People's Democracy

   ‘Rescue Orissa From Poverty, Fiscal Crisis’

CPI(M) Stages Demo Before Parliament

DEMANDING measures to overcome poverty, backwardness and fiscal crisis of Orissa, CPI(M) activists from the state staged a demonstration before parliament on August 26. A delegation of state-level leaders later presented a memorandum to the prime minister.

The demonstrators marched from the New Delhi Railway Station to Jantar Mantar. They were addressed by Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury, members of the CPI(M) Polit Bureau and leaders of the Orissa unit of the Party.

The delegation to the prime minister was led by Sitaram Yechury, Basudeb Acharia, CPI(M) group leader in the Lok Sabha, Nilotpal Basu, CPI(M) group leader in the Rajya Sabha, Rupchand Pal, MP, Janardhan Pati, Orissa CPI(M) secretary and Shivaji Patnaik, former MP.

While holding the wrong policies pursued by successive central and state governments accountable for such a situation, the memorandum seeks to demarcate from slogans like according Orissa special category status or demanding a special package. Instead, it has sought restructuring of centre-state fiscal relations and remedy for the chronic fiscal injustice meted out to the state. The memorandum also demanded scrapping of the MoU signed between the centre and the state governments to implement fiscal reform programme prepared on the basis of conditionalities imposed upon by the World Bank and the DFID.

The CPI(M) state unit has demanded that in order to rescue Orissa from a debt trap the union government’s loan given to the state should be written off. It has also demanded 50 per cent devolution of central tax operated through the finance commission, reversal of the Gadgil formula in plan transfer by raising the aid component to 70 per cent and reducing loan component to 30 per cent, timely revision of coal and other mineral royalties, a master plan to achieve 100 per cent irrigation potential within 10 years, ensuring land reforms, setting up more small, medium and agro-based industries and special measures for poverty alleviation and employment.

The prime minister expressed his concern for the poverty and backwardness of Orissa and informed that he had asked the planning commission and other competent bodies to look into the special problems of Orissa including the fiscal crisis the state is facing today.

A memorandum was also submitted to the railway minister. The CPI(M) has asked for further strengthening of the East Coast Railway Zone and timely completion of ongoing and sanctioned projects. (INN)