Existential Crisis in Tourism Sector; Workers Hardest Hit

MOST of the big hotels in Shimla, the capital city, and in the state of Himachal Pradesh have started laying-off their workforce; the medium and smaller ones did it a few weeks after the first lockdown began.

Covid-19: Airborne Transmission and What Figures in Mumbai & Delhi Show

AFTER the failed lockdown and rising numbers of Covid-19 cases, the Modi government, which declared an emergency under the Disaster Management Act, seems now to have given up. We are seeing rapidly rising numbers in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, which together have about 40 per cent of the new infections in the country.

Inhuman Treatment of Detenues in Bhima Koregaon case

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat has written to union home minister Amit Shah against the inhuman treatment meted out to the political and human rights activists arrested in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case.In her letter on June 21, Karat said, “Even though nine of the 11 arrested have been incarcerated for two years which is more than enough time for investigation, the NIA has been consistently opposing bail applications.

Astronomical Increase in NPAs in the Current Financial Year

THE Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) is a burning issue of the banking Industry. The central government has been claiming that IBC would be an effective law to recover the NPA of the large borrowers. But the present experience seems to prove otherwise and due to that, the additional NPA in the current financial year is feared to increase astronomically. The issue of bad loan has been in existence from the time the financial institutions started lending.

Take back Auction of 41 Coal Blocks

BHUMI Adhikar Andolan(BAA) issued a press release on June 19, to roll back the decision to auction 41 coal blocks. BAA said that coal is not a commodity for private profit and it cannot be sold in the name of development. The BAA also demanded implementation of PESA-Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act and Forest Rights Act in its letter and spirit.The coal blocks listed in the states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are located in regions of dense forest, with several species of valuable tress and a rich wildlife.

Govt Hoarding Foodgrains in Times of Hunger is Criminal: AIKS

ON June 1, Food Corporation of India had 10.4 crore tonnes of foodgrains. Never before has the government hoarded such a large quantity of foodgrains. This is 83.3 lakh tonnes in excess of what the government needs for operational and emergency requirements. The All India Kisan Sabha, in a statement issued on June 24, has said that it is criminal to hoard such a large quantity of grains during a crisis such as the present, when hunger and food insecurity affects a vast majority of people in India.

Stop Corporatisation of Agriculture

THE All India Kisan Sabha has decided to send one lakh letters to the president, the prime minister and agriculture minister by email demanding to stop corporatisation of agriculture and ensure income support, health security, food, MSP, jobs and minimum wages. Letters were sent from the all India centre by Hannan Mollah, general secretary and Ashok Dhawale, president, on June 20.

India-China Conflict

THE clash at the Galwan river valley which resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers, including the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regiment, has understandably roused the anger of people in India. The incident was shocking and condemnable as it happened after the June 6 meeting of senior military commanders of both sides where an agreement was reached on de-escalation and disengagement at various points on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Meet the Urgent Demands of the People

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on June 17, 2020THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) congratulates all its Party units, members and supporters who have participated in a big way in all parts of the country on the protest day on June 16. The good response to the call shows that the demands raised of the central government are the urgent need of the people.These demands are: (1) A cash transfer of Rs 7,500 per month for a period of six months to all families outside the income tax paying bracket; (2) Free di

De-Escalate the Situation on the LAC

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on June 16, 2020IT is unfortunate that during the de-escalation process on the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, a clash has taken place at Galwan valley. This has taken place after the talks between the two sides at a high military level began on June 6 to discuss the process of disengagement.

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