ON January 6, 2016, the All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH) completed 25 years. The occasion coincided with the eighth conference of AIFAWH. A national seminar on ‘Malnutrition, Government policies and ICDS was held at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram on January 6, 2016.Noted journalist ‘activist’ P Sainath demanded ‘food equality’ rather than food security on priority basis to be ensured in the country. In this regard, the anganwadi workers and helpers are doing work that is more important than any official in the country, he said.

‘FOR the right of every child for food, health and education, for the right of every worker to minimum wages, social security and pension, let us reach the unreached, intensify our struggles to change the policies’ – the eighth conference of the All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers was successfully concluded with this resolve. The conference was held from January 7-10, 2016 at Parsa Satyanarayana Nagar (RTC Kalyana mandapam), Arati Dasgupta Hall, Dipali Giri Manch, Hyderabad, Telangana.

THE short and temporary experiment in Delhi to combat severe air pollution by rationing road-use by personal four-wheeled vehicles on alternate days, corresponding to odd or even numbered dates and license plates, is to end this weekend. The media especially newspapers, who for once have taken good advantage of their greater ability than TV for in-depth coverage, have been full of analysis of whether the odd-even formula has worked or not.

THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions, in a statement issued on January 7, expressed shock and grief at the sudden demise of Comrade Chandi Prasad, veteran leader of the working class movement in undivided Bihar and former national vice president of CITU. He passed away on January 7, 2016 at Patna. He was 88.

THE state and central governments have betrayed the youth and shattered their expectations, said M B Rajesh, all India president of the Democratic Youth Federation of India.Addressing the 15th state conference of DYFI Tamil Nadu at Dindigul on January 3, he said that 43,000 government jobs were abolished across the country in the last three months. Over 11 lakh government posts have been lying vacant for the last one year, and IT-related jobs have been cut by five percent.