Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on July 15 ruled out disinvestment in the public sector National Aluminium Company (NALCO) for the time being.

Vajpayee, who was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation of the regional All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Sijua, 14 km from Bhubaneshwar, said that for the present the disinvestment proposal had been put off.

There has been considerable opposition to the Centre's move to disinvest in the profit-making company, which has held the centre stage in Orissa politics for a long time, with all Central trade unions planning to hold countrywide protests on July 18.

The Prime Minister also referred to another mega project hanging fire in Orissa – Paradip Oil Refinery – and assured the gathering that the project would be completed soon.

The Centre is keen to implement the project with the assistance of the state government.

Opposition parties had been ridiculing the Centre for its failure to set up the Indian Oil Corporation project, the foundation of which was laid by Vajpayee three years ago.

PTI