Our Party conferences at district/state/all India level elect steering committees to conduct the schedule of conferences. Once steering committees are formed the entire organisational power is vested in them till the new committees are elected. In view of this, my questions are: if steering committee concept is so important, why it does not at all find a mention in the Party Constitution? The word "steering committee" is completely absent in the Party Constitution at least in the web version. The conference discusses the report by district committee/state committee/CC as the case may be.

OUTWARDLY calm and serene, whether or not this lush green area along the National Highway-2, popularly called Delhi highway, becomes another turning point in the political history of West Bengal or not only time will tell. But a visit to this almost entirely rural constituency in Hooghly district makes one feel that come April 30 another turn, at least in the history of this area, may be in the offing here.

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi has made it a habit to go for campaigning on poll dates in areas adjoining those where polling is taking place and thus trying to influence voting through live telecast of his speeches. But in Bengal elections, he is not doing just that. People are, in fact, asking why the prime minister of the country is making so many election visits to a state where his party does not stand even ghost of a chance, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said at a huge gathering, mainly of peasants, in Namkhana in South 24-Parganas on April 23.

THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions, in a statement issued on April 25, has condemned the unilateral decision of the finance ministry to reduce the interest rate on EPF to 8.7 percent from the unanimous recommendation of the tripartite Central Board of Trustees of the EPFO. This was revealed from the reply to the unstarred question no 96 dated April 25, 2016 in Lok Sabha. The CBT on February 16 had decided the rate as 8.8 percent. This decision of 8.8 percent was an interim one and some increase was expected when final decision was to be taken, as funds are available with the EPFO for this.

THE Central Trade Unions, in a statement issued on April 26, have strongly denounced the unilateral reduction in interest rate on Employees Provident Fund from 8.8 percent to 8.7 percent, ignoring the unanimous decision of the tripartite Central Board of Trustees of EPFO. On February 16, 2016, the CBT of EPFO, in its meeting chaired by union labour minister unanimously decided the interest rate on EPF at 8.8 percent as an interim measure with an indication of increasing it further in view of availability of funds generated by the EPF.