New Fighter Deal: Picking up Pace, and Cronies

BOTH the horses in the race for India’s impending acquisition of single-engined fighter aircraft have now been officially identified, with the deal to be struck under the new “strategic partnership” route incorporated into the Defence Procurement Procedures (DPP) 2016. The competitors are Lockheed Martin of the US in partnership with Tata Advanced Systems for the F-16 Block 70/72, and Saab of Sweden in partnership with the Adani Group for the JAS-39 Gripen E, the latter MoU having been signed just during the past fortnight.

All India Convention of Mass Organisations on Sept 18

ALL sections of people are suffering due to the pro-corporate, authoritarian policies of the BJP led central government. This government is getting exposed due to its own wrong policies. The demonetisation had disastrous impact on the life of common people. The GDP which was 7.9 per cent in 2016 April-June quarter has declined to 5.7 per cent in the same period in 2017 resulting in a loss of Rs 3.3 lakh crore to the people.

Remembering Gauri Together

A SOMBRE gathering of journalists, press workers and lawyers, under joint banners met at the Delhi Union of Journalists Amphitheatre, to remember journalist Gauri Lankesh together and condemned hate forces responsible for her death. They were backed by colourful posters of the Delhi Union of Journalists, SAHMAT and some pieces of poetry by members. The meeting on September 11, was organised jointly by the DUJ, the All India Newspaper Employees Federation, the National Alliance of Journalists, Press Unity Centre, KUWJ Delhi and All India Lawyers Union.

Railway Reforms: Pursuit of Profit Trumps Public Interest

NEO-LIBERAL economic policies are set to unbound the Indian Railways, the country’s largest public transport. “Rail by market and not by the government” is the mantra of the Modi regime. The Indian Railways is crying for funds for capacity expansion and safety, but the government refuses to acknowledge it. Why should this network be a “Sarkari monolith”?

Using the Indian Armed Forces to Bailout Cronies

DEFENCE reforms is the new mantra of the Modi government. Internal restructuring of armed forces organisation and changing the procurement and production procedures of defence products are the twin objectives of the reforms. How the reforms will eventually impact the Indian armed forces is not what the government seems to be concerned with.

On Media Reports

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on September 8SOME reports have appeared in the media that the Polit Bureau meeting held on September 6-7 has decided that the situation warrants a change in alignment.The Polit Bureau wishes to clarify that the process of discussions for preparing the Draft Political Resolution has just begun. How to carry forward the main task of fighting the BJP, as decided in the last Party Congress will be finalised and the Draft Resolution will be placed before the Central Committee.

NITI Aayog – Promoting Privatisation

The Three Year Action Agenda of the NITI Aayog is full of tailored prescriptions for the government to virtually privatise all sectors, albeit in the name of PPPs. Niti Aayog, the champion ‘consultancy firm’, which enjoys government patronage, is parroting the World Bank line. Coming from World Bank, they are called ‘conditions’ attached to loans, while these very prescriptions coming from the Aayog are called ‘advice’.

All Power to Soviets – May 1917

THERE were many incidents and mass protests that were happening in the months of April and May 1917, which had accentuated the crisis of power in Russia. Minister Guchkov, head of the Octoberists was forced to resign. The growing discontent among the people increasingly made it clear that ‘dual power’ was no longer tenable. The capitalists wanted to capture State power, all for themselves, depriving the Soviets of any ‘control’. On the other hand, there were Mensheviks and Narodniks, who wanted to join the provincial government and get some ministerial portfolios.

MNCs and Third World States

DR Timothy Wise, a well-known expert on agriculture based in the US, tells an instructive story about Monsanto and Malawi, a country currently in the process of finalising its seed policy. In Malawi, as in most other third world countries, peasants have traditionally stored their seeds from the previous harvest for their next planting, and have met and exchanged seeds among themselves in local seed-fairs.

Massive Protest in West Bengal: District Headquarters Seized for Hours despite Police Attack

THOUSANDS of people joined in massive protest demonstrations at district headquarters in West Bengal on September 11, at the call of the Left Front. The protest took a militant turn and the protestors battled with police in many districts. The demands of the protest included remunerative price for the peasants, digital ration cards for all, equal pay for equal work, opening of closed factories etc.

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