A LOOK back at the year 2022, which has just ended, shows that it has been a year in which the Indian economy struggled to come out of the deep trough it was plunged into in the years 2020 and 2021. Rising inflation, growing unemployment, industrial stagnation and ever-widening inequalities in income and wealth were the visible features. Towards the end of the year, the figure of unemployed reached over five crore and for most of the year, retail inflation was above 7 per cent. This was accompanied by stagnation in industrial growth with the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) in October
THE 35th all India conference of All India Kisan Sabha that started on December 13, concluded at Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala, on December 16, on an inspiring note with a massive rally and public meeting inaugurated by the chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan. Addressing the massive gathering, he emphasised the need to resist and defeat the communal fascist forces and the neoliberal economic policies that are facilitating corporate profiteering at the expense of the people.
AT the call of the AIDWA Tripura unit, an impressive women rally was held on December 19, 2022, at Rabindra Shatabarshiki Bhavan Lane. Apart from state women leaders, the rally was addressed by CPI(M) Polit Bureau members, Brinda Karat and Manik Sarkar. AIDWA state president, Ramani Debbarma presided over the public meeting.Conveying solidarity with the state’s women who are the worst victims during the current BJP rule in the state, Brinda said they must be fought bravely.
PRIME Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to Tripura on December 18, at a time when the election authority and key administrative officers are engaged in preparations for the upcoming assembly elections in the state that are expected to be held in mid-February 2023. Crores of rupees from government exchequer were spent on displaying images of the prime minister and other ministers throughout the state, cleaning and decorating the road from the airport to the meeting ground, issuing advertisements in various print and electronic media and hiring vehicles for carrying people to the meeting.
THE Rajya Sabha passed the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (Amendment) Bill. Speaking on the bill, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya said the whole amendment is only to change the name to India International Arbitration Centre. The change of name was absolutely a misguided concept. Not only a misguided concept, this excessive legislation reflects the lack of governance.
EDUCATE all, employ all, and unite all – is the slogan of the 17th all India conference of the SFI. Even after seven decades of independence, India has not been able to ensure that all its children can go to school. What is all the more shocking is that even access to education has become a distant dream for many at present.
THE 5th triennial conference of the Petroleum & Gas Workers’ Federation of India (PGWFI) was held on December 10-11, 2022 at Duliajan, Assam. Assam is one of the oldest oil-explored regions of the world and has more than 125 years of glorious history in the field of production, refining & marketing of natural crude oil.PGWFI is a united federation of affiliated and independent trade unions representing the upstream, middle stream, and downstream oil PSUs.
Labour force has still not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, according to CMIE.LATEST estimates put the number of unemployed in India at over five crore. This is just short of the heights reached during 2020, the first year of the pandemic, which saw recurring lockdowns and a shutdown of the economy. These estimates, made by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), are drawn from periodic sample surveys carried out by the consultancy.
ARGENTINA won the FIFA World Cup. Millions of football crazy fans heaved a sigh of relief. Messi achieved his dream, cementing his place as one of the greatest footballers of all time. There are many surprises in this edition of the world cup. Morocco reaching semifinals is one among them. The other one is the elimination of another fan favourite Brazil in the quarterfinals, denying the chance to enjoy a mouthwatering Brazil Vs Argentina semifinal. Of course, the failure of countries like Germany and Belgium to pass through the group stages was a surprise.