Govt May Not Allow Foreign Stake In Psus
At the CII Partnership Summit here yesterday, Union finance minister P Chidambaram indicated he was open to the idea of PSUs remaining with Indians after disinvestment, as some economists have suggested.
He described Sail, Bhel and NTPC as jewels in the PSU crown.
The public sector, he said, would play a leading role in all partnerships, including the infrastructure sector.
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It is essential, the finance minister said, to find the right partnership between the public and private sectors, the government and the people. It must be a partnership between the policy-maker and the entrepreneur. This is the road, we have to march together..
Chidambaram informed the first draft report of the disinvestment commission would be ready by next month.
He said though Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and West Bengal Chief Minister belonged to parties of differing ideologies, their speeches at the summit were identical on economic reforms. This was a reason to rejoice, even though their speeches failed to enthuse the audience, he said.
Basu is a strong and confirmed supporter of the economic reforms as much as Deve Gowda is, he said. Neither Gowda or Basu were present when the finance minister made this observation.
Clearly, Chidambarams remarks were aimed at reaching a consensus among the United Front partners on the sensitive political reforms issue. And political observers wondered if his remarks reflected the Fronts fears of the aggressive Congress designs under Sitaram Kesri.