The legislative assembly of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday, May 20, unanimously passed a resolution opposing the central government’s move to privatize state-run steel producer Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), a state government minister said on Friday, May 21.
The resolution said it is opposing the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for 100 percent strategic disinvestment of the central government’s shareholding in RINL, along with management control by way of privatization, the minister said.
The state cabinet had deliberated on the issue at its meeting on February 23 and discussed the unrest among the trade unions and the general public of Visakhapatnam where the steel mill is located and decided to adopt a resolution in the assembly, the minister added.
Observers said that technically the passage of a resolution by the state assembly opposing privatization of RINL does not have the legal strength to force the central government to reverse its decision, but is more of a way to stress that the people of the state are generally opposed to the move.