PMK asks Centre to review decision on SEZs

Madurai, Oct 6 (UNI) The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a constituent of the Manmohan Singh Government, today demanded a review of the decision to set up Special Economic Zones (SEZ), terming it an 'unacceptable programme intended to facilitate big industrialists to become landlords.' Talking to newspersons here, PMK Founder-Leader S Ramadoss accompanied by Party President G K Mani said the SEZ was a failed model in generating employment opportunities. ''The SEZ is in no way related to the pursuit of poverty eradication, for which the Union Cabinet came out with a new 20-point programme,'' he added.

In his view, the SEZs, which would be established by acquiring vast tracts of agricultural lands in many states, would not serve the desired purpose of poverty eradication. ''Such wrong approaches pursued all these years failed to eliminate poverty in the country,'' he claimed.

Citing the example of the industrial complex of the Small Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) at Hosur, he said 75 per cent of the units had deserted the place after five years, enjoying various concessions and facilities offered by the state government.

The fate of the SEZs would be no different from that, he observed and questioned the rationale behind extending a whole range of concessions, including a tax relaxation for five years, to those who intended to be a part of the SEZ.

When 23 crore people of the country's total population remained Below Poverty Line (BPL), he said taking pride in the nation being a global player and an IT giant had no meaning at all.

Turning to OBC reservation, Dr Ramadoss demanded implementation of 27 per cent quota in educational institutions at one go.

In support of this, he recalled the dissenting note of Mohan Gopal of the Oversight Committee, who had pointed out that staggering implementation of the OBC quota would deprive the opportunities of 34,000 candidates.

Admitting there was no consensus in the UPA on the reservation issue, he said a united push by the political forces in Tamil Nadu and the Lalu Prasad's RJD could accomplish this without much difficulty.

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