Parched Villages and Corporate Water Politics in Gujarat

IN September 2013, the member secretary of the Gujarat Water Supply and Sewage Board declared Gujarat a water surplus state. Speaking at a national conference, he stated that all villages should get 50 litres per capita per day (LPCD) of water, while each city should get 140 LPCD as per government norms, but in Gujarat we are now providing 100 LPCD of water to every village and 150 LPCD to every town as per government norms.

CPI(M) Team Meets CEC

ON March 30, a delegation of the CPI(M)’s Jharkhand state committee, led by its secretary G K Baksi, met the chief election commissioner V S Sampat, at the Administrative Training Institute at Ranchi. It was part of the series of meetings scheduled by the commission to meet the representatives of different political parties independently.
The memorandum submitted by the CPI(M) delegation invited attention of the commission and asked for its intervention on the following issues.

CPI(M) Election Campaign Vigorously Continues

THE CPI(M) is contesting four Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra for the first time. Of these, the Palghar (ST) seat in Thane district and the Dindori (ST) seat in Nashik district are its traditional tribal belt seats where the party has consistently secured over one lakh votes each in the last few Lok Sabha elections. The other two seats which the party is fighting for the first time are the general seats of Nashik and Hingoli. The latter comprises parts of Yavatmal district in Vidarbha region and Hingoli and Nanded districts in Marathwada region.

Kerala: Empty Ground Greets PM

THIS photograph was taken in Kochi on Sunday, April 6. In this image the prime minister of India is addressing a so-called "massive" UDF rally in the Rajiv Gandhi stadium at Thoppumpadi. This was the lone programme of Dr Manmohan Singh in Kerala and his first public meeting in South India. Dr Singh was here to appeal the gathering to vote for his cabinet colleague, Prof K V Thomas, the union food and civil supplies minister, who is a candidate in Eranakulam.

BJP Sticks to Communal Agenda: Karat

ON April 7, 2014, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said the BJP’s election manifesto, which was published as late as on the day the first phase of polling began, proved that the party still stuck to its communal agenda, with the temple issue, repeal of article 370 and introduction of a unified civil code being the parts of this agenda. Karat said so while addressing a Meet the Press programme in Thiruvananthapuram Press Club.

CPI(M), CPI Take Campaign to Doorsteps

IN Tamilnadu, the CPI(M) and the CPI are jointly contesting 18 Lok Sabha constituencies. It means nearly 110 assembly segments. They have nearly 25,000 cadres, including 2,000 women, in the field. These are from various walks of life.
These self-effacing, selfless and dedicated cadres of the two Left parties have spread to every nook and corner of the constituencies which the Left combine is contesting in the state. They and the supporters are working tirelessly for the victory of the Left nominees.

Scams & False Promises Backfire in Bengal

From Our Special Correspondent in Kolkata

Tripura Again Tops in MGNREGA Implementation

SHOWING an alternative path of development yet again, Tripura topped in the matter of MGNREGA implementation for the fourth time in a row. This success of the Left Front government of Tripura vindicates the dire need of establishing a government which could implement alternative, pro-people policies at the centre too. In the financial year 2012-13, the state stood first among the 28 Indian states for having provided each enrolled person 87 days of work a year on an average.

Syria: Armed Groups in Retreat

THE failure of the Geneva 11 talks, coupled with the deepening splits among the armed opposition groups, have further weakened the possibilities for a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Syria. The conflict, which has now entered its third year, has cost the lives of more than 140,000 people. A third of the country’s population have been turned into refugees. The motley collection of rebel forces has been steadily losing ground since last year. They are also increasingly turning against each other.

Govt Unduly Favouring Employers: CITU

CITU president and a member of the Central Bureau of Trustees (CBT) of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), A K Padmanabhan, addressed on April 7, 2014, the following letter to Oscar Fernandes, minister for labour and employment in the government of India.

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