ON June 23, 2021, over 50,000 women beedi workers led by the CITU-affiliated Lal Bavta Beedi Kamgar Union laid siege to the Solapur district collectorate in Maharashtra.  It was one of the most massive protests in Solapur in the last several years.

WHEN the Maharashtra state government turned a blind eye consistently to the legitimate demands of the 70,000 ASHA workers and facilitators who had done admirable work braving the Covid pandemic for the last one and a half year, they were left with no choice but to go on strike. Several deputations and demonstrations did not make the government see reason.Despite the Covid pandemic, no raise or special allowance was given to them. No security measures were taken for their well being and even PPEs were not given to them.

THE ‘Save Agriculture, Save Democracy’ day on June 26 was widely observed all over India at thousands of places by lakhs of peasants and workers. June 26 marked the 46th anniversary of the imposition of the Emergency in 1975 by the then Congress regime. This year, people condemned the current undeclared Emergency of the BJP regime.

SPLIT in the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) has spiced up the political atmosphere of Bihar. Chirag Paswan, the son of Late Ram Vilas Paswan has accused the Janata Dal (United) of engineering split in the LJP and has strongly condemned the silence of BJP during the operation. He has indicated to come out of the NDA and launch a state-wide “Ashirvad Yatra” (Meeting people for blessings) to garner support for his future course of political activities.

THE debate on the best way to deal with school board exams – whether to hold exams, what should be the weighted assessments, the need for monitoring internal school assessments and so on has many interested participants and is being settled by the Supreme Court. But how relevant are these questions for poor students and specifically for adivasi students?In underdeveloped rural areas where the majority of adivasis live, there were just three per cent internet connections according to a household survey conducted a few years ago (ICE 360). Not many adivasi families have smart phones.