THE May 9 incidents of violence in Sri Lanka brought into sharp relief the deteriorating situation caused by the grave economic crisis which has gripped the country. The economic crisis has now engulfed the political system and the entire society.At the heart of this maelstrom is the Rajapaksa family regime. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who wields executive power has pressurised his elder brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, to resign as prime minister in an effort to salvage the tottering regime.

COMRADE MNS Venkataraman (65), Tamil Nadu state secretariat member of CPI(M), passed away due to cardiac arrest on May 1 at 10.45 pm. He was returning to Madurai after addressing a May Day meeting at Cumbum, Theni district. He was travelling in a bus and on the way when he felt uneasy, and the bus crew helped him with a drink at a roadside shop where he took his last breath. He is survived by his wife, Padmini, and son, Surya.Born on May 17, 1957, in M Reddiyapatti village, Comrade Venkataraman graduated with B.Sc. (Geology) at Tuticorin.

THE 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemns the attacks launched on the education system by the present BJP dispensation. The pace of privatisation and commercialisation of education, an integral part of neoliberal policies, increased after the BJP came to power.  The intention is to withdraw the State from education and let private corporates occupy that space. These policies are a direct attack on quantity, quality and equity in education.During the pandemic, closure of educational institutions, sudden push towards online learning added to the distress.

THE 23rd Congress of Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemns the gross apathy of the Modi government towards the plight of the crores of migrant workers in the country.While accurate data on the number of migrant workers is not available, data from the Census of India 2011 indicate that there were 5.6 crore inter-state migrant workers in India. In 2020 their number was estimated at 10 crores.  Their labour is vital to all sectors of the economy. They work in the formal and informal sectors, in urban and rural areas, and in agriculture, industry, and services.

THE experience of the Covid pandemic has demonstrated the need for strong and responsive public health system. The Indian experience in the pandemic exposed the shortcomings of the public health system in the country and the robustness of the government health sector in Kerala.India has one of the most privatised public health systems in the world, with minimal government investment in health. The combined expenditures of the union and states on health have been around 1 per cent of GDP.