Current Power Cuts Due to Criminal Negligence in Government’s Planning

THE Modi government has created an artificial electricity shortage during the festival season, which normally sees a high electricity demand. With the opening of the economy post-Covid-19 second wave, power demands were expected to pick up in October. This, coupled with the festival season, would obviously see a large up-tick of power consumption. Currently, there is a shortfall during the evening peak hours of about 7,000 MW, most of it in Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Bihar. Many others are staring at impending blackouts.

Petrol/Diesel & Cooking Gas: Modi’s Weapons of Mass Loot

COOKING gas (LPG) cylinder prices were jacked up again a week back. Average price across four metros of the usual 14.2 kg cylinder is now an astonishing Rs906.38. One year ago, in October 2020, the cylinder’s average price was Rs604.63. This is data for Indane gas, as recorded in the website of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), a government undertaking.So, in just one year, its price has zoomed up by Rs301.75.

TN: State Level Conference against Privatisation and NMP

TRADE unions in the state conducted a special state conference against privatisation of public sector units.

The initiative for the meeting was taken by the CITU along with BEFI, AIIEA, BSNLEU, Port & Dock Employees Union, Transport Union, Electricity Board Union and Dakshin Railway Employees Union.

Vijayan of the electricity union welcomed the gathering.

Coal Shortage Crisis: Modi Government must Discharge its Responsibility

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India(Marxist) has issued the following statement on October 12, 2021THE Modi government seeks to deny its role in the massive shortfall of electricity generation that has hit the country. Currently, severe power cuts are extending to many hours in Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar and Punjab, while many others, including Maharashtra, Kerala and Delhi, are staring at impending blackouts.

Polit Bureau Communique

CPI(M) Polit Bureau met at New Delhi on October 9-10, 2021. It has issued the following communiqué on October 11.LAKHIMPUR KHERI BRUTALITYAshish Misra, son of union minister of state for home affairs, Ajay Misra Teni, the prime accused in the massacre of farmers has finally been arrested, after a Supreme Court indictment, five days later.Minister Ajay Misra Teni must be immediately sacked from the union cabinet for his role in this barbaric atrocity in which eight people have lost their lives, including four farm

Measuring Unemployment Trends in India

UNLIKE in the advanced capitalist countries, a reduction in employment opportunities in India takes the form not of a larger proportion of the work-force being shut out of employment, but of almost everyone having lesser number of days of work. This is a reflection of the fact that only a tiny segment of the work-force is employed on a full-time basis. Most are either self-employed, like peasants or shop-keepers, where many more or fewer family-members can share a given amount of work; or are causal workers who may get work on a given day but not on another.

Federalism and Economic Justice

THE Goods and Services Taxation regime is antithetical to the very idea of cooperative federalism. The rightwing is conducting an all-out campaign to impose one tax across the country ignoring the need for diversity and local autonomy.The report submitted by the Fifteenth Finance Commission points out that in the year 2018-19, 62.7 per cent of the total tax revenue is collected by the union government.

Comrade Saraju Datta

COMRADE Saraju Datta, a symbol of exemplary dedication, unyielding commitment and one of the torch-bearers in the movement for democracy and emancipation of women during the repressive rule of the feudal king in the state breathed her last in IGM Hospital, Agartala on October 5, 2021. She was wife of Biren Datta, one of the founding members of the Communist Party in the state during pre-independence days.

Comrade Saraju Datta attained membership of CPI in 1947.

Tripura: Comrade Bijan Dhar: Untiring Fighter

CPI(M) CENTRAL Committee member, convener of Tripura Left Front Committee, former state secretary of Party Tripura unit and, an eminent socialist ideologue Comrade Bijan Dharhas breathed his last at the dawn of October 11, 2021, while in treatment in a private hospital in Kolkata. He was 71 years old.

Assam: Darrang's Farmers' Despair

THE viral images and videos of a photographer jumping on the body of a farmer who was shot dead by the police epitomise the politics of hate the RSS-BJP have systematically injected in Assam. It looked as if mere killing of the farmers could not satiate the hatred indoctrinated among the RSS-BJP followers over the years. In the viral video, Moinul Haque was advancing towards the heavily armed police force with a stick as one last attempt to ward off forcible eviction from his land, destruction of his humble dwelling and crops that were a result of sweat and toil of his family.

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