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“We have pleaded that the
next budget should have its main objective to curb the price rise of the food
articles. The government should seriously curb speculation in the food price,
forward training. Government should stop unnecessary export of food grains and
at the same time take firm steps to curb profit making, black marketing
speculation food trade,” said Gurudas Dasgupta, General Secretary, All India
Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Communist Party of India lawmaker.
The trade union leaders also demanded better labour laws in the budget.
“We have demanded provisions against inflation, for strengthening public
distribution system (PDS), measures to check black marketing, violation of
labour laws in unorganised sector, women workers,” Dasgupta added.
India ordered the sale of stocked grain and extended duty-free sugar imports by
another nine months, hoping to rein in high food inflation and head off the need
for raising interest rates.
An 11.7 percent surge in industrial output in November, the fastest in two
years, following rapid economic growth in the September quarter, has sparked
concern the central bank would tighten policy later this month to temper
inflation expectations.Mukherjee had earlier said that he is hopeful that the
growth rate of Asia’s third largest economy could touch eight percent in the
fiscal year to March 2010, faster than 6.7 percent in the previous year.
India will present its annual budget on February 26 and was aiming at enacting
legislation in the second half of this year for introducing a new Goods and
Services Tax (GST).
Source:
Thaindian.com, India, dated
15/01/2010
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