BMS against acquisition of farm lands for SEZs: Awasthi

Visakhapatnam, Dec 28 (UNI) All India Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) President Girish Awasthi today said his union was against the acquisition of farmland for Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and new industries.

Addressing the BMS Central Committee meeting here, he alleged the left parties were following double standards on the land acquisition issue.

While the left parties were acquiring multi-crop lands for setting up industries at Singur in West Bengal, they were opposing the SEZs in other parts of the country, he alleged.

He demanded the government should pay an interim relief of Rs 1,000 per month to 40 lakh employees as there was a delay in constituting the sixth pay revision commission.

Mr Awasthi also demanded regularisation of contract labourers and opposed FDI in the retail sector.

He urged the UPA government to focus on Small Scale Industries, which have the potential to provide employment to 30 lakh educated youth every year.

A conflict had surfaced between the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Finance regarding SEZs, he claimed.

While the Commerce Minister was planning to set up 450 SEZs, the Finance Minister was of the view that the move to set up more SEZs would cause a revenue loss of Rs One lakh crore.

He demanded that no organisation flout labour laws in the SEZs.

Disinvestments and anti-labour policies of Central and various state governments were also discussed in the meeting.

UNI BSR MS HT1537