Articles by K V Subrahmanyam


But the legal provisions are clearly weighed against the citizen. Most of them are based on laws enacted to protect the officers of allien rulers. They have sadly proved very convenient to the Government of free India to the detriment of the citizen.

Paradip: Another White Elephant K V Subrahmanyam A DECISION has been taken to locate the latest public sector steel plant at Paradip, on a turn-key basis with the help of the Davy-Mckee group. The loan for it is to be repaid by exporting 50 per cent of plant's production. The decision might not be welcome to knowledgeable sections of the Indian public. The British government, however, had made herculean efforts to have the deal clinched in favour of Davy. This, it was able to bring about despite the fact that Davy- Mckee commands far less resources than the rival from Germany seeking the same contract. Moreover, Davy- Mckee has practically no experience of putting up complete steel plants compared to Mannesmann which has experience of putting up nearly a dozen plants all over the world. Both corporations belong to the EEC. And, in the depression facing their steel making and steel machinery manufacturing industry, the developed countries have been seeking solutions by seeking new markets in the third world countries. It is ominous that they have been successful in India, since their success would further undermine the base for the healthy development of the Indian steel economy.

nagar went on strike insisting that the increase in wages be made with retrospective effect from October 1978. This demand was conceded for those factories. Now unions are demanding the same for all factories. In other words, the .strike had put in black and white what the union negotiators had failed to ensure, (iii) The third lot' of arrears goes back even further to 1977-78. Again Ahmednagar was crucial and again by strike action for higher wages for farm workers. Sharad Pawar, the then labour minister in the Vasantdada Ministry made an award for the striking factories. Unions today are demanding that all factories be paid at that enhanced rate, for April 1978 to the end of that season.

to start agitating for an independent Saurashtra and calls for 'village bandhs'. (Saurashtra produces almost all of Gujarat's groundnuts and accounts for nearly half of the country's output.) The demands at farmers' rallies in various parts of the state were; no compulsory levy on farmers, no levy on millers, remove restrictions on the movement of groundnut outside the state and return stocks of oil seized in the August raids. In Rajkot a Saurashtra bandh at some future date was discussed and it was decided to set up 'non-political' committees at district and taluka level to see this through. The trade in Rajkot began to express loud fears that at the 'voluntary' levy price of Rs 110 per 16 kg tin millers would not be able to offer farmers more than Rs. 60 per 20 kgs of groundnuts (compared to Rs 70 per 20 kgs earlier), They warned that farmers would refuse to sell at this low price and oil production would come to a halt.

voltage and trippings resulted in higher wastage and increased cost of plant repairs and maintenance. With the reduction in tax liability, however, net profit was higher at Rs 2.50 crores (Rs 1.84 crores). Dividend, maintained at 25 per cent, was covered 1.40 times against 1.58 times previously. In addition, the directors have proposed issue of bonus .shares in the proportion 1 : 1 and have recorded their intention to pay about 10 per cent on the expanded capital after the proposed bonus issue. The directors point out that recently there has been an acute shortage of caprolactum and DMT, the basic raw materials for the manufacture of nylon and polyester yarn, respectively, Gujarat State Fertilizers is the sole manufacturer of caprolactum and Indian Petrofils Cooperative Society of DMT. Both of them have jacked up prices by 33 per cent and 36 per cent, respectively. The drastic cut in supplies coupled with sharp increase in prices will adversely affect the company's working.