Amit Sengupta: Champion of the movement against drug patents in India

AFTER the accidental death of Dr Amit Sengupta on November 28, glowing tributes were rightfully paid to him for his significant contribution to people’s health movement. However, his outstanding contribution to formulating the Patent Act,1970 and thereby bringing down the price of life-saving drugs in the country has skipped the attention of many.Comrade Amit’s contribution to drug patents, over three decades, had a profound impact on the drug manufacturing capacity of Indian companies and had serious political implications.

HIMACHAL PRADESH: State Level Dalit Convention Held at Shimla

A STATE level convention on the issues of the dalits was held at Shimla on December 8, by the Himachal Dalit Shoshan Mukti Sabha (HDSMS). The convention was inaugurated by Subhashini Ali, vice president of the Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch. Rakesh Singha, MLA, Onkar Shad, CPI(M) state secretary and Vikram Singh also spoke in the convention.Subhashini emphasised the importance of the role of the Dalit Sabhas in the Hindi-speaking belt. She said the percentage of literacy amongst dalits is still not at par with the rest of the society.

COP 24: Achieving Nothing, Cementing a Trend

THE 24th Conference of Parties (COP 24) to the international climate control process held in the Polish town of Katowice (pronounced Kaato-veetsa) concluded last Saturday, after extension by a day to iron out remaining differences as has become customary by now.

SC Verdict on Rafale Aircraft Raises Serious Questions

The Central Committee of the CPI(M), in session at New Delhi on December 15, has issued the following statementTHE ground on which the Supreme Court has refused to enter the price question is the purported communication between the government and the CAG. The order has further pointed out that the CAG has ‘published’ a report on this question which, in turn, has been examined by the Public Accounts Committee and their ‘report’ has been tabled in the parliament.

Central Committee Communique

The Central Committee of the CPI(M) met in New Delhi on December 15-16, 2018. It has issued the following statement on December 17.Electoral TacticsFor Lok Sabha ElectionsThe Central Committee reiterated the electoral tactics adopted at its last meeting held in October for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Jallianwala Bagh Centenary Observed in Canada

ON December 8, continuing the tradition of the Indo Canadian Workers Association (ICWA), annual calendar was released at Surrey, Canada in Strawberry Hill Library. The calendar was dedicated to the Gadar movement heroes who laid down their lives for the freedom movement of India and to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre which took place 100 years ago. Observing the centenary of the massacre, in which nearly 1,000 innocent people were killed, the ICWA held a large meeting in which people from all walks of life participated.

A Looming Fiscal Crisis?

THE UPA-2 government, in its last three years in office, had been obsessed with ‘fiscal consolidation’ – a retreat from the limited ‘fiscal stimulus’ announced after the global crisis. The pre-occupation was with bringing down of the fiscal deficit, more so by restricting public expenditure growth instead of stepping uprevenue mobilisation. The change of government in 2014 produced no shift in this basic thrust of the fiscal policy of the central government.

AIDWA Condemns Army Chief’s Statement on Women

The All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), in a statement issued on December 18, has strongly condemned the totally unwarranted sexist remarks recently made by Army chief Bipin Rawat on the question of women being inducted into combat roles in the army.

Condolence Resolution

G VeeraiyanThe Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) pays homage to the memory of Comrade G Veeraiyan, former member of the Tamil Nadu state committee of the Party who died on November 18. He was 86.Born into a share-cropping peasant family in 1932, Comrade GV studied upto fourth standard. He was one of the members of the Co-ordination Committee to form the CPI(M) in Tamil Nadu. Veeraiyan served in various positions in the Party in the erstwhile Thanjavur district, in the Party state committee and state secretariat.

Threat to Democracy in the Age of Social or Anti-social Media

THE three Hindi heartland states – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan – have rejected the BJP in varying degrees in the elections to the state assemblies. These elections show that even with money power and its electoral machinery including its formidable WhatsApp reach, BJP is vulnerable to peoples’ discontent. People rejected BJP’s false claims of development and their hate campaign in good, old fashioned ways – through talking to each other in homes, tea shops and in every day conversations with friends.

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