THE radical shift in labour relations from regimes of standard employment to fragmented and flexibilised labour force under neoliberalism is signified by a radical shift of responsibilities of the reproduction of labour force from the capitalist employer to the State through the denial of indirect wage payments to workers. One of the major achievements of labour movement in the past was the recognition of elements as constituents of wage and benefits that ensured the reproduction of labour force in its totality.
THERE is massive unemployment in the country that especially afflicts the youth; there is a huge and persistent inflation in food prices; there is acute and unprecedented rural distress; there is a crisis in the petty production sector; and income and wealth inequality has reached levels where the whole world is talking about it. One would have thought that a budget presented in the midst of all this would have shown some urgency, some boldness for tackling these issues. But no, not the 2024-25 budget presented by the NDA government to parliament on July 23.
SEVERE power cuts lasting over twelve hours a day had been going on at a stretch for the past two months. The prolonged outages had caused disruptions in educational and agricultural activities, and children were falling ill due to the sweltering heat. Frustrated with the situation, the villagers of Enayetpur in Manikchak decided on July 18 to rise in protest blocking the road in a demonstration against the authorities. Driven to desperation, they dared to demand a basic necessity: a more reliable power supply.
IN the wake of severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall in Bharuch district in Gujarat, the low-lying areas have been inundated with water, leaving residents stranded and in dire need of assistance. Amid this crisis, a remarkable act of selflessness and community spirit emerged from Ankleshwar.Bhumi Ben Parmar, an anganwadi helper and a dedicated member of the Gujarat Anganwadi Workers' Union, affiliated to the CITU, took it upon herself to provide relief to her fellow residents. With homes submerged and essential services disrupted, Bhumi Ben Parmar demonstrated extraordinary compassion.
THE recent Supreme Court’s judgement in Md. Abdul Samad v. State of Telangana and Another extended the provisions of section 125 of the CrPC to divorced Muslim women. In this case a divorced Muslim wife had been awarded a sum of Rs 20,000 pm by the Family Court which was reduced by the High Court to Rs 10,000 pm under S125 of the CrPC.
THE Communist Party of India (Marxist) is deeply pained to note the passing away of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) on July 19 at the age of 80. Comrade Phu Trong breathed his last after a period of illness and old age.Comrade Phu Trong devoted his entire lifetime to the revolutionary cause, the country and the people. He was elected as the general secretary of the CPV for three terms and strove hard to build a strong party that plays its role in Doi Moi (national renewal), without severing from the path of socialism.
THE Indian economy is at a critical cross-road, where the GDP growth is in no way boosting the employment generation capacity. Even within the jobs created, 57.3 per cent are self-employed, 18.3 per cent are unpaid household workers and more than 45 per cent are employed in agriculture. The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme launched in March 2020 has utterly failed to generate employment in manufacturing and strikingly India’s year-on-year manufacturing productivity has fallen by 2.38 per cent in 2022-23.
THE National Council of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has decided to restart the farmers' struggle and called for coordinated struggle of farmers and workers centered on their livelihood issues in coordination with the united workers movement. The meeting was held at the Harkishan Singh Surjeet Bhawan in New Delhi on July 10, 2024 and it was attended by 145 representatives from 17 States.
AFTER months of whispers and selective leaks, mainly by the US side, it is now clear that a deal has been reached by the US and India for the acquisition by the latter of a large number of Stryker wheeled infantry combat vehicle (ICV).
The French Left Unites to Build a Barrage against the Fascist Far Right THE results of France’s recent legislative elections have come as a surprise not just to the French political establishment but also to much of the world. The consensus among polling organisations, political pundits and the mainstream media was that France’s major force on the fascist far right, the Rassemblement National ((National Rally: RN) led by Marine Le Pen, would win the largest number of seats.