Present white paper on concessions to MNCs

CHENNAI: The CPM on Friday urged the AIADMK government to present a White Paper on the concessions promised to multi-national companies in the Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) signed for setting up their units in Tamil Nadu. The party also requested Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to enact a legislation to allow trade union activities in the units of MNCs.Participating in the discussion in the State Assembly on the revised budget for the year 2011-12, CPM floor leader A Soundararajan said despite extending so much concessions, the MNCs had not been allowing the trade union activities in their premises and failed to fulfil the rights of the workers.Giving a list of prices of food items fixed by some of the hotels in the city, Soundararajan said the government should take steps to regularise these prices. He said elimination of bogus ration cards could be achieved by adopting bio-metric method and by this way, the public money spent for the public distribution system could also be saved.CPI floor leader M Arumugam said the government should take steps to encourage and safeguard the traditional industries in the State. The government should encourage farmers to increase production of cotton in the State. As of now, Tamil Nadu needs 50 lakh bales of cotton per year but the production in the State stands at just five lakh bales. The rest  (45 lakh bales) is being transported from northern States.He said serious steps should be taken to drastically reduce 18 per cent transmission loss incurred by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. Power theft should be dealt with all seriousness to avoid losses to the Board, he added.