Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

"Check import of essential items"

Special Correspondent

Federation plea to State Government

TIRUCHI: The Federation of Tamil Nadu Rice Mill Owners and Paddy-Rice Dealers Associations has urged the Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to take steps to prevent the entry of multi-national companies into wholesale and retail trade of essential commodities.

The entry of MNCs into essential commodities trade would adversely affect the wholesale and retail dealers. The Chief Minister should use his good offices to ensure that the Centre did not permit the entry of MNCs into the trade, a resolution adopted at the State Executive Committee meeting of the federation held here on Wednesday said. The federation president D.Thulasingam chaired the meeting.

The Chief Minister should also impress upon the Centre on the need to check import of essential commodities and foodgrains to protect the agriculture sector and domestic traders.

The federation requested the State government to procure rice required for the Public Distribution System from traders in Tamil Nadu instead of procuring the foodgrain from the Central pool or other States.

The margin money on loans, advanced by banks, for purchase of rice mill machinery should be reduced from 25 to 15 per cent. The government should instruct the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board against "harassing" rice mill owners on grounds of pollution as the effluent discharge from the mills have been declared as a non-pollutant by the Union government.

Rice mills should be given a 25 per cent discount on power bills, as hulling was a seasonal industry. This would help revive the sick rice mills, the federation said. Rice mills in rural areas should be provided 24-hour power supply on par with those in urban centres. About 80 per cent of the rice mills in the State had a hulling capacity of less than 1.5 tonnes per hour and most of them could not be modernised due to the restriction in power supply.

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