Forward to Eighth AIAWU All India Conference

AFTER its successful seventh all India conference at Trichy in Tamil Nadu, the All India Agricultural Workers Union now prepares for its eighth all India conference at Warangal in Telengana from July 30-August 2, 2014.

Heavy & Peaceful Polling Recorded In Panchayat Elections

MAINTAINING its record of high percentage of polling, the people of rural Tripura exercised their democratic rights in the elections to the three tier panchayat bodies of the state, on July 15. Though the final figures are still awaited, sources in the state election commission said that the polling percentage could be around 85%.

Left Front Delegation Attacked in Burdwan

A LEFT Front delegation, led by chairman Biman Basu encountered attacks from Trinamool workers in Burdwan when they tried to resettle the Left supporters who had been forcibly driven out of the village.The incident, another example of ruthless atrocities by ruling party goons, took place on July 14 in Hatgobindapur village. The entire village has witnessed cruel torture by TMC hooligans after Lok Sabha elections. Many CPI(M) supporters have been driven out of the village. Particularly the male members of many families are forced to live outside.

The World Cup Is Over, Hail the FIFA!

THE month long football carnival is over and so are the sleepless, night long vigils. The game has once again proved that our hearts and heads need not necessarily be sharing the same vibes. Heart wanted one to win, head said the other will win and win they did. Local favourite and host Brazil lost badly coming out fourth in the competition. For the first time in the history of the game, a European team has won the championship in Latin America. All these are a spectacle for our consumption. Tear off the skin and we will find the real winners and losers.

SYRIA: Massive Vote of Confidence for Assad

EVEN the western media had to admit that President Bashar al Assad continues to enjoy massive support among his people after the holding of the recent presidential elections. The elections on June 3 witnessed a huge turnout of Syrians, not only in their war ravaged country but also in neighboring countries like Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq where millions live as refugees. Syrian diplomats said that they were themselves surprised at the outpouring of support for President Assad among their displaced compatriots living in squalid refugee camps and poverty, outside the country’s borders.

Fight the Onslaught on the Lives of People

THE meeting of the general council of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), which concluded just as the direction of the policies of the BJP led NDA government at the centre were unfolding through its railway and union budgets, warned the working class of the ominous signs of escalation of the same policies pursued by the erstwhile Congress led UPA government. These policies led to increasing burdens on the people and the workers and led to the rejection of the Congress and its allies.

CPI(M) Leader writes to Finance Minister on SCSP

K Varadharajan, Polit Bureau member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has written to finance minister Arun Jaitley, on July 12 regarding the budget allocations for the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan. Below is the text of the letter. THE Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan (SCSP) is a crucial initiative in closing the development gap between the Scheduled Castes and the others. One of the most important budgetary issues for Dalits is the allocations for the Sub-Plan.

Budget Puts Urban Poor At the Mercy of Corporate Capital

THE Modi government’s first budget lays out a clear road map for the privatisation of governance and corporatisation of public spaces. Key to this strategy is the development of smart cities which have emerged as the pet project of Prime Minister Modi. As the finance minister stated in his speech, “the pace of migration from the rural areas to the cities is increasing. A neo middleclass is emerging which has the aspiration of better living standards. Unless, new cities are developed to accommodate the burgeoning number of people, the existing cities would soon become unlivable”.

Ethanol Again… Flogging A Dead Horse

WITHIN days of the BJP-led government coming to power, announcement was made of an enhanced policy thrust on ethanol-blending of petrol. While the earlier biofuels policy of the government, initiated by the Vajpayee-led NDA government and followed through by the UPA, mandated 5% blending of ethanol in petrol, the Modi-led government announced its intention to ratchet up the mandatory blending to 10%. There are still some procedural steps to be taken before the policy declaration comes into force but indications are that the government is serious about this new policy push.

The Rise and Fall of The Global South

A PICTURE that was painted of globalisation went as follows: the real wages in the south are much lower than in the north, since the south is saddled with large labour reserves. In a world where capital is mobile, even if labour is not, capital from the north will shift the location of its production activity from the north to the south, to take advantage of these low wages, for meeting global demand.

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