NEO-liberal capitalism has an immanent tendency towards stagnation, which arises because of the operation of two factors: the first is the growth in income inequality that it continuously spawns; since the poor consume the bulk of their incomes while the rich “save” (that is, do not consume) most  of it, consumption demand, and hence overall aggregate demand, tends to fall below the growth of producible output, resulting in a rise in unemployment and unutilized capacity that drives the economy down.This continuous tendency towards a rise in income inequality arises from the fact that, owing

THE Ekalavya episode in Mahabharata is widely known. But it is sought to be embedded in the narrative of valour of Pandavas and their shining tales of struggle for justice. Dronacharya’s extreme act of cruelty on Ekalavya’s incessant effort to accomplish mastery over martial prowess sticks out as a jarring note in the grand narrative of the timeless epic. The modern exponents of Hindutva, in their pernicious act of reconstructing the Indian past, remain busy in rebranding the grotesque caste driven social hierarchy as ‘mother of democracy’.

CPI(M) West Bengal State Committee has announced the immediate launch of an ongoing campaign against the Election Commission (EC). The party contends that the EC is using the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process as a mere pretext for the intentional deletion of the names of legitimate voters in the state. State Secretary Mohammed Salim announced that a major protest rally, involving all Left parties, will take place in Kolkata on October 29, specifically targeting these alleged attempts at voter disenfranchisement.

According to the Second Advance Estimates of Production for 2024–25, farmers cultivating the 20 major Kharif and Rabi crops could have earned nearly Rs 3 lakh crore more if their produce had been procured at prices determined by the Swaminathan Commission’s recommended formula of C2 + 50% (see table -1). The 20 crops include paddy, cotton,  soybean, maize, groundnut, wheat, gram, arhur (tur), rapeseed, jower, urad, moong, bajra, lentil, ragi, sesamum, barley, sunflower, safflower, nigerseed.Since milk, all commercial crops, vegetables, fruits, meat, egg, fish, etc.

The ceasefire in Gaza and the end to the Israeli bombardment and hostilities have been a great relief to the long-suffering people of Gaza. With over 67,000 dead and thousands unaccounted for, tens of thousands injured, and much of Gaza reduced to rubble, the ceasefire has come as a welcome deliverance.The release of twenty Israeli hostages still alive and the reciprocal release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, 250 of whom were serving life sentences, have also brought joy to the Israelis and Palestinians.