TO facilitate its agenda of wholesale privatisation, the Modi government brought in the Essential Defence Services Ordinance, 2021. The President of India promulgated it under the garb of “maintaining the essential defence services”. But its real aim is to throttle any strike and protest by defence civilian employees’ federations amid continued opposition to the government’s move to dismantle the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and corporatise the 41 ordnance factories situated across the country into seven companies so as to paveway for their ultimate privatisation.

THE reason behind the merger and acquisition of nationalised banks in our country is now clear. It is another surrender to the corporate demands for disinvestment of nationalised banks in India. A meeting was held recently under the chairmanship of the cabinet secretary of central government- a high-power committee.

CITU, AIKS & AIAWU to observe August 9 as ‘Save India’ DayAUGUST 9 is an important day in our struggle for independence. It was on that day in 1942 that hundreds of thousands of people of our country came out on to the streets demanding the British imperialists ‘Quit India’, responding to the call for a ‘Do or Die’ battle to attain independence.The country is now getting ready to celebrate 75 years of independence.

TRADE unions and other mass organisation leaders reiterated that the agitation will go on to protect the Vizag Steel Plant in the public sector. Huge rally and public meetings were organised in Visakhapatnam on July 10, on completion of 100 days of the relay hunger strike camp run by trade unions and various mass organisations at Gandhi statue near GVMC office.A scooter rally started from the Steel Plant and thousands of workers and people joined it on the way, which culminated at the public meeting.

A VILLAGE in Faridabad, Haryana on the outskirts of Delhi has been in news. Houses here, constructed by workers with great difficulties, are being demolished by bulldozers. What is the issue?In the middle of skyscrapers, flats, hotels and marriage palaces constructed by big business people, nearly 150 acres of land can be called a village or a basti. This basti was developed in the last 30-35 years, and there are around 10,000-12,000 houses. These are all pucca houses.Recently, on June 7, Supreme Court ordered the demolition of the village and ordered the unauthorised houses to be vacated.