THE terrible disaster in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand on February 7, 2021, has already cost the lives of over 30 persons with another 150 or so missing or trapped. Tragically, most of the dead are workers in different infrastructure and hydro-electric power projects such as the small 13.2 MW project on the Rishiganga river near Raini Village which has been completely destroyed, and the much larger 520MW Tapovan power plant nearby on the Dhauliganga which too is badly damaged and where a number of workers are trapped.
VOLTAIRE had said “one can always kill a man with incantations, plus a little poison”. Voltaire was a rationalist which the BJP government alas is not. It believes that one can revive an economy with incantations alone, for that is what the budget for 2021-22, presented a few days ago by the finance minister promises to do to the Indian economy.The Indian economy is supposed to have shrunk by 7.7 per cent during the fiscal year 2020-21 compared to the previous year, and it is supposed to rise by 10.5 per cent during 2021-22 compared to 2020-21 according to the Reserve Bank of India.
THE spur-of-the-moment lockdown thrust upon the people of this country has pushed the common people in situations unseen and unheard of before. The poor and the marginalised have been fighting a losing battle for survival. Millions have been rendered jobless and millions forced to do menial jobs. The struggle to remain afloat has been never-ending and tedious.In all this, women have been the worst hit. The lockdown has only fortified the glass ceiling for the country’s female workforce. They were the first to lose jobs when big, medium, small and micro enterprises decided to downsize.
AFTER the massive nationwide success of the road blockades (chakka jaam) on February 6, and the series of mahapanchayats in various states in North India, both actions that mobilised lakhs of farmers against the adamant and heartless BJP government at the centre, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) in its meeting held on February 10 gave a multiple call for intensifying the countrywide struggle for the repeal of the three farm laws and for an MSP law.
AFTER the massive nationwide success of the road blockades (chakka jaam) on February 6, and the series of mahapanchayats in various states in North India, both actions that mobilised lakhs of farmers against the adamant and heartless BJP government at the centre, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) in its meeting held on February 10 gave a multiple call for intensifying the countrywide struggle for the repeal of the three farm laws and for an MSP law.
THE AIKS, in a statement issued on February 8, has strongly condemned the statement by prime minister Narendra Modi who has insulted the protesting farmers as 'Andolan Jeevis', and 'parasites' and demands its immediate withdrawal and apology for his derogatory remarks in parliament.AIKS said that this insult comes from a 'corporate jeevi' prime minister whose RSS was never a part of the glorious 'andolan' of the people of India against the slavery of British rule.Each farmer as a citizen has the right to protest as per the constitution of India and the prime minister abusing his power to m
THE Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch (AARM), in a statement issued on February 3, has said that the union budget is unashamedly pro-corporate which bulldozes the rights of the working people of India. AARM strongly opposed its policy framework to privatise and sell India’s national assets including the public sector to corporates.
IN an hour and a half long speech, replying to motion of thanks to the president’s address to the joint session of parliament, PM Modi spent most of the time patting himself and his government on the back hailing the president’s address. The fact of the matter is that this speech is prepared by the union cabinet, presided by the PM, which the president reads out.
THEgovernment has released a Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2020 (STIP 2020) and invited responses by January 31, 2021. The Department of Science & Technology and the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government did conduct a series of consultations with some scientists and other experts to seek, albeit prior to the actual formulation and release of the policy document leading to considerable disgruntlement in this community.
THE union budget 2021-22, once again proved that the Narendra Modi government is not ready to change its policies of impoverishing the people, and enriching the crony corporates. The government is completely surrendering to the corporates and imposing slavery on the working class as well as the peasantry. Below we publish the statements issued by various mass organisations, on the union budget.BUDGET MANTRA: SQUEEZE KISANThe All India Kisan Sabha said that budget has completely disregarded the farmers protesting across the country demanding fair remuneration.