ON the occasion of the first death anniversary of Sivaji Patnaik, a distinguished person who was a former member of CPI(M) Central Committee, former secretary of CPI(M) Odisha state committee, a former member of Parliament, and a revered Communist leader of Odisha, rich tributes were paid to him in Bhubaneswar on May 23.
UNDER the leadership of the All India Kisan Sabha, the ongoing farmers' movement of Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh has been successful in instilling renewed faith in the united struggle of farmers and landless farm workers. What started on April 25, 2023 in Greater Noida, has now entered its 36th day with support among farmers increasing every day.
THE sixth All India Conference of LIC Agents’ Organisation of India (LICAOI-CITU) was held at Alluri Seetharamaraju Vignana Kendram in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh from May 22 to 23.A massive rally was held with thousands of agents, which culminated at the public grounds opposite the LIC Divisional Office on the first day of the conference. A public meeting was organised after the rally, and it was chaired by L Manjunath, vice president of LICAOI.
MANY economists these days talk of a process of “de-globalisation” taking place; some others talk of the neoliberal regime of yesteryears no longer existing. Of course, nothing remains the same forever: as the Greek philosopher Heraclitus had said “You cannot step into the same river twice”; some change in the neoliberal order therefore is inevitable with the passage of time.
THIS is indeed good news that the combined general consumer price index (CPI) declined for the fourth consecutive month from January 2023 to April 2023. In rural areas the successive decline in inflation as per the general CPI is also recorded for the past four months and in case of urban areas, the decline in inflation is for the third consecutive month.Inflation figures measure the change in prices on a month on month or year on year basis reflecting the rise in prices with reference to previous time point.
RESPONDING to the joint parliament committee’s (JPC) invitation for suggestions and comments from the public over the proposed Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, the Bhumi Adhikar Andolan (BAA), an umbrella organisation of outfits working on land rights, said that there are serious concerns regarding the proposed amendment bill.
IT has been some time coming, but China’s first large home-made passenger jet finally entered commercial service last week on May 28, 2023 on a China Eastern Airlines flight from Shanghai to Beijing. The C919 jetliner, with a 156-168 seat capacity and a nominal range of 4000-5500km, is made by State-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China or COMAC.
(On May 26, 2023, Viduthalai, the Tamil daily edited by K Veeramani, president of the Dravida Kazhagam, reproduced an interesting and revealing essay in literary journalism published in the Tamil weekly, Dravida Nadu, on August 24, 1947. The subject was the significance of the presentation of the Sengol (‘Golden Sceptre’) by emissaries of the pontiff of the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam, a Saivite mutt in Tamil Nadu, to the incoming prime minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, at his home on August 14, 1947.
THE cowardly BJP government led by Narendra Modi closed borders, arrested many activists and kept many under house-arrest from May 27th onwards to stall democratic protest on May 28, called by the women wrestlers and supported by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha. Borders were closed to stop farmers and women from reaching Delhi.
ON May 24, 2023, over 12,000 women from Palghar district led by the AIDWA Thane-Palghar district committee led a massive march and gherao of the Palghar district collectorate on the burning issues of ration, employment, water, and health. The administration and the police, who were caught totally unprepared, did not know what had hit them! Most of the women in the march were tribals, but there was also a fair share of non-tribal women from different walks of life.