THE tropical region can grow a variety of crops which either cannot be grown at all, or for much of the year, in the cold temperate regions of the world where metropolitan capitalism is located. These include beverages, fibres, vegetables and fruit, and a variety of cereals and oil-crops.

THE All India Road Transport Workers’ Federation (AIRTWF) condemned the union government’s decision to hike the prices of petrol and diesel. “This is for the third time the union government has hiked the prices of petroleum since March. On May 5, the government enhanced the Excise Duty at Rs 10 per litre on petrol and Rs 13 per litre on diesel. Now, again the enhancement is almost Rs 1 per litre. This is nothing but looting the people,” the AIRTWF said in a statement released on June 9 and demanded the government to rollback the hike forthwith.

AS union home minister Amit Shah was busy delivering his ‘election special’ speech for West Bengal, Left activists came out into the streets to protest against the incompetence of both the central and state governments in dealing with the situation arising out of Covid-19, as well as safeguarding peoples’ livelihood.

FINANCE minister has announced an allocation of Rs 40,000 crore for MNREGA. The FM had claimed in her press conference on May 17 that additional funds would be provided for MNREGA and 40-50 per cent more workers will be enrolled under the scheme compared to May 2019. However, the total budget available, including the Rs 40,000 crore for the MNREGA does not concur with her claims.

ONLY communism has the power to solve people's problems, asserted the leaders of various Left parties who spoke at an online public meeting organised on ‘Telangana Formation Day- People's Demands Day’, on June 2. They said that the Kerala government led by the Left Democratic Front had set an example by effectively combating the Covid-19 pandemic while the BJP government miserably failed in doing so and has surrendered to the pressures of the corporates during the crisis period.