ASHA workers, who essentially act as backbone of health structure in rural areas of the region, are compelled to work on paltry emoluments. The government has totally neglected them. They have been fighting for better remuneration over the last many years but to no avail, thus compelling them to resort to strikes and dharnas. Recently the workers were on protest in every district of Jammu and Kashmir.

THE Left and democratic parties held a rally in Lucknow on October 11, with the slogan ‘Save Constitution, Save Democracy’ and ‘Defeat BJP, Victory to INDIA Alliance.’ The core issues addressed during the rally included rising prices, unemployment, increasing atrocities against women, minorities, and dalits, the prevalence of bulldozer raj, and communalism. Hundreds of people enthusiastically participated in the rally.

OCTOBER 10 is widely observed each year as Martyrs' Day in the Thane and Palghar districts of Maharashtra. It was on October 10, 1945 that the first five martyrs of the Warli Adivasi Revolt were shot dead by the police of the British regime. October 10, 1996 was also the day when the legendary leader of the CPI(M) and the AIKS, Comrade Godavari Parulekar was cremated at Talasari in Palghar district in the presence of thousands of people.