CITU condemns 'retrograde' move to privatize Air India

New Delhi, May 31: The CITU on Wednesday denounced the Modi government’s “retrograde” proposal of privatizing Air India, saying the exercise was done with dubious intent and was against tiol interest.

“This dubious exercise of selling out the tiol carrier is being justified on the ground that Air India is loss making entity and privatisation is needed to save public money,” CITU General Secretary Tapan Sen said.

While Union Fince Minister Arun Jaitley said the Centre was considering exiting Air India, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Tuesday said the government was examining suggestions by the NITI Aayog to restore the carrier’s fincial health.

The CPI-M affiliated Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) said the decision had been taken at a point of time when Air India, after prolonged losses since 2008, had just started achieving operating profit.

It blamed “bungling and disastrous experiments” by successive governments for debt burdening Air India which had been a profit making company till 2007.

“After infusion of equity of Rs 24,723.74 crore through budgetary support, procurement of 23 new aircraft with another 7 aircraft being on the way of receipt and at a time when Air India has achieved operating profit covering up Rs 2,636.18, the government is actively processing handing it over to the private sector,” said Sen. (IANS)