IN the current context, we see the state mutating itself into a form that exerts greater control on the civilian population through surveillance infrastructure & mechanisms, which by the day is becoming a necessary condition to suit itself to serve the interests and needs of the big capital, paving the way for maximisation of profits for the market forces. The Aadhaar project is the lynchpin to crackdown on welfare measures and a necessary condition to carry forward the devastating reforms in the neo-liberal phase.

INDIAN Worker’s Association(IWA) has stated that the proposed Nationality and Borders Bill is oppressive, racist, discriminatory and above all, immoral. The new draconian Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons by 366 votes to 265. The Bill, according to the government, is proposed to increase fairness in the asylum system and to deter illegal entry into the UK and easily remove people that the home secretary, at her discretion, deems to be a threat to the nation.

THE year gone by 2021, was a year full of travails but ended with a triumph for the people.The second Covid wave fueled by the Delta variant ravaged the people between March and May. The country was unprepared for this onslaught since Modi and his government had proclaimed victory over the virus in January itself. As a result of this false optimism, tens of thousands died, many of them unrecorded. The terrible sight of patients gasping for lack of oxygen and bodies floating down the Ganga were beamed all over the world.

SIXTH all India girls’ convention of SFI was held successfully in Sikar, Rajasthan, from December 17-19, 2021, with the slogan of combating gendered push out in educational institutes. The anti-people government at the centre has coupled up the challenges put forward by the pandemic and its unprecedented affect on the common mass. A huge number of students from marginalised families are forced to leave studies and commit to an unhealthy work atmosphere due to the financial meltdown and apathy of the ruling government.

COMRADE Ratan Budhar, 72, a senior member of the CPI(M) Maharashtra state committee and vice-president of the AIKS Maharashtra state council has passed away on December 19 due to a lung ailment. He was also a member of the Party’s Thane-Palghar district secretariat and president of the AIKS Thane-Palghar district council. He will be remembered as an extraordinary comrade who devoted over 50 years of his life to the Red Flag.