What business chambers want parties to do

NEW DELHI: While parties go the electorate with promises of heavily subsidised foodgrain and more jobs and waivers of farm loans, chambers on their part have advised them to allow easy exit policy for workers, and enable land acquisition for industrialisation.

While the BJP has said "no" to foreign direct investment in retail, the CII has asked for FDI in mega stores through joint ventures.

In a document submitted to major political parties, including the Congress, BJP, Communist Party of India, the chamber has said that FDI in retail "will ease the capital constraints of domestic retailers ..."

The CII suggested setting up Land Bank Corporations to acquire large tracts of non-cultivable land and hand them over to the private sector.

Assocham would like the voluntary retirement scheme to become a regular process "for enabling leaner production methods to remain competitive".

The chamber has gone well beyond setting an economic agenda for political parties. Its document lists how a consensus should be reached on "police action against terrorists and other anti-national bodies ... Political parties should agree in national interest that the security agencies would be free to pursue their line of action."