THE 21st Odisha state conference of the CPI(M) was successfully held from January 7-9 in Berhampur. It was inaugurated by CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury. On January 7, a hugely-attended public meeting was preceded by big colourful processions with red flags, festoons, placards and traditional band from different corners of the city. These processions converged at Ramalingam Tank Road, the venue of the public meeting. Hundreds of adivasis, dalits and toiling people from Ganjam, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Malkangiri joined the rally.

THE sixth state conference of the CPI(M) Jharkhand commitee was held at the ‘Coal Capital of India’, Dhanbad on January 10-12, 2018.  The conference commenced with the hoisting of the Party flag by veteran leader and state secretariat member of CPI(M), Rajendra Singh Munda, followed by three rallies across the thoroughfares of the city, which culminated at the Zila Parishad ground. Despite cold temperatures and foggy skies, thousands of workers, peasants, youth, students, women and progressive people of Dhanbad across different sections of the society marched in large numbers.

THE Indian History Congress held its 78th annual session at the Jadavpur University campus, Kolkata, from December 28-30, 2017. By all accounts, it was its largest session till date, the number of delegates crossing the 1,600 mark.The session was presided over by the famous historian of Ancient India, Professor KM Shrimali. His presidential address was delivered at the inaugural session on December 28, in the main hall of the Jadavpur University.

A REMARKABLE speech defending the freedom of expression by Tribune editor Harish Khare kicked off Delhi Union of Journalists’ meeting on “The Right to Investigate – UIDAI vs The Tribune” held on January 10 at the Gandhi Peace Foundation.  The speech was in the context of the filing of an FIR by the UIDAI against the newspaper and its reporter Rachna Khaira for exposing leaks in the Aadhaar system.  Chandigarh based Khare’s speech was read out by Delhi bureau chief Prasad to an appreciative audience. Khare’s ironic address says that The Tribune was only doing “a spot of old honest, legitimat

MOST people assume that critics of Aadhaar are concerned about citizens fundamental right to privacy, or the loss of statutory benefits such as rations due to a faulty Aadhaar system. Two recent cases – that reported recently by Tribune and the French security researcher reporting on the novice-level security of the mobile App of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) – brings out a completely different threat. This is identity theft and therefore, the possibility of attacks from criminals on our bank accounts.