IN the third week of July, the conservative government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, took another decisive step towards abandoning the post war pacifist Constitution of Japan. Using the brute majority in the lower house of the parliament, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) passed a raft of laws that will allow the deployment of Japanese troops on foreign soil. The government has sought to justify its move on the basis of the “collective security” agreement it has with the United States and a few other countries.

THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has strongly opposed the government’s decision to go for auctioning of 69 identified, discovered oil and gas fields -- both off-shore and on-shore ¬-- terming them as “marginal fields”. The move is against the interest of the national economy, particularly the public sector oil companies, and of course harmful to the employees in general. It will jeopardize the energy security of the country.

THE widespread agitation for reservation for the Patel community is a clear indication of the failure of the so-called Gujarat model of development. The stir was the outcome of lack of employment opportunities, agrarian crisis and low social development indicators in the state. As the Modi government’s promise of “acchhe din” turned out to be an illusion, frustrated and ambitious youths of the community turned their focus on ‘anamat’ (reservation) as the only solution to their problems of joblessness and lack of education opportunities.

THE 125th birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar is being celebrated throughout this year. The Modi-led NDA government, even as it garlands the statues of Ambedkar, is fully engaged in negating the ideals of Babasaheb. The conditions of SC, ST and BCs have worsened with the onset of no-liberal economic policies. They lag far behind in terms of human development indicators when compared with national averages. Problems faced by dalits are kept pending for many years. Dwelling places of dalits and tribals are still undeveloped.

THE CAG draft report on Delhi's Discoms describing the Rs 8,000 crore loot of consumers, follows on the heels of the Orissa Electricity Regulatory Commission's (OERC) order, cancelling the licenses of the three Anil Ambani Reliance distribution companies. OERC cancelled Reliance licenses in March, 2015 for failing to deliver on any count, and repeatedly violating its orders. With this, we have come a full circle on the electricity reforms introduced by the Electricity Act 2003, whose primary goal was to privatise the sector.