Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal on Saturday underscored the need to secure and strengthen a people’s alternative against the neo-liberal economic policies that are wreaking havoc in the country.
The Minister was speaking after inaugurating the 38th conference of the All India RMS and MMS Employees’ Union Mail Guard and Multi-Tasking Staff Group – C here.
Neo-liberal policies are being implemented “ruthlessly” in the country behind the smokescreen created by communalism. Corporates are becoming richer as a result, and the people, poorer, he said.
Unemployment is at a record high, Mr. Balagopal said. According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, the unemployment rate in India rose sharply to 9.2% in June 2024 from 7% in May.
When in 2014 the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government came to power, 4.21 lakh posts were lying vacant in the Central services. Now the number of vacancies has risen to 12 lakh. Of this, Group C, upon which the common people depend, alone accounts for nine lakh vacancies. In the Indian Railways, 3.03 lakh vacancies are unfilled, he said.
Postal and RMS employees are especially facing a critical period, Mr. Balagopal said. The Union government’s policies of privatisation, corporatisation and outsourcing threaten their existence. Vacancies are left unfilled. The Post Office Act, 2023 was introduced with the aim of reducing the Postal Department’s functions and promoting private players, he alleged.
Mr. Balagopal also accused the Centre of maintaining double standards in disbursing Kerala’s “constitutional share” in the country’s resources, and with regard to borrowings. This is a clear violation of the federal principles enshrined in the Constitution, he said.
