What the Second Quarter GDP Estimates Reveal

IT is ironic that government spokespersons should exhibit so much euphoria over the second quarter (July-September) Gross Domestic Product estimate, which shows a drop “only” of 7.5 per cent compared to second quarter 2019-20.

Some Good News on the Vaccine Front but Challenges Remain

THE scientific community has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic in a way that would have been thought impossible earlier. Within only 12 months, we are now likely to have a set of vaccines for Covid-19. This is an astounding achievement, as the fastest vaccine development till date was mumps which took nearly four years. Equally important is that the first four vaccine candidate frontrunners – Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Gamaleya – have all shown efficacy well-beyond the target of 50 per cent success rate set by the regulatory agencies.

The Strike and Solidarity

HISTORICAL struggles of the workers and peasants have been unfolding during the last few days since the countrywide general strike called by the joint trade union movement on November 26, and the call for Delhi chalo and countrywide protest actions by the joint kisan movement on November 26-27.The joint platform of trade unions declared its total solidarity with the peasants’ struggle including physical participation in their protest actions at all levels.

Tripura: Workers-peasants unity must be further bolstered

“CALL of the hour is to further cement the worker-peasant unity. The farmers of the country are lending support to the workers' movement and vice versa the workers stand in solidarity with the movement of the peasants. Both these major sections must complement to the causes of one another. That would inspire the other oppressed sections to mobilise in the mainstream of struggles.

TRIPURA: TTAADC Election Must Not Be Delayed Further

ON November 17, the governor of Tripura extended the rule of administrator in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC, briefly called as ADC) for another six months.

Telangana: Successful General Strike in the State

THE call for a general strike by central trade unions, peasants and agricultural workers unions became a success in Telangana on November 26th. Statewide publicity for the 2020 strike was widespread. In response to amendments to labour, agricultural laws, the Grameen Bandh also came along and as a reflection of the peasant-worker alliance, both the peasants and the working class responded in an unprecedented way.Massive rally was organised by trade unions at Dharna Chowk, Hyderabad.

UTTAR PRADESH: Horrifying Tragedy

THE village of Bhadras, home to about 4000 families is barely 30 kilometres from Kanpur. The ‘chamar tola’ is located just at the entrance of the village and, when an AIDWA delegation comprising Seema (state general secretary), Neelam (district p resident) and I went there on November 19, we met most of the male inhabitants gathered around an open courtyard which is also the place where the children of the tola play. About 25-30 houses make up the tola.As we introduced ourselves, the men felt silent. They knew why we had come.

Hear Our Farmers' Voice: Stop Repression

Leaders of the several political parties – NCP, DMK, CPI(M), CPI, RJD, CPI(ML), AIFB and RSP – have issued the following joint statement on November 28.BRAVING severe repression, teargasing, heavy water cannoning, roadblocks, police barricades and digging up the national highways surrounding Delhi, akin to waging a 'war' on our farmers, tens of thousands of farmers have successfully reached the National Capital of Delhi.

Meltdown: The Unravelling of the Indian Judiciary

IT was more than a coincidence that on November 26, 1949, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar as the chairman of the drafting committee presented the draft constitution to the Constituent Assembly. In its course, he made the famous observation, “We are giving ourselves a Constitution where one man will have one vote, but we are a long way from that day where one man will have one value”. He was articulating his insight on the extreme economic and social inequality in the Indian society. He had expressed himself repeatedly on the need for translating these ideas enshrined in the constitution.

Maradona: The Football Genius

WAS it an unconscious decision of that irrepressible certainty – Mr. Time – that Diego Armando Maradona left us forever on the same day his renowned friend and comrade, Fidel Castro, bid adieu four years ago? Yes, both Fidel and Maradona share the same date of death: November 25th. While I pen these lines, the body of Maradona has been laid to rest in Bella Vista Cemetery, outside Buenos Aires. Tens of thousands of people gathered to pay homage to the legend during the funeral procession and the funeral.

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