Concerned over a 4.14 per cent decline in employment in the organsied sector during 1998-2003, CPI-M on Tuesday sought a ban on export of non-renewable mineral resources so that these could be used internally for infrastructure development.
"Export of all non-renewable resources should be banned. These resources should instead be used within the country... to develop infrastructure, which would in turn lead to employment. Why export the minerals. We can do some value addition within the country," CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said releasing a Assocham report on 'Relationship between GDP Employment'.
Citing the report, he said the decline in employment in the private sector to 3.74 per cent during 1998-2003, even when GDP grew at 5.3 per cent, is 'worrying' and a package had to be worked out to tackle the problem in a holistic manner.
Employment in the public sector was down by 4.32 per cent due to introduction of VRS, the report said.
Relying only on exports would not help achieve the targeted growth rate, Yechury said, adding that public investments has to be increased tremendously to create infrastructure, which would in turn create employment and generate domestic demand leading to growth.
He said government has to release funds for the Bharat Nirman programme, which would help create jobs.
"It is not possible and feasible for private, corporate sector alone to create the kind of employment required. There has to be massive public sector investments," he said.