ON July 27, 2017, over eight hundred women enthusiastically marched from Mandi House to Parliament Street in New Delhi, demanding the passage of the long pending Women's Reservation Bill (WRB) in the monsoon session of parliament​. Several women’s organisations participated in this protest.Women came not only from Delhi but also from the rural areas of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Women marched shouting slogans, holding colourful banners, buntings and placards.

“BEML that has played an important part in defense production is being handed over to private parties at a paltry sum. The valuation of BEML at Rs 518.44 crores is ridiculously low, even less than the value of the land owned by the company. It is unimaginable that the government is selling a company of strategic importance that is running well and the one that had contributed to the exchequer to the extent of Rs 693.46 crores in 2016-17. Stop this privatization,” demanded A K Padmanabhan,  CPI(M)  Polit Bureau member and vice president of CITU.

THE coordination committee of farmers’ organisations had decided to organise large joint peasant conventions for mass awakening (janjaagran) in major districts all over the state from July 10-23. The report of the first few conventions was carried in these columns last week.A total of 15 massive joint conventions of farmers took place in all the five regions of Maharashtra – northern Maharashtra, Konkan, Vidarbha, Marathwada and Western Maharashtra – from July 10-23. Over 40,000 farmers took enthusiastic part in all these conventions despite the sowing season in the monsoons.

THE entire top brass of BJP’s state leadership is under fire for massive corruption charges against them. The storm was triggered when an internal enquiry commission report which reveals that Rs 5.6 crores have been taken as bribe, was leaked by a section of leaders. The report said that the money was received by the leaders to illegally arrange the sanction from Indian Medical Council to a self financing medical college floated in Cherpulasseri in Palakkad district by some businessmen.

THE united forum of Telangana Mass and Social Organisations has come into being with more than 280 mass, social and class organisations in the state of Telangana with the aim of social justice and comprehensive development. In the new state of Telangana, people are having a lot of aspirations and are waiting for a solution to their problems. But, though the state is formed and rulers changed, the same policies are continuing. The tribulations of the people are as they were.