THE National Committee for Solidarity with Cuba, in association with the Embassy of Cuba celebrated the 90th birthday of Comrade Fidel Castro.Marileydis, Chargé d'Affaires of the Cuban Embassy briefly spoke about the historic contribution of Fidel in the construction of socialism in Cuba. She stated that Fidel is an inspiration to all Cubans and is loved by them as a father figure.

THE working class, is a prime target of attack under the neo-liberal regime in the country.From the initial days of the policy pronouncements in 1991, ruling class and policy makers have been targeting the working people and their hard earned rights.Even while discussing about more investments, industrialisation, creation of employment opportunities, those in the authority could only identify rigidity and multiplicity of labour laws along with the `mushrooming’ of trade unions as hurdles.

TWENTY five years ago, a child born in India had significantly better chances of survival than in neighbouring Nepal and Bangladesh. Twenty five years later, after neo-liberal reforms were implemented in India since 1991, both Nepal and Bangladesh have lower child mortality rates than India, ie, a child born in these countries are more likely to survive than in India. The above encapsulates the story of neo-liberal reforms in India and its impact on people's health.

THE newly elected LDF government of Kerala has successfully completed two and a half months in power, undertaking alternative development initiatives with the active participation and support of the people. The victory of the Left Democratic Front in Kerala is the result of the politics which the party and the front has consistently upheld. LDF fought the State assembly elections with an alternative policy against communalization and corporatization, and had won the battle with a comfortable margin.

THE formal adoption of the neo-liberal reforms programme by the Government of India (GOI) in 1991 had a far more pervasive impact on the education system and policy than is usually recognised. The commercialisation and marketisation of education put it outside the grasp of the majority of India’s population, 78 percent of whom were living on less than twenty rupees per day (Arjun Sengupta Committee report), and altered the concepts of knowledge, education and its curricular content.The democratic deficit was the most obvious feature of the National Policy of Education (NPE 86-92).