THE Kerala state government has deployed as many as 2.36 lakh youths to combat Covid-19 in the state. All volunteers, in the age group of 22-40 years will work in groups of 200 people in each of the 941 panchayats across the state, said chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on March 26. Groups of 5,000 volunteers each will work in the 87 municipalities and 600 each would render services in the six corporations in the state.
THE central government has made major changes in crop insurance scheme. The scheme is now going to be ‘voluntary’ for all farmers. Changes have also been made in the way of determining the amount of compensation. The states have been given freedom in respect of providing more protection to farmers.
THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), on March 30, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to make special arrangements for food, shelter and health check-ups for the lakhs of migrant workers during the corona lockdown period. It warned that failing to take appropriate measures would lead to mass starvation and a huge loss of life.
THE CPI(M) Delhi along with CITU, JMS and DYFI is reaching out to workers and families affected by the abrupt lockdown. This includes the area of north east Delhi which had suffered due to communal violence. Volunteers are conducting relief work by strictly following the regime set by the government with curfew passes. The distribution of rations to most of those displaced families whose houses were majorly damaged and were living in the Idgah camp until the lockdown, was carried out by the relief committee during this period.
PROF. Arjun Dev, eminent historian and educationist, passed away on March 29, at the age of 82. His academic career spanning several decades at the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), was marked by a deep commitment to zealously promoting secular, democratic and progressive values. Prof. Arjun Dev played a key role in initiatives to produce textbooks that enshrined these values.
THE CPI(M) has opposed the Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Bill, which was brought in to settle tax disputes between individual and the income tax department without any penalty or interest. Speaking against the bill in Rajya Sabha, CPI(M) member Elamaram Kareem said the scheme was highly discriminatory against honest tax payers. It is, like, regular tax payers got no relief but dubious persons against whom the government cannot impose what they preach.
ON February 29, office bearers of students’ unions across the nation came together to join the efforts to resist the dark phase in the country; to unite against the steeply growing politics of hatred, particularly against state-sponsored attacks on Muslims in Delhi; to join hands for peace.
‘Unions in action’ is one of the very prominent steps to bring together such students’ unions across the country, which have been upholding progressive stands in the fight against the oppressive Sangh regime.
IT is said that in a crisis everybody becomes a socialist; free markets take a back seat, to the benefit of the working people. During the Second World War for instance, when universal rationing was introduced in Britain, the average worker became better nourished than before. Likewise, private companies get commandeered to produce goods for the war effort, thus introducing de facto planning.