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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh on Friday asked the Congress to press for a restriction on the import of Soya oil.
"This is an issue pertaining to states and MP is a forest state. Therefore, import of Soya oil should be restricted so that our markets are protected," he said after making a presentation at the conclave of Congress chief ministers in Mount Abu.
Singh requested the Congress to constitute a group to take up the issues of farmers vis-à-vis the World Trade Organisation.
Developed countries should stop giving agricultural subsidies, he said.
"The other issue is, of course, the law on biodiversities. This is also pending in Parliament. So the Congress has to form its view on that," he said.
He recalled several controversies that have surfaced regarding the signing of the Kyoto Protocol. "Carbon rating is a very big issue and we should try to force the US to sign on this... because to keep global warning low we are asked to maintain forests. The issue should be propped up so that those states that have larger forests and are helpful in neutralising the carbon emissions of the USA are compensated. This, I think, is a good idea and should be enforced."
Singh, who admitted that his government had not fully implemented the resolutions adopted at the Guwahati conclave of the Congress, said he was "taking corrective measures in areas of power, roads, and health".
He said the Centre discriminated against the Congress-ruled states when it came to distributing relief funds in the event of calamities.
The situation in Rajasthan, which is facing a fourth successive drought, is worse than that in Andhra Pradesh and other states, he said.
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