'Govt should accommodate our views on pension'

New Delhi, Nov 22: Reiterating their opposition to reforms in the economic sector, the Left parties today urged the UPA government to ''accommodate'' their suggestions in the new Pension Bill.

''If they are going to accommodate our view-point, we will welcome it. For example, we demand that the Pension Funds Regulatory and Development Authority Bill include a provision facilitating the monthly pension which comes to 1/2 of the average of the last three years of service,'' CPI(M) Parliamentary Group leader Sitaram Yechuri said at a press conference here.

The Left is also opposed to the move to deploy the Pension Fund in areas other than safe investment such as the stock market, Mr Yechuri said.

The Left's remarks came a day after Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Dasmunsi yesterday said that on the agenda are the Insurance( Amendment) Bill, Pension Funds Regulatory and Development Authority Bill and Banking Regulation( Amendment) Bill.

Mr Yechuri also cited the Left's opposition to the reported move regarding the takeover of private Indian banks by foreign banks, saying they would not allow 74 per cent FDI and were for a cap on the Board of Directors beyond 10 per cent.

CPI(M) Floor leader in the Lok Sabha Basudev Achariya, party chief whip in the House Roop Chand Pal and CPI Deputy leader in the House C P Chandrappan were also present in the press conference, held in the vicinity of Parliament House.

Elaborating on the other issues that the Left parties proposed to raise during the first half of the intersession, Mr Yechuri said they would press for bringing down the prices of essential commodities, diesel and petrol besides the introduction of bills on Women's Reservaton, Tribal Rights, and provision of social security for unorganised workers and agricultural labourers.

Mr Chandrappan said the session was important since the UPA government had completed half of its tenure but had not implemented most of the provisions contained in the CMP.

He said thousands of workers, representing the unorganised and the agricultural sector and tribals from across the country, will take out a March to Parliament tomorrow.

''It is time for introspection by the UPA government as the people are getting restive with poverty, unemployment and corrution in public life.''

UNI

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