Petrol and diesel account for a huge share of revenue collected by the Central government from excise duty. According to revised budget estimates, excise duty on petroleum products amounted to Rs. 3.6 lakh crore in 2020-21.
Continue readingThirty years ago, on 24th July, the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh presented the first budget of the Congress-led government headed by Narasimha Rao. Finance Minister Manmohan Singh declared that the balance of payments situation was precarious, with foreign currency reserves not enough to even pay for one month’s imports. … He then unveiled a program of major changes in policies, laws and regulations relating to trade, investment and the public sector, broadly in line with the prescriptions of the World Bank and the IMF.
Continue readingWe are publishing a statement of solidarity with defence workers issued by the All-India Forum against Privatisation on 6th July 2021.
Continue reading41 National Federations, Unions and Associations representing the public sector workers in Railways, Defense, Electricity, Coal, Petroleum, Banks, Port & Docks as well as organisations of women and people have decided to come together under the banner of “All India Forum Against Privatisation (AIFAP)” to jointly oppose the Central Government’s anti-worker, anti-people and anti-national policies of handing over public assets built with people’s money to big monopoly corporate capitalists, both Indian and foreign.
Continue readingThe plan of the ruling class to privatise Indian Railways is running full steam ahead. The Central government has taken advantage of the Corona pandemic to implement this program on fast track. The repeated promises of successive prime ministers that Indian Railways will never be privatised stand nakedly exposed as blatant lies.
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The study of rail privatisation in various countries of the world shows that the only gainers have been capitalist monopolies. People have lost heavily.
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Kamgar Ekta Committee (KEC) organised a public meeting on 30 May 2021 to oppose the privatisation of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL). It was attended by nearly 300 leaders and participants from steel, railways, insurance, port & docks, electricity, petroleum, BSNL and others.
Continue readingKamgar Ekta Committee (KEC) organised a public meeting on 25 April 2021 to oppose privatisation of electricity distribution. This was the 11th meeting in the series “Unite against Privatisation”. Previous meetings dealt with privatisation of railways, banks, insurance, coal, petroleum, port & docks, education sectors. These meetings are being organised with the aim of bringing together various unions and federations of public sectors in a common struggle against privatisation.
Continue readingThe Electricity power sector was primarily in the public sector till 1991 due to the large capital required. With the launch of the program of globalisation through privatisation and liberalisation, power generation was thrown open to the private sector. Expecting huge profits, many big capitalists like, Tata, Anil Ambani, Adani, Jindal, Mehta of Torrent, GVK, Jaypee entered this sector. Now nearly half (47%) generating capacity is already in the priva
Continue readingIndian Railways plays a vital role in the country’s economy. Many generations of workers and their families have contributed to building it. This key institution is being systematically broken up and privatised stealthily part by part by the Government of India.
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