Vijaywada. National council meeting of Swadeshi Jagran Manch held at Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh) on 27, 28 June 2015. Resolutions passed in the National council meeting.
Resolution – Need to Effectively Control Food Items Hazardous to Health
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) after turning a blind eye for a long time over production and sale of food items with poisonous substances, has been finally compelled to act against the 6- lakh crore company Nestlé which produces and sells poisonous food items like Maggie. Likewise, despite the High Court orders regarding this issue, a lot many shortcomings have been deliberately left in the regulatory provisions framed to stop sale of unhealthy junk food containing high levels of transfat, sugar and salt in schools and colleges.
Moreover, the tendency to flout regulatory provisions regarding food items is increasing in the country. There are several examples of mis-describing the products which makes a mockery of the prescribed standards. For instance, using the term ‘Frozen Dessert’ instead of Ice-cream for substituting cream with hydrogenated vegetable oil, which normally people avoid to use in food or using the term ‘beauty soap’ in place of ‘toilet soap’ to reduce the Total Fat Matter (TFM) from 75% (prescribed for toilet soap) to 65% to reduce costs. Likewise, despite continuous demand for the draft bill for making it mandatory to clearly mention ‘GM Food’ on the labels of food materials containing genetically modified products has been pending since last one and a half decades. It is noteworthy here that GM Foods is banned in several European countries.
The callous inaction of the Competition Commission of India with regard to monopoly and acquisitions by only a handful of MNCs in the canned food industry is worrisome. The manner in which monopolistic companies are trying to mislead the consumers through heavy advertising of their products containing poisonous substances such as Lead and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) which cause extensive damage to liver, kidneys and brain; using celebrity endorsements to make irrational claims need decisive action against it.
As several studies done on the ill-effects of junk food containing high levels of transfat, sugar and salt indicate that they cause high blood pressure, cardiac problems, depression and kidney failure; it is imperative to effectively control the manufacturing and sale of such food and also make it mandatory to put appropriate warning(s) on the label. Such products must be kept out of the reach of children. Besides, testing and time-bound sampling of such food items at regular intervals on the basis of stringent standards is required.
So far as such labeling is concerned, the disease-causing A-1 category of milk and the healthy A-2 category should be clearly marked. It’s a fact that all breeds of Indian cow produce the healthy A-2 category of milk.
Keeping in view the results of researches done on different unhealthy food items, Swadeshi Jagran Manch demands that the Government should properly frame standards for ‘ready to eat’ from content to labeling and also provide a provision for rigorous punishment for violation of the standards. The Government should penalize the companies who indulge in the production and sale of such hazardous food items and also completely prohibit them from doing business in the country. The Manch also appeals to the countrymen that they should boycott the products of such companies and create awareness in the society.
Resolution – Do not make Rupee Convertible on Capital Account
Taking objection to the recent statements of the Governor of Reserve Bank of India and the Minister of State forFINANCE, Government of India, that rupee should be made convertible on Capital Account, the National Council of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch cautions the Government not to make this mistake.
Various Governments from time to time attempted the Capital Account Convertibility of the Rupee. Globalization apologists look upon this as a final step towards integrating domestic economy with the world.
Those favoring convertibility of rupee on capital account argue that domesticINVESTORS can maximize their profits by purchasing Capital Assets abroad. They also argue that this would help raising loans from abroad at lower rates of interest.
First major attempt in this direction was made by Government of India in the year 1996-97. Swadeshi Jagran Manch strongly opposed the move of the then Government. However, taking an adamant stand, the Government constituted a committee, known as Tarapore Committee, to prepare a road-map for making rupee fully convertible on Capital Account. Thanks to the South East Asian financial crisis, the Government had to take its hands off from this move.
Tarapore Committee recommended that in order to move into this direction, following conditions need to be satisfied among others:
a. Fiscal Deficit to be brought down to 3.5 percent by 1999-2000.
b. Rate of inflation to be brought down to 3 to 5 percent
c. Non Performing Assets (NPAs) of the banks be brought down from 13.7% then to 5%
d. External sector policies designed to increase Current Receipts to GDP Ratio and bring down debt service ratio from 25% to 20%
India is yet to achieve the targets as set forth by Tarapore Committee for initiating the Capital Account Convertibility and any attempt to do it now will be in violation of the Report.
Swadeshi Jagran Manch firmly believes that a free Capital Account will lead to export of domestic saving, which for a capital-scare country like India, can seriously affect the economy adversely. Full Capital Account Convertibility will not suit an economy like India, which is undergoing the process of structural reforms which needs controls and regulations for the time being.
