Pvt sector misusing PPP mode: Yechury

During the debate on the Presidents address in the Rajya Sabha,CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury asked the Government to seriously reconsider its disinvestment plans and the public private partnership (PPP) mode that found special mention in the address. Yechury pointed out that the PPP mode was being misused by the private sector and this was evident in how loss-making private airports were charging user development fees to make up for their losses. He said the Government was still in a state of denial over the global economic crisis which had begun to play out in the country with mounting job losses across sectors.

Yechury warned against the privatisation of the provident fund,banking reforms,insurance reforms,and the full convertibility of the Indian rupee and said these solutions offered by the Government were just the opposite of what was required. He noted glaring omissions in the foreign policy with no mention of non-alignment and the Indo-Brazil-South Africa Association,and warned against the proposal to take forward the transforming Indo-Us relations.

Yechury,however,extended support to the Womens Bill.

On the Bill aimed at curbing communal violence,he said the Government must ensure that it does not disturb Centre-state relations. BJPs Arun Jaitley,on the other hand,raised doubts on whether it could be passed when law and order is a state subject.

On the proposed National Food Security law,Yechury said the Government should not reduce the quantity as the poor are currently getting 35 kg every month whereas the President has mentioned that they would get 25 kg per family.

Rajya Sabha member and former RBI governor Bimal Jalan called for empowering Public Sector Units (PSUs) like NHAI and keeping the minister/Government at an arms length from the PSU to enable the latter to deliver the goods. He also called for a review of the distribution of power between the Centre and states.