THE 11th death anniversary of Comrade Harkishan Singh Surjeet was observed in Chandigarh on August 1. The meeting was organised by the Punjabi daily Desh Sewak and Virsa Sambhal and Prasar Kender. Speaking on the occasion, Nilotpal Basu, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M) called upon the Party workers and sympathizers to intensify the fight against communalism to protect the social fabric of the country from damage by the fundamentalist forces in the name of Hindu Rashtra and their efforts to convert India into a majoritarian  state.

THE 10TH state conference of AIDWA resolved to build a stronger movement of the women in the state of Madhya Pradesh. This conference was held on July 16-18 in Kanha Resort in Morena city of MP. The city was named after late Comrade Leela Srivastava, who was treasurer of the organisation. The stage was named after Comrade Shanti Patel, who was the founder of AIDWA in Gwalior.The conference was conducted by a presidium comprising Vidya Sagar, Sandhya Shelly and Santosh Prajapati and was attended by 106 delegates. Mariad Dhawale, general secretary of AIDWA was present all the three days.

JUST recently, the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi has welcomed the decision of the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) to regularise 1,797 unauthorised colonies (UAC) in Delhi. There is a wave of cheer in the city amongst the residents in these UACs, but there is also deep scepticism. The residents are aware of the history of such decisions taken in the past, some of which were partly implemented, some decisions taken only during elections and never implemented.

THE CPI(M) vehemently opposed the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in Parliament. The party said that the government, under the garb of enhanced road safety, is handing over the entire road transport sector to corporates and directly encroaching upon the powers of state governments.In Lok Sabha, P R Natarajan said five amendments are directly encroaching upon the powers of the states and will have serious impact on the states’ revenue, functioning of state transport undertakings and motor vehicles departments.

A WIDE swathe of rocky hills and forests stretches from Mirzapur to Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh, home to various tribal groups – Gonds, Kols and Bhils.  The area is rich in minerals and water-resources and has seen the establishment of cement factories, Hindalco,  large power plants, the Rihand and Kemur dams at the cost of the poor and their land.  Promises of compensation and jobs never materialised.The attacks are unrelenting.  Powerful politicians, bureaucrats, babas and strongmen regularly occupy their land forcibly.  Every year sees the death and maiming of a few poor people.