QUINTESSENCE of human rights is the dignity of the human being.  Universal declaration of human rights adopted by the United Nations(UN) keeps this dignity of humans in focus when it says, “ everyone has the right to work, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection of himself and his family and an existence worthy of human dignity---everyone has the right to standard of living adequate for health and wellbeing for himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care.”What is stated above is a declaration of human rights by the UN.

CITU general secretary, Tapan Sen, lodged a complaint with the union secretary of labour and employment and the chief labour commissioner (central), against the management of Air India. He urged them to intervene and resolve the issue of Air India employees who were forced to go on compulsory leave without payment.Tapan Sen, in his complaint filed on July 19, said that the Air India Limited had unilaterally altered the service conditions of its employees and imposed provisions of forced compulsory leave without pay.

THE CPI(M), on July 16, organised a state-wide satyagraha in front of government hospitals in Telangana to highlight and protest the state and central governments’ failure in containing the spread of Covid-19 in the state. Over 47,000 Covid-19 positive cases have been reported across the state and more than 400 people have succumbed to the infection so far.The protests were held in 196 centres across Telangana wherein nearly 4,700 people participated.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat, in a letter to union minister for environment, forests and climate change, Prakash Javadekar on July 17, has conveyed the Party’s objection to the Draft Notification for Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 2020.Below we publish the full text of the letter.IT is clear enough that India’s environment regulation structure is not robust and needs correction. EIA is part of this structure.

THE political drama in Rajasthan, consequent to the revolt of Sachin Pilot who was the deputy chief minister and PCC president, is still unfolding.  But the essential contours have become clear.  The inner tussle in the Congress cannot be separated from the BJP’s drive to destabilise non-BJP state governments, in particular Congress ones. Since the Modi government came back to power in May 2019, first the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka was toppled in July 2019 followed by the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh in March this year.The BJP has been using hybrid tactics for destabili