.But there is real danger to the existence of the Public Sector. The Public Sector banks, which have stalled the recession in India to a certain extend is under severe attack. State Bank activities are already outsourced to Reliance company. The corporates and India Inc have demanded privatisation of the nationalised banks.

The working class under the Central trade Unions will have to seriously consider these issues and pressurise the new government from proceeding in the above matter, failing which mighty struggles should erupt to stop this selling of the national assets.