The All India Progressive Forum has urged the Centre to drop the “anti-farmer” and “anti-people” Land Acquisition Bill and has called for a CBI inquiry into the killing of 20 wood cutters from Tamil Nadu in the Andhra Pradesh forests recently.
Resolutions passed at the State general council meet of the Forum here on Saturday noted that if the Centre did not drop the Land Acquisition Bill the AIPF would conduct a nationwide struggle on May 14 to highlight the issues involved.
The forum alleged that the NDA regime at the Centre was trying to gradually do away with the ESI benefits and was trying to usher in the “anti-labour” Industrial Relations Bill that would take away many vital rights being enjoyed by the workers and trade unions.
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The AIPF expressed shock that the Centre was allowing the increase of interest rate on farm credit as seen from the Reserve Bank of India circular to all banks on fixation of 11 per cent interest instead of the regular seven per cent for farm credit.
The Centre must step in immediately to set things right, the forum demanded.