Peoples Democracy newsletter

NAJ, DUJ Blast Bills on Media

Stress Necessity of Tripartite Autonomous Media Commission to Save JournalismTHE National Alliance of Journalists (NAJ) and the Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) in a joint statement on August 10, expressed their deep distress at the way bills affecting the media and personal liberties have been bulldozed through parliament without proper debate. The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2023 includes surveillance clauses, which means surveillance of citizens including journalists and their sources.

On Digital Data Protection Bill

FOR those following the twists and turns of the Digital Data Protection Bill, the one submitted on August 3, 2023, is the third reincarnation of the draft bill. The first was the one drafted in 2019 by Justice BN Srikrishna based on the Supreme Court's Puttuswamy judgement, which held privacy as a fundamental right. Justice Srikrishna's draft protected this fundamental right: the individual's right to privacy in the digital age.

Two Dangerous Bills Passed by Parliament

CONTINUING with its avowed policy of throwing open the country’s natural resources for exploitation by private capital without regard to either the people or the environment, the Modi government has rushed through parliament two laws that will have dire consequences. One is to amend the Forest (Conservation) Act (FCA) and the other to amend the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act. Passed in 1980, the FCA had strict provisions for preventing arbitrary de-reservation of lands designated as forests. The intention was to conserve the forests from reckless depredation.

CTUs Observe Quit India Day

FOLLOWING a call issued by the National Convention of Workers, jointly organised by the Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and independent federations/associations on January 30, 2023, the Quit India Day was observed across the country on August 9, 2023 by toiling masses with the rallying cry "Save the Nation, Save the People."August 9 holds a unique historical significance in India's struggle for independence from British Rule. It marks the ‘Quit India’ day when a clear ultimatum was presented to the foreign rulers, demanding their departure from India.

Central Committee Communique

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi on August 4-6, 2023. It has issued the following statement on August 7.MANIPURThe Central Committee expressed its indignation at the fact that for over three months now the ethnic conflict with communal dimensions in Manipur is raging leaving hundreds dead, tens of thousands displaced and surviving in relief camps under inhuman conditions. The culpability of the state government is clear enough.

Youth Unemployment and Growing NEET Segment

HIGH unemployment rates among youth in the past three decades have been a major concern in India’s labour market. Although unemployment rate among youth has increased during the pandemic and the rate of absorption during recovery continues to be low compared to other age groups, but it is not only related to the pandemic. In fact, for the age group 15-24, the ratio of employed people within the age group was quite high in the nineties which declined in the first two decades of the new millennium and stands at 23.2 per cent in 2020.

135th Birth Anniversary of Muzaffar Ahmad: ‘Fight against Plunderers Shall Go On’

COMMEMORATING the 135th birth anniversary of Muzaffar Ahmad, affectionately known as Kakababu, the West Bengal state committee of the CPI(M) held a meeting on August 5, in Kolkata.

CPI(M) Writes to Delhi Police Commissioner to Act on Provocative, Communal Campaign

Niger Is the Fourth Country in the Sahel to Experience an Anti-Western Coup

AT 3 am on July 26, 2023, the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum in Niamey, the capital of Niger. Troops, led by Brigadier General Abdourahmane Tchiani closed the country’s borders and declared a curfew. The coup d’état was immediately condemned by the Economic Community of West African States, by the African Union, and by the European Union. Both France and the United States – which have military bases in Niger – said that they were watching the situation closely.

WB: Victory Won by Rigging Cannot Undermine People’s Struggle

THE 10th panchayat elections in West Bengal were marred by massive fraud, vote looting, and manipulation at the counting centres, reducing the electoral process virtually to a farce. These can no longer be called “unprecedented” because such methods of widespread election rigging have characteriSed virtually all Bengal’s local body elections in the past decade. There is almost a consensus now that a major characteristic of the electoral process in Bengal is the incidence of pervasive rigging of elections.

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report Big protest action against bribery, drugs and crime against women THE CPI(M) in Tripura has organised a statewide protest movement on three key demands – dismissal of state minister Sudhangshu Das who admitted to accepting bribe from contractors and government suppliers, immediate identification and arrest of the drug-traffickers who transported two huge consignments of banned Eskuf cough syrup, and prompt action against the perpetrators of several recent dastardly... Read More	report SIR aims to overthrow democratic system, must be rolled back Read More	report Kochi Global City Project to generate 1.20 lakh direct jobs and 3.6 lakh indirect jobs Read More	PB Statements Ensure Ceasefire in Gaza Read More
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