Centre stands firm on Visakhapatnam Steel Plant sale
YSRCP MPs addressing the agitating employees of Visakhapatnam steel plant at AP Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday
New Delhi: Union minister of state for finance, Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, here on Tuesday reiterated that all steel plants would be privatised in the country irrespective of their performance.
He was replying to a question of the YSRCP Parliamentary Party Leader, V Vijayasai Reddy in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
Vijayasai Reddy sought to know whether the government was planning to disinvest from the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited and if so, whether the Chief Minister of AP had written to the Prime Minister against the move.
The minister stated that the decision for 100 per cent disinvestment of Government of India's shareholding in Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) alongwith RINL's stake in its subsidiaries/joint ventures through strategic disinvestment by way of privatisation was taken by the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) on January 27 of this year.
After the decision was taken by CCEA for strategic disinvestment of RINL, the Centre had received a communication from Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh, addressed to the Prime Minister requesting the latter to reconsider the disinvestment plans of RINL, Visakhapatnam.
The communication had been responded to by the Government of India addressing the concerns and reiterating the decision taken on the matter. Further, as per the New Public Sector Enterprise (PSE) Policy for Atmanirbhar Bharat approved by the Cabinet notified on January 21 this year, in the non-strategic sector such as steel sector, the existing public sector enterprises (PSEs) should be considered for privatisation, where feasible or otherwise such enterprises should be considered for closure.
The question of Vijayasai comes in the backdrop of the agitation of the steel plant employees and the Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Samiti members here for the past few weeks.
After meeting the MPs and ministers, the members of the Samiti staged a dharna at Jantar Mantar on Monday and Tuesday. They held a dharna in the AP Bhawan demanding a reversal of the decision.