Let the New Urban Policy be Decided by New Govt

THE ministry of housing and urban affairs (MOHUA) has released first draft of the National Urban Policy Framework (NUPF). The draft summary explains the philosophical outline of the need for drafting such a document. It is considered that this document will become a guide for the future of urban planning in India. The NUPF draft is prepared in a hurried manner to brush aside the outcome of the failure of urban policies of the BJP government. The new urban policy relies its basis on the 10 basic foundations or ‘philosophical principles’.

Save Constitution & Independent Foreign Policy: AIPSO National Convention

THE All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO) organised its national convention and general council meetings in New Delhi on February 27-28, 2019. The national convention was held on the theme, ‘In defence of the legacy of freedom struggle and the constitution and the imperative for an independent foreign policy’.Around 400 participants from 15 states participated in the convention. This is for the first time in the last 31 years that the AIPSO had organised a national convention in the capital city, New Delhi.

NPRD Condemns PM’s Disrespectful Remarks

Interrupting the presentation by a student, the prime minister sought to take potshots at his political rivals. In an uncalled for and totally insensitive response, the prime minister tried to portray all dyslexic people in poor light. It is all the more unpardonable as it comes from a person holding such a high office. And this disgusting attitude comes from a person who had equated disability with divinity and coined the term “divyang”. Even during the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign Narendra Modi had used terms like blind, deaf, lame etc to belittle his rivals.

Defeat BJP! Continue the Fight for Alternative Policies!

FOR the first time after independence, the central trade unions and independent industrial federations in the country joined together to adopt a ‘Workers’ Charter’ and demanded that these demands be included in the election manifestoes of the political parties. The ‘Workers’ Charter’ was unanimously adopted in the joint national convention of workers held in New Delhi on March 5, 2019.

Tech for Democracy in a Brave New Digital World

WITH the elections in the offing, different groups – the Free Software Movement of India, Association for Democratic Reforms, Common Cause, etc – have raised a key issue: how to stop the Indian elections from being distorted by big digital platforms and the enormous influence they exercise over us today. And as “influence” on these platforms can be bought, will Indian elections, already plagued by money power, suffer even further? Added to this, is the enormous ecosystem of fake news, which the BJP, the RSS and its “parivar” has built over the last few years.

Epistemic Critiques of Hindutva

AnchorIT is heartening to see that several intellectual critiques of Hindutva on epistemic grounds are beginning to appear now – one has come across a few online in recent weeks. The immediate shock of seeing the intellectual discourse in the country being swept aside by sheer brute force had a numbing effect; this effect is finally wearing off.

Modi is not Statesman Enough to Understand War

INDIA has a Modi problem. He is a charismatic communicator but an ineffectual leader “beating in the void his luminous wings in vain”. Modi doesn’t understand “war is a statesman game”. He considers his speech to be the trumpet of change that would restore India’s past glory and make it great again. If he had his way, he would pull down all the constitutional bodies and proclaim India to be a one-party theocratic state. He is quintessentially a Hindu supremacist. His abiding hatred for minorities is venomously expressed in his speeches and actions.

Farm Income Deflation the Norm Under Modi Govt

THE promise of the Modi government to double farm incomes by 2022 seems to be a cruel joke on farmers who are suffering the reverse - a steady decline in farm incomes. The Central Statistics Office has added credence to the allegations of the peasantry that the last five years have seen continuously low incomes. CSO figures show that farm income growth crashed to the lowest in 14 years in the last quarter of 2018 (October-December).

Rebuff US Trade Measures

THE United States has extended its trade war to India by withdrawing preferential trade treatment for India.

Central Committee Communique

Post-Pulwama air strike by the Indian Air Force inside Pakistan territory, the retaliation by Pakistan the next day and the subsequent release of Wing Commander Abhinandan must lead India to step up its diplomatic efforts to exercise international pressure on Pakistan to purge terror outfits and cross-border terrorist activities. A united India rose against terrorism. Instead of strengthening this, the post-Pulwama developments are seeing an orchestrated effort by the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits to rouse jingoistic nationalism.

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