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EYE on INDIA                                                          February 05, 2021  |        The Indian Eye                          12





                                                      INDIATALKS

















































                      Passenger trains continue to ply on the shimla-kalka route despite heavy snowfall in shimla on friday. (ANI)


          Jagan writes to modi about  udf says it will bring law on


         rinL’s disinvestment plans                                                                   sabarimala



                 ndhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on                    erala Pradesh Congress Committee President Mullappally
                 Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi request-                 Ramachandran on Saturday said that if United Democrat-
        Aing him to reconsider the disinvestment plans of RINL  Kic Front (UDF) wins the upcoming Assembly elections in
        (Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd) Visakhapatnam and explore other  the state, it will make legislation in connection with women’s entry
        opportunities to put the plant back on track.                            in Sabarimala.
            In a letter, Reddy said the recent decision of the Cabinet Com-          Addressing media in Kochi, Ramachandran said the matter of
        mittee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) which has given in-principle  Sabarimala will be a major issue in the UDF election manifesto
        approval for 100 per cent strategic disinvestment of the government  for the upcoming election. “The Sabarimala matter will be a major
        of India’s shareholding in RINL, Visakhapatnam, along with man- issue in the UDF election manifesto. When the UDF comes to
        agement control by way of privatization has become a cause of con- power, the legislation will be made in connection with Sabarimala.
        cern for the state government. “RINL is the largest public-sector  Our position is to move forward without hurting the rituals of the
        industrial unit in the state creating employment opportunities for  believers,” said the KPCC president.
        close to around 20,000 people directly and many other indirect em-           He asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to explain why the
        ployment opportunities in the city of Vishakhapatnam,” he stated. government is not ready to make legislation on the issue.
            The Chief Minister recalled that the plant had a good perfor-            “It is factually incorrect to say that the state government is le-
        mance between 2002 to 2015 earning profits with positive net worth  gally unable to make legislation,” he said.
        but had pragmatically turned-around in 2002 after being reported             The Congress leader said that in Kerala, the Left is trying to go
        to Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) as a  ahead by appeasing the majority and pitting the minorities against
        sick company.                                                            each other. “Accurate information has been received about the
            “The company has around 19,700 acres of land currently and  CPI(M)-BJP relationship behind this. If the people are late in re-
        the valuation of these lands alone could exceed one lakh crore ru- alizing the attempt of communal polarization, the state will be in
        pees due to the location of the plant in the urban area and rapidly  great danger,” he added.
        expanding urban sprawl,” Reddy wrote.                                        He alleged that the Kerala government does nothing for the
            The Chief Minister noted that RINL currently has a capacity of  people, and added, “While educated youth are eligible for PSC
        7.3 million tonnes and has taken up plant modernization and ca- and await appointment, they are giving preference to the relatives
        pacity expansion recently which made the plant borrow loans from  of the CPI-M leaders. Fishermen and those working in the unorga-
        banks to take up the expansion.                                          nized and traditional sectors are being neglected.”


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