Category Archives: Neo-liberal policy

In the middle of the Capital of the Country …

16 Wednesday Apr 2014

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Yesterday (15th April), I had travelled to Jaipur by the Ajmer Shatabdi train which starts at 06.00 hours from New Delhi and reaches Jaipur at about 1030 hours. I was looking outside through the glass window, as I was sitting on a window seat. Within minutes of leaving the station, I was compelled to turn my eyes from looking outside.

It was a sad sight that I saw. A large number of old people, young men, children were sitting on the open spaces on both sides of the railway tracks and attending to the call of nature, with a bottle of water in their hands. The area where they were sitting was completely dirty with wastes and gutter water. At some distance, women and girls were standing, waiting for the train to pass away. The sadness and misery on their faces were heart-rendering.

This scene is not in New Delhi/Delhi alone. All over India, such tragic scenes can be seen. Even after more than six decades of Independence, the condition of the poor has not improved. I do not have the statistics, but approximately 60% of the people in the country have no toilets. Crores of people do not have a house to live in. They do not have even Rs.20 for per day as earning to maintain their family.

At the same time the number of billionaires in India is increasing in leaps and bounds. They have palace-like residences, planes for their private use, fleet of foreign luxury cars and what not. They party in the seven star hotels, spends thousands of crores of rupees for celebrations, while crores of people having nothing to eat.

The General elections are going on. This is the time to give a suitable reply to the ruling classes and their political parties that the common people of this country will not tolerate this insult, injustice and discrimination. Let the ruling classes be taught a tough lesson.

Indian Railway Completes 161 years.

16 Wednesday Apr 2014

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On 16th April 2014, Indian Railway completes 161 years of glorious service to the nation. It was on 16th April 1853 that the First train run from Victoria terminus (Bombay) to Thane.
India Railway is the largest railway in the world. It has got 115,000 km of track and 7,500 Railway Stations as in january 2014. It is continuously expanding. More than 3 crores people are travelling through rail every day on an average. About 13 lakh workers are employed in the Railways, the maximum by any industry.

Government as per the new LPG policy is trying to privatise the most profitable areas/ sections of the Railway. But the people want it to fully continue as a government service.

India Inc against merger of Pay and Allowances for EPF Contribution

10 Thursday Apr 2014

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, Neo-liberal policy, TU News - India

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The attitude of  India Inc is made clear in the editorial of the “Economic Times” dated 10th April. It has strongly supported the decision of the Central government is rejecting the proposal of the EPF Organisation to add the DA and other allowances for calculating the contribution to the EPF both by the employee and the employer.

The proposal of the EPFO will benefit  the employee by increase  in his EPF and also pension. What has irked  India Inc is that they will have to pay increased  contribution by the employers. In fact, the employers have converted a good part of the salary  in to allowances to deny contribution to the EPF.

We strongly condemn the decision of the government in rejecting the recommendation of the EPFO, which is only to favour the corporates etc. We demand the government to approve the decision of the EPFO to include the allowances also in calculating the contribution to the EPF.

Rescind the proposal to grant new banking licences to Corporates/big business

01 Tuesday Apr 2014

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The Election Commission has given clearance to the Reserve Bank of India for grant of new licences to start banks. The RBI had requested for clearance, since the the Model Conduct has started after the General elections have been declared.
The Corporates and big business houses have been continuously pressurising the government to grant them licences to open new banks. 25 applications are pending with the RBI. The Department of Posts has also applied.
It is to be remembered that the private banks were nationalised in the 1960s after it was exposed that customers were being defrauded and the hard-earned money of the depositors were being misappropriated. Now the government wants to grant licences to the corporates/big business once again, which may be misused to benefit their own companies. The Bank Employees Unions have strongly objected to the present proposal.
At the same time, it is understood that the RBI is reluctant to grant Bank Licence to the Department of Posts. In fact, the DoP is already have banking business, including Saving Accounts, Fixed Deposits, Pension Accounts etc. and have more branches than any other banks in the country.Grant of bank licence to the DoP is only regularising the same.
We demand the government to withdraw from their proposals to grant bank licences to the private companies.

Another setback for UPA Govt. – Order on Gas Price increase not cleared by EC

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by in General Elections 2014, Neo-liberal policy

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Last minute decision by the UPA II government to double the domestic natural gas price, from $4.2 per million British thermal units (mBtu) to $8.4, has been stopped by the Election Commission. It has not cleared the decision and stopped the same till a new government takes charge at the Centre.
The UPA govt. was in a hurry to implement the order to help the Reliance Industries Ltd. to reap and maximise the profits. There has been strong objections from the opposition parties. The proposal was strongly objected by the Left M.P.s like Comrades Tapan Sen, Gurudas DasGupta and others pointing out that even with the present rate the oil companies were reaping good profits.
Earlier, the EC has stopped the government from granting bank licences to private companies and corporates to please them before the general elections.
The UPA Government is being exposed for its mischief continuously. Its extra-enthusiasm to help the corporates is clear to all.

