The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Paswan not sure on TRS claim over Telangana bill

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 15, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Paswan not sure on TRS claim over Telangana bill

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, AUG. 14. The Minister for Chemicals, Fertilisers and Steel, Ram Vilas Paswan, has said he cannot confirm Telangana Rashtra Samithi's (TRS) claims that the bill concerning Statehood for Telangana will be introduced in the winter session of Parliament.

Speaking to reporters at the State-level Lok Janashakti party workers meet here on Saturday, Mr. Paswan, who is president of Lok Janashakti, said the formation of a separate Telangana depended on the "whims and fancies" of the Congress-led UPA Government. His party would, however, support the demand for smaller States, including Telangana, he said. Addressing the workers later, Mr. Paswan said the party had striven for alliance between the Congress and the TRS in the State in the recent elections, but the TRS had not kept its promise of sharing ticket with the Lok Janashakti for various reasons. The party would contest next local body elections in the State, he said.

The Lok Janashakti State president, S. Jagadish, said the TRS had promised to allot two tickets to the party but had not kept its word.

Steel price regulation

Mr. Paswan suggested the constitution of a regulatory authority on the lines of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to check the frequent rises in the price of steel in the country.

Speaking to newsmen here on Saturday, he said the issue would be discussed in a meeting of the National Steel Consumer Council (NSCC), scheduled for September 13. The council, which represents steel producers, Government representatives, consumers and public undertakings, would decide on the regulatory authority, and, if a consensus is reached, the proposal would be taken to the Cabinet, he said.

Concerned over "indiscriminate increases" in the price of steel, Mr. Paswan said neither the consumer nor the producer benefited from these; only the middlemen did. He said most steel-manufacturing units were in the private sector; only 30 per cent were Government undertakings. While private steel units were raising the prices, the Union Government had asked Government-run undertakings to hold it back, harming the public sector undertakings. The situation could not continue, the Minister said.

NMDC's target

Mr. Paswan said while a regulatory body would check spiralling prices, another option was to reduce import duty so the prices were stable. He said the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) had fixed an "ambitious target" of the production of 100 million tonnes of steel by 2020. There was no truth to the argument that gas prices would go up because of the proposed hike in steel prices, he said.

Prices of vital drugs

The scope of bringing life-saving drugs manufactured in the country under Government control was being examined, he said, adding that this was necessary as prices of vital drugs were high, though their costs of production were low. A meeting with the Health and Finance Ministers of different States would be held on August 18, Mr. Paswan said.

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