Govt not ignoring PSUs, says FM

Denying the Left parties' charge that the UPA government was ignoring public sector units (PSUs), Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said the budgetary support to the PSUs has gone up during the coalition's rule.

The support, which was Rs 84,901 crore in 2003-04, had gone up to Rs 1,42,447 crore this year, he said at a function for dedicating the Chennai-Tiruchirappalli-Madurai petroleum product pipeline of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).

Pointing out that the IOC was one of the Navaratna PSUs, Chidambaram said to help the company continue to run profitably, people had to take some "bitter pills," an obvious reference to the hike in prices of fuel.

He said the Chennai-Madurai pipeline should be extended up to Kanyakumari. Union Surface Transport Minister TR Baalu said the pipeline project, conceived when he was the petroleum minister in United Front government, had taken ten years for completion.

Union ministers Dayanidhi Maran and GK Vasan were also present at the function.