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US-India Military Deals in PM’s US Visit

TWO major headline-grabbing defence equipment deals, the focus of this article, were signed during the PM’s recent State visit to the US.The US is to sell 31 unmanned armed Reaper MQ-9B drones to India, 15 for the navy and eight each for the army and air force. The drones, long sought by India, would provide a new and substantial intelligence-gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability and, when necessary, the ability to strike at targets on land and on or under the sea-surface.

Remembering Daniel Ellsberg

DANIEL Ellsberg, an inspiration to the Vietnam generation of the 60s and 70s for his leaking of the Pentagon papers, died at 92 of pancreatic cancer. He refused medicines as he knew that, at best, it would extend his life only by a few months, preferring to die with his family and friends.

Centre Imposes Economic Sanction on Kerala

THE central government's decision to reduce the annual public borrowing of the state government is an assault on the state's public finances. According to the prevailing FRBM Act, state governments have the right to borrow up to 3 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) from the market. Additionally, due to the state's compliance with certain electricity sector conditions imposed by the central government, the state is entitled to an additional borrowing of 0.5 per cent of the GSDP.

Let Them Eat Fortified Rice...

THE 75th year of independence heard the announcement, from the ramparts of Red Fort, that poor Indian people were to be given rice fortified with iron and vitamins through the public distribution system (PDS), the school midday meals scheme and other government programmes. The ostensible reason for this declaration made in 2021, was the reduction of malnutrition and anaemia in the population out there.

The Short History of A Large Note

The withdrawal of the Rs 2,000 note marks the end of a sordid chapter in the demonetisation sagaTHE withdrawal of the Rs 2,000 note from circulation by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which it announced on May 19, 2023, marks the end of a sordid chapter in the tragi-comic demonetisation saga. The presence of the Rs 2,000 note in circulation was a constant reminder of the horrors of a “nation in the queue”. The note was also an object of ridicule, particularly due to bizarre claims at the time of its introduction, of a nano chip implanted in it.

Toxic Identity Politics of RSS-BJP is Now in the Open

THE fact that the new parliament building is being inaugurated by Narendra Modi and not by the president – Draupadi Murmu has created a sense of outrage in the public mind. In a throwback to the run up of the presidential election, most of the corporate media (a euphemism for Godi Media) had gone nuts over the master stroke on display! The fielding of a tribal and on top of that, a woman was shown to be an exceptional move to outsmart the opposition.

Restoring the Old Pension Scheme: A Struggle against the Neoliberal Agenda

THE central and state government employees have been engaged in a prolonged struggle against the National Pension Scheme (NPS), demanding the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). The movement has gained momentum recently, with 15 lakh state government employees of Maharashtra going on strike since March 14, and 70,000 government employees in Haryana agitating, braving water cannons. The continuous efforts of the government employees' movement have brought the issue to the forefront of the socio-political discourse.

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