India’s Testing Strategy Has to Change

AS I write this column (April 2), Covid-19 is crossing a million infected cases in the world and nearly 50,000 dead. In India, the total infected cases are more than 2,000, with 51 deaths. It is clear that all countries are affected. It is a matter of time before a set of clusters or hot spots form and Covid-19 takes off in the country. Once it takes off, we are in exponential growth with a doubling rate that very soon makes the numbers look frightening. This is where Wuhan was six weeks ago, Italy entered about 3-4 weeks back and the US is in now.

CORONA CRISIS: Working Class Rises to Support its Brethren in Distress

THE first one week of the lockdown in India, out of the declared three weeks, has once again displayed the callous and lackadaisical attitude of the BJP led Modi government towards the poor workers of the country. The sudden announcement of the lockdown, giving hardly a few hours’ time for the people to prepare themselves for it, and without the needed preparation by the government to minimise people’s, particularly the poor unorganised and migrant workers’ sufferings, led to utter chaos in many states.

Self-Reliance in the Time of Covid-19

IT is now more than a week since the hastily announced and ill-prepared nationwide lockdown was imposed by the central government.

WEST BENGAL: Left Activists Stand by People in the Time of Crisis

LEFT parties and mass organisations in West Bengal are busy fighting corona disaster and its fall outs, in a courageous and energetic manner. While abiding by the restrictions imposed through lockdown, they are out to help the needy in multifarious ways.CITU has opened up helplines for tens of thousands of migrant workers, working outside the state. They are mostly stranded in different states. CITU has contacted respective state centres and extended whatever help they could do. A central helpline has been opened at the CITU state centre. The phone rang practically all through the days.

The Making of a Tragedy

THE tragic irony could not have been more complete.

PUNJAB: CM Should Intervene to Address Lockdown Woes

PUNJAB state secretary of the CPI(M), Sukhwinder Singh Sekhon, on March 29 wrote a letter to the chief minister of Punjab, Captain Amrinder Singh, regarding the plight of the migrant workers, transporters and other sections of the society in Punjab and demanded his intervention to address the woes because of the ongoing lockdown in the state.He said the Punjab state committee of CPI(M) appreciates the steps taken by the government to face the challenge of Covid-19 in Punjab and assured full co-operation of the CPI(M) for successful implementation of the guidelines of the government.

One Week of the Lockdown

THE country has experienced one week of the lockdown and a few things can be noted. The first is that citizens of India have been responsible, by and large, following government instructions. In spite of great hardship caused by the sudden announcement of lockdown, people have united to play their role in taking the required steps to prevent India from going into the third stage, which is that of community transmission. Across the country, in every state, people have rallied round.

Communists and the National Question

HINDU and Muslim communalists considered India to consist of two nations – divided on the basis of the religious beliefs of people – Hindus and Muslims. It is for this reason that both Savarkar and Jinnah did not find any problem with the two-nation theory advocated by each other. When the Congress had given the call, ‘Quit India’ in 1942, Muslim League had called, ‘Divide India and Quit’.

JAMMU AND KASHMIR: Domicile Agenda during Public Health Emergency is Criminal

THE central government’s order, defining the domicile law for Jammu and Kashmir is criminal, said Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, Central Committee member of the CPI(M). In a statement released to the press on April 1, Tarigami termed the act of the central government as criminal, as the country is battling against Covid-19, but the BJP is busy in manipulating its agenda in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Politics of Pandemics

EVERY global pandemic must be seen in its political, social and economic context. The Covid-19 pandemic is occurring at a time when neoliberal capitalism has ravaged all the basic services which are vital for the well-being of people. Privatisation has denuded or dismantled the public health system in many countries; the State has abandoned the responsibility of providing for the basic needs of the people – food, housing, education and public transport.

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