Japan: Back to Militarism!

AFTER regaining the prime minister’s post in 2012, Shinzo Abe has been rarely out of the news. An avowed right wing nationalist, Abe has been trying to make dramatic changes in the country’s domestic and foreign policies. Unlike his immediate predecessors, Abe has not shirked away from identifying the neighbouring China as Japan’s main rival in the region.

Developments in Cooperative Banking Sector

RURAL credit cooperatives were born more than a hundred years ago and have been decisive in providing agricultural credit, especially to small and marginal farmers and to agricultural workers. As on March 31, 2013, the short term credit cooperative structure (STCCS) comprised 92,432 primary agricultural credit cooperative societies (PACS), 370 district central cooperative banks (DCCBs) and 31 state cooperative banks (StCBs).

AIIEA Holds Conference: Challenging the Challenges

THE All India Insurance Employees Association (AIIEA), organised its 23rd general conference at Nagpur from January 20 to 24, 2014. While the historic city of Nagpur has been home to many a progressive movement, the AIIEA conference added yet another glorious chapter to the history of this great city. The conference met in the background of tremendous achievements secured by the organisation in the last three years.

Curbs Demanded on Pulse, Sugar Imports

DEMANDING remunerative prices for pulses and seeking curbs on import of pulses as well as sugar, a delegation of farmers from Karnataka met the prime minister on February 7, 2014. The delegation was accompanied by Basudeb Acharia, leader of the CPI(M) group in Lok Sabha, and Vijoo Krishnan, joint secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS). Maruti Manpade (president, Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha), Basavaraj Ingin (president, Karnataka State Red Gram Growers’ Association) and Moula Mulla (leader of the AIKS, 4 Windsor Place) too were part of the delegation.

Unending Amnesia over Hindutva Terror

ASEEMANAND’S “description of the plot in which he was involved became increasingly detailed. In our third and fourth interviews, he told me that his terrorist acts were sanctioned by the highest levels of the RSS — all the way up to Mohan Bhagwat, the current RSS chief, who was the organisation’s general secretary at the time. Aseemanand told me that Bhagwat said of the violence, ‘It’s very important that it be done. But you should not link it to the Sangh.’

Unemployment is on Rise, So is Youth’s Anger

* Among the 16,000 applicants who were interviewed for 21 posts of court peons in Chandigarh, there were 40 jobless post-graduates who had applied for those posts that required formal education of up to only the eighth class.
* 240 graduates, including B.Techs, had applied for sweepers’ jobs at a municipal corporation.
(Recent news reports from Hindustan Times)

Devil is in the Detail

BJP’S prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi addressing a meeting in Kerala has said, “I continue to be a victim of untouchability.”

Two- day Nation-wide Bank Strike Successful

TEN lakhs employees and officers of commercial banks - both public sector banks and private sector banks - and one lakh employees and officers of regional rural banks were on 48 hours strike from 6 am on February 10, 2014 to 6 am on February 12, 2014 demanding immediate and fair wage revision and opposing the so-called reforms of the banking industry. The strike call was given by UFBU (United Forum of Bank Unions) an umbrella organisation consisting of five unions of employees and four unions of officers.

On Aseemanand’s Revelation

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on February 11, 2014.

THE explosive material revealed in the article based on interviews given by Aseemanand to The Caravan magazine raises very serious questions which require further investigation. Aseemanand has revealed his links with the top leadership of the RSS while planning the series of terrorist bomb blasts on civilian targets.

Stop Attacks on People from North-East

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued the following statement on February 12, 2014.

THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expresses its deep concern at the continuing attacks on people from the North-East in Delhi. After the death of the Arunachal student, Nido Taniam, several other incidents have occurred, including the rape of a minor girl from Manipur and physical attacks on other young men.

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