CPI(M) seeks petro price cut in line with int'l drop in crude

CPI(M) today demanded an immediate cut in the prices of petroleum products, saying that the Narendra Modi government has failed to do so despite global crude oil prices falling to below USD 90 a barrel.
"There has been a sharp fall in the international prices of oil. At present, crude oil price has gone below USD 90 per barrel. Despite this, the Modi government has not reduced the prices of diesel at any stage. The retail price of petrol also needs to be further reduced," the CPI(M) Politburo said as it demanded an "immediate cut" in petroleum prices.
On the Prime Minister's recent US visit, the party said that Washington had "pressurised" New Delhi to dilute the civil nuclear liability law as well as the patents law and the Intellectual Property Rights policy.

Maintaining that all these issues were "reflected in the joint statement by Prime Minister Modi and President Obama", Congress demanded that the government should "not resile from the existing patent law and IPR regime".
"No changes should be brought in without public discussion and debate in Parliament," the Politburo said in a statement upon the conclusion of its two-day meet here.
Attacking the NDA government for "curtailing and restricting" the provisions of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), it said such a move would limit the scheme to the selected districts and blocks and thus violate the Act itself which provides for universal coverage in the rural areas.

Also, the Centre's move to change the ratio between material and wages under MGNREGA would "bring down the wage component and reduce the availability of the scheme and open the way for contractors", CPI(M) said as it called for a nationwide movement and campaign against the government plan.