THE central government’s Covid vaccine policy has to be seen in the background of its healthcare policy, which mainly is the privatisation of entire healthcare system-including national health policy and the drug policy.DRUG POLICYEstablishment of public sector pharma companies, Patent Act 1970 and Drug Prices (Control) Order 1979 were the three instruments with which India could become self-reliant in almost all medical products, including vaccines, at economically affordable prices; and major supplier of generic (non-patented) medicines to different countries of the world

THE judgment by a trial court in Goa acquitting Tarun Tejpal in a sexual assault is shocking and “deeply disturbing”, a statement issued by over 300 women’s groups and individuals said.The statement said the judgment will prove to be a “hindrance to women filing and fighting rape cases”.“The judgement showcases the kind of gruelling trial that a survivor of sexual assault has to face in an insensitive court atmosphere and the relentless, cruel and often scandalous, illegal and irrelevant cross examination that a prosecutrix also faces,” the statement said.The statement said the judgement of

A SPADE must be called a spade. The biggest ally of the coronavirus today as it decimates mankind is the institution of capitalist property rights. The Economist estimates that the actual death-toll across the world from the virus so far is not  three million as officially claimed but 10 million; and the virus is far from finished. The only way that its march can be checked is through universal vaccination of the entire population of the world.

JAPAN invaded China in 1932. The CPC gave a call for putting an end to the civil war and resisting this aggression, which was well received by all sections of the people. The KMT ignored this call and continued its war against CPC stating that Japan’s occupation can be addressed later. Japan tried to mobilise all anti-communist forces in its favour and proposed ‘joint defence of Japan and China against communism’.Influenced by Left sectarianism, CPC initially called people to unite and fight both the Japanese invasion and also Chiang Kai-shek.

THE six and a half month long nationwide farmers’ struggle for the repeal of the three anti-people farm laws and for a law to guarantee a fair MSP and procurement continued to intensify last week.