DST’s Super Model: Or How Not to Model an Epidemic

THE Department of Science and Technology has sponsored a model, described as a “Super Model” that – according to the governmental hype –claims India’s lockdown was highly successful and we perhaps have reached herd immunity. The media has widely reported that according to the DST Super Model, the lockdown saved nearly two million lives, and by February 2021, even without a vaccine the epidemic in India will be over.

Google under Fire in the US For Monopoly Behaviour

THE US Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Google-Alphabet (Alphabet is Google's parent company) for using a range of anti-competitive practices using its monopoly power in the search market. It is the only major action in the US against tech monopolies in recent years, the last one being the 1998 action against Microsoft.Google currently has a market share in online searches globally of more than 90 per cent that rises to more than 98 per cent in countries like India.

TRIPURA: Communist Martyrs of Birchandramanu Remembered

ON October 12, the people of Tripura solemnly remembered eleven CPI(M) leaders and workers who, alongwith two security personnel, laid down their lives in Birchandramanu in southern Tripura in 1988 to keep the red flag flying.

KERALA: An Alliance of the Killing Forces

IN Kerala, an alliance of murderers has been formed against the LDF. The brutal murder of Sanoop, CPI(M) branch secretary, Puthussery, Thrissur, is an open declaration of this alliance. Within forty days, four young comrades were killed by the anti-communist groups in three different places. All these incidents have exhibited some similarities in character and in the arguments put forward for protecting the culprits. The nexus and the cooperation among them, RSS-BJP, Congress and Muslim League, is a reality in the state.This alliance of anti-communist forces has a political base.

Hathras and Beyond: Hindutva Violence against Dalits

THE BJP has brought the Indian polity to a pathetic situation of encouraging the obsolete ideals of the Manusmriti and instigating cold-blooded murder and annihilation of dalits from a phase of negation of freedom of expression. Taking advantage of being in power at the centre and in several states, they are deliberately preparing grounds for dividing the people on the basis of religion, caste, creed and sex, and making democracy a mockery. The poor are being made to suffer social insecurity and distress.

Bolivia Fights Back

IN an inspiring electoral victory, Luis Arce of the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), secured an overwhelming first-round win in the presidential elections in Bolivia. Arce won around 52.4 per cent of the votes according to various exit polls that were certified by the Supreme Election Tribunal of Bolivia. He decisively defeated right-wing candidate Carlos Mesa, who secured 31.2 per cent votes. This huge difference of more than 20 per cent votes has forced the opposition to accept the results.

MAHARASHTRA: 75th Anniversary of Warli Adivasi Revolt & State Kisan Sabha Formation

OVER 1000 leading activists from Thane-Palghar districts of Maharashtra took part in a remarkable function held on October 10, 2020 at the Comrade Godavari Shamrao Parulekar Bhawan at Talasari to observe the anniversary of four historic events.The first three were the 75th anniversaries of the formation of the Maharashtra Rajya Kisan Sabha on January 7, 1945; the beginning of the famed Warli Adivasi Revolt on May 23, 1945; and the martyrdom at the hands of the British rulers of the first five adivasi comrades of this revolt on October 10, 1945.

GST Controversy – The Nadir in Centre State Relations

The issue was discussed at length in the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers, GST Council and even parliament. There was a ticklish question of how would compensation payment be made in case there was a severe shortfall in revenue and there was no money in the Compensation Cess Fund.

DUJ Condemns Lockdown of Kashmir Times Office

THE sudden locking of the Kashmir Times office in Srinagar by the Estates Department on October 19, has left journalists stunned. The action comes on the heels of the arbitrary eviction of the Kashmir Times editor Anuradha Bhasin from her residence. The Delhi Union of Journalists, in a statement issued on October 20, has condemned these actions of the government that are clearly aimed at stifling the free press.DUJ notes that Kashmir Times journalists were not permitted to take out their computers and other professional equipment before the eviction.

Employment Crisis in West Bengal: A Decade of TMC Governance

AMIDST the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent series of sporadic lockdowns, the loss of lives and livelihoods in West Bengal has exposed the inherent economic crises that the state’s economy is undergoing. The massive influx of poor migrant workers returning back to the state, seeking help and support from the authorities, has become an unfortunate reality in recent times.

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