BLOODLETTING has become an almost every day reality for us in the recent times. Violence and mayhem have blotted the landscape. Extremist violence, has been running asunder.
THE All India Kisan Council (AIKC) met in Bangalore from July 1 to 3, 2016. Members from across the country discussed the agrarian scenario, condition of the peasantry and impact of intensified neo-liberal economic policies under the Narendra Modi-led BJP government.
1. The north eastern region of India is surrounded by foreign countries, about 98 percent of the boundary having been bordered internationally. Thus the region appears almost detached from the mainland of the country, at the same time having no mutual contact with neighbouring countries. Inside the region, the states are separated from one another by hill tracks resulting in the own-styled growth of the states in respect of food habits, races and languages, economy, employment, culture etc. So the people of these states generally bear identities specific to the concerned states.
The following is the text of the N Ramachandran Memorial Lecture delivered by Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) general secretary in Thiruvananthapuram on June 28, 2016. The lecture was organised on the occasion of presentation of N Ramachandran Award. INATIONALISM is a concept that, with its central features of fellowship, establishing a sense of community, was the basis of the national movement – where many streams flowed, but aimed eventually to overthrow foreign imperial rule and allow a hundred flowers to bloom in the garden called India.
THE burden of bad loans of the banks has worsened in the last six months according to the latest Financial Stability Report of the Reserve Bank of India. According to the report, the gross non-performing assets (NAPs) ratio has risen sharply from 5.1 percent last September to 7.6 percent in March this year. The share of large borrowers of gross bad loans increased to 86.4 percent and their share of total loans is 58 percent in March 2016. According to one estimate, corporate debt worth Rs 6.7 lakh crore is facing the risk of default.
ON the occasion of the 14th Andhra Pradesh state conference of the CITU, a massive rally was held in the city of Vijayawada on June 26, 2016. Thousands of workers from various parts of AP marched in the rally, with 10,000 Red Shirt volunteers in the forefront.
FRESH after their success in implementing regime change in Brazil through patently undemocratic means, the right wing in Latin America, aided and abetted by their allies in Washington, have now set their sights on Venezuela. The mainstream newspapers in the United States are busy writing the obituary of the Left in the American continent. An electoral setback for the Left in Argentina, where the Peronists lost the presidency by a narrow margin earlier in the year, was welcomed as great news in the West.
MODI government had undertaken an exercise of formulating the New National Policy on Education (NPE) immediately after assuming the office. However, the media reports suggest that the finalisation of the policy document may take a few more months. HRD ministry’s reluctance to make the draft report public has led to speculations among various circles that the new NPE will be used to further the Hindutva agenda.
THE classic dictionary meaning of the word conspiracy is not that far from what Indian legal jurisprudence has evolved an understanding of. Simply put, the Oxford dictionary meaning explains, ‘A secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful’.
THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has won a massive support of workers of the 'Navratna' company Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd, in the elections for recognition of unions.
The elections were held on June 17. The results were announced at the night on the same day.
There are 13 unions in the NLC. Among them six unions, CITU, ATP, LPF, PTS, BMS and AITUC contested in this secret ballot voting.
As the permanent employees of NLC are only eligible to vote, 11,109 were the voters. Among them 10,680 votes were polled.