IN the pre-budget consultation meeting with Union Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee on January 12 the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh demanded to raise the Income Tax limit to Rs 3 lakh. The trade unions submitted a joint memorandum to the Finance Minister raising various issues related to labour and the economy.
Participating in the discussion BMS president Shri Girish Awasthi general secretary Shri K Lakshma Reddy said the Government should draw lessons from what has been happening in economic and industrial sectors in the US and some countries in Europe, and change the policies keeping in view the interest of India. They said the decentralisation of economy should be ensured and the growing economic inequalities between the poor and the rich be checked.
“The prices of essential commodities and inflation be contained immediately, ban on recruitment in Government departments, PSUs, etc be lifted forthwith, adequate budgetary allocation be made for social security of unorganised sector workers, workers of Anganwadi be given the status of Government employees and their pay be hiked accordingly, the contribution of Government employers towards EPS be raised substantially so as to ensure a monthly minimum pension of Rs. 3000/- to workers, National Rural Bank and National Co-operative Banks be set-up, workers’ banks also be set-up, industrial houses should not be permitted to carry out banking operations, disinvestment of CPSUs be stopped forthwith, entry of MNCs and corporates in retail business be prohibited, priority be given to agricultural sector in the budgetary allocation, black money be unearthed and the illegal funds stashed in foreign banks brought back, forward trading in commodities be banned and a white paper on post-globalisation period and MGNREGA be published by the government,” said a statement issued by the BMS while listing the major demands. (FOC)
