Cong walkout over jobs for locals in Tata project

Raipur, Feb 26 (UNI) Congress members today staged a walkout in the Chhattisgarh Assembly alleging that adequate provision was not made in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for providing employment to locals at a proposed integrated steel plant, of the Tata group, to be set up in tribal Bastar.

Raising the issue during question hour, Mohammad Akbar (Cong) said that the government kept secret the MoU, which it signed with the Tata group.

While he sought to know from the Minister whether the MoU mentioned a clause for providing employment to locals, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Rajesh Munat said that the industry concerned had to follow conditions laid down in the state's industrial policy. He said there was no need for any such specific mention in the MoU.

Mr Akbar said that the MOU specifically mentioned concessions and facilities to be provided by the government but was silent on committments -- including providing jobs to locals -- to be fulfilled by Tata.

As the minister struck to his stand that the industrial policy was clear and the industrial group would have to follow the conditions prescribed therein, Congress MLAs staged the walkout alleging that the government failed to incorporate the provision in the MoU.

UNI