Friday, August 26 2005 17:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: Communist Party of India (CPI) Marxist (M) today (Aug 26,2005) asked the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government to make a list of chronically sick public sector undertakings which cannot be revived and said it is ready to cooperate with it on disposing of or closing them down.

"Let them make a list of PSUs which are chronically sick, and case-by-case, let them decide how to dispose them. We are prepared for that," CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat told a news conference in Bangalore.

Pointing out that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailed 'what we are doing in West Bengal,' he said the West Bengal Government has adopted a policy on PSUs.

"I wish the Prime Minister draws lessons from it," he said.

As per the West Bengal Government policy, no profit-making PSU shall be disinvested or privatised, and PSUs suffering losses shall be sought to be turned-around or revived by restructuring them.

Only chronically sick PSUs where there is no scope for revival, shall be disposed of or closed down.

"If the Prime Minister is so happy about what we are doing in West Bengal, we would like to see him adopt that policy at the Central level," said the leader of CPI-M which extends crucial support to the UPA from the outside.

"We would like him to commend the West Bengal model on land reforms to other states," he added.