Karnataka - Gulbarga   

GDP growth rate must translate into better standard of living: Basu

Special Correspondent

`Left parties have ensured that policies are pro-people and benefit farmers'

MAKING A POINT: Central secretariat member of the CPI (M) Nilotipal Basu speaking at a seminar on communalism in Gulbarga city on Sunday.

GULBARGA: Central secretariat member of the CPI (M) Nilotipal Basu on Sunday said although the country had achieved a GDP growth rate of more than 8 per cent this year, the benefits were not being translated to improve the living condition of people and ending the plight of farmers.

Addressing a press conference here, he said another area of concern was that although new industries were coming up in certain sectors, most of them were not employment centric and the problem of unemployment among the youth was increasing.

He said owing to lack of jobs in the organised sector and in public sector units young people were being drawn to the unorganised sector in search of employment.

He said that the CPI (M) had pressured the United Progressive Alliance Government to change its policy towards agriculture and make it more farmer-friendly. He said the decision of the Left parties to support the UPA Government had helped keep out communal forces led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre, it had also helped in reversing many anti-people and anti-farmer decisions of the previous Government.

Although the Left parties did not always agree with the UPA Government's policies, they had stopped disinvestments of profit-making PSUs.

Communal forces

While delivering a special lecture on "Hindutva-conspiracy of Fascists" organised on communalism and its dangers by the Souharda Karnataka here, Mr. Basu said it was time that secular forces joined hands to counter the campaign by communal forces in the country.

He said that the secularism was one of the strong pillers of the democracy in India. Referring to the communal disturbances in some parts of Karnataka, Mr. Basu said that this was a dangerous development.

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