Scrap the Airports Privatisation

15 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by in Neo-liberal policy, PSU

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The Government has been compelled to postpone the privatisation of the six airports viz. Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow and Guwahati to March due to certain technical issues.

All these airports have already been modernised by Airport Authority of India (AAI), the PSU, at a high cost to the exchequer. The modernisation of Kolkata and Chennai airports had cost the AAI Rs 2,325 crore and Rs 2,015 crore respectively. The cases of other airports are also not different.

It is surprising how the UPA govt. is selling these airports along with the adjacent lands to the private companies at very meagre amount. The windfall benefit got to GMR, the private company which took over the Delhi Airport from the AAI is well known. The CAG has also pointed out the same. Despite that, the government is moving to privatise the other major profitable airports leaving the loss making ones to the AAI.

After privatisation of the airports, the price of car-parking, tea, coffee, snacks, for every thing has more than doubled up.The privatisation is only to maximise the profit of the private companies.

There should be strong protest against selling of these national assets for meagre price. These airports should continue with the AAI. Privatisation should be stopped.

IBM may cut 15,000 job globally

14 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by in Neo-liberal policy, TU News - India, TU News - International, WORLD NEWS

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It seems that a move is starting by the corporates to reduce the manpower due to the recess. It is reported that IBM, a global giant, is proposing to reduce its staff by 15,000.
IBM has got 4 lakhs workers out of which one lakh is in India. The retrenchment may seriously affect the workers engaged in India. The details are yet to be known, including how much IBM proposes to reduce in India.

Rajasthan also scraps FDI in multiple retail.

31 Friday Jan 2014

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Rajasthan became the second state to scrap the FDI decision in multiple-brand retail taken by the former Congress government. Delhi state government of AAP has already scrapped the FDI in multiple retail, immediately after it took over the reins.
The Rajasthan Government has written to Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma in this matter.
Anand Sharma, immediately after the Kejriwal Govt. has decided to scrap FDI has stated that the state government can not alter a decision taken earlier allowing FDI. Now that two states have scrapped FDI, it will have to be seen what decision the UPA government takes.
Though majority of the parties had opposed 51% FDI in multiple brand retail, the UPA government managed to get it passed in the Parliament. Now two state governments viz. Delhi ruled by AAP and Rajasthan ruled by BJP have scrapped the decision of the former congress governments. It is sure that more states may follow suit as it is well known that the retail merchants are strongly opposed to FDI as it will adversely affect about 4 crore of families.
It is better for the Central government to allow the state governments to take their own decision.

Gold-smuggling reach 3,000 kg in a month – FM

28 Tuesday Jan 2014

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The Finance Minister P.Chidambaram has stated today, 28th January, that the gold-smuggling has reached about 3,000 kg per month. This is an admission of the inability of the government to check this unauthorised and illegal smuggling to the country. He also stated that the higher duties and other curbs might have resulted in increase of smuggling and after a few months the restrictions can be revisited.
Two things come out of the statement. One, the smuggling has increased and the government has failed to curb the same. Second, the Government is rethinking on reducing the duties, curbs etc. on gold import. Instead of taking strong action against the illegal smuggling, the government is thinking of reducing the duties etc. to please the offenders and try to reduce the smuggling that way. Wonderful! The government has utterly failed in this respect; or otherwise, the government want to help the offenders. Both way, it is a failure of the government.

11 Coal Blocks allocated by-passing rules _ Govt. to SC

17 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by in Corruption, Neo-liberal policy

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Now it is official. In the face of undeniable evidences, the government conceded in the Supreme Court that 11 companies were allotted Coal Blocks with out going through the approved process.
These companies are Reliance Energy, Tata Power, Balco, SKS Ispat and Power, Prakash Industries, Green Infrastructure, Visa Power, Vandana Vidyut, GVK Power, Gagan Sponge Iron and Lanco Group Limited. Some of the big corporates like Tata, Reliance vedanta and others are included.
This is only the start. Many more skeletons are in the cup board waiting to fall down. Already the government has stated in the SC that they are going to cancel about 90 licences issued.
The Coal Gate is one of the biggest scam the country has ever witnessed and the Congress Party/UPA Govt. will have to answer the people in the loss of about Rs. 2 lakh crore tot the government. The people are going to give a suitable reply to the UPA at the time of General Elections.