THE electricity employees will not allow the central and state governments to advance an inch further in their privatisation agenda! Their resistance will be indomitable in the coming days, as evidenced by two national strikes in the electricity sector within two months. This was the clear message from the 10th National Conference of the Electricity Employees Federation of India (EEFI) that was held from March 10-12, 2025, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
OVER 30,000 workers from Karnataka's diverse working class, including domestic helpers, street vendors, and skilled professionals from industries like aerospace and IT, mobilised in Bangalore from March 3 to 7. Organised by the Karnataka state committee of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the five-day demonstration at Freedom Park saw participants raise 37 demands, such as a living minimum wage of Rs 31,566 for unskilled workers, with a 15 per cent premium for higher skill levels, adjusted to the price index.
IN Bihar, the grandparents took the micro finance institution (MFI) loan for the marriage expenses of their granddaughter. They did not have the capacity to repay it. They jumped before a train and died by suicide. In Maharashtra, a mother told her 6-year-old daughter to lock her in a trunk and let her out after the MFI agent has gone. The child went out to play and forgot to unlock the trunk. The mother died due to suffocation. In Haryana, a husband told the MFI agent to take his wife in lieu of the instalment as they could not pay it.
AS the year 2026 approaches, the issue of the delimitation of parliamentary and assembly constituencies is drawing public attention and controversy. This is the year when the freeze on the number of seats will end, and the next round of delimitation must be undertaken following the first census conducted after 2026. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment, enacted during the Emergency in 1976, initially froze delimitation.
IN August 2024, the central cabinet approved a Unified Pension Scheme (UPS). The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) labelled it a "deceptive scheme," a characterisation that proved true when the scheme was gazetted on January 25, 2025, and draft regulations were published on January 27, 2025. The government claimed there was consensus among the Joint Consultative Machinery (JCM) unions on the UPS. However, the All India Defence Employees' Federation (AIDEF) boycotted the prime minister's meeting on August 24, 2024, in opposition to the UPS.
TRUMP 2.0 has got off to a tumultuous start. The early days of Donald Trump’s second term as US president have been marked by a whirlwind of policy shifts, diplomatic upheavals, and economic manoeuvres, leaving both domestic and international observers struggling to keep pace. While Trump has always been erratic and almost deliberately unpredictable, the scope and magnitude of changes being ushered in this Trump 2.0 administration is qualitatively different.
WHILE the entire world discusses the crisis of capitalism, the most pertinent question remains: Why is the severely critical capitalist order not falling down? We can see that the global crisis in capitalism is periodic, but capitalism never collapsed on its own, automatically. It continuously revolutionised itself to manage the crisis and survive.
THE Kerala State Conference of the CPI(M), took place in Kollam from March 6-9, 2025. The conference transformed the coastal city into a sea of red, showcasing the unity and cohesion of the strongest state unit of the CPI(M) in India.The conference was attended by 481 delegates elected from all district units and special units of the Party. Polit Bureau members Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, MA Baby, BV Raghavulu, Subhashini Ali, Ashok Dhawale, and A Vijayaraghavan, as well as Central Committee members Vijoo Krishnan and AR Sindhu participated in the conference.
THE BJP-IPFT-Tipra Motha alliance government, led by Manik Saha, celebrated its second anniversary in office with great fanfare on March 9. The occasion was marked by a statewide rally held in Agartala, attended by the party’s National President, JP Nadda. The event, celebrated with fanfare, left the public awaiting updates on pre-election promises, as speakers remained silent on their commitments, raising questions about their fulfillment.Let’s see the current status of some of these promises.