THE environment of politics and culture is undergoing a major transformation in Indian society and its impact is reflected in Puducherry also. The minorities, the downtrodden and the working classes are continuously being threatened and getting affected. In this context, a Forum for Social Harmony-Puducherry  for uniting all the progressive mass organisations, trade unions, Confederation of government employees associations, civil society organisations, was launched in Puducherry.As a first step, the Forum organised a special seminar in July on ‘Challenges to Social Harmony’.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on August  26THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expresses its serious concern over the violence that has crippled the state of Haryana resulting in the death of over 35 people and serious injuries to over 250 persons.Supporters of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect went on a rampage after their chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted in a rape case by a CBI special court.

WITH the replacement of the Planning Commission by the Niti Aayog, the Fifteen Year Vision, Seven Year Strategy and Three Year Action Agenda process is to come in place of the original Five Year Planning one. While the first two are still being developed, the NITI Aayog released some time back the final version of Three Year Action Agenda (TYAA) for the period 2017-18 to 2019-20, the remaining part of the Fourteenth Finance Commission period. The document claims that it “charts an ambitious, transformational yet achievable Action Agenda for the government during 2017-18 to 2019-20”.

A state-level convention to frame a People’s Health Charter was organised in Ranchi on August 27 under the banner of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), Jharkhand. The convention unanimously adopted a 33-point People’s Health Charter and resolved to successfully pursue it and broaden the JSA in Jharkhand to strengthen the people’s health movement.The convention, inaugurated by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat, was attended by 197 delegates, including 49 women, from 11 districts of Jharkhand.

AFTER months of dilly-dallying, the Reserve Bank of India has finally come out with the figure that nearly 99 per cent of the currency notes demonetised in November 2016, came back to the banking system. The total value of demonetised currency, in the form of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, was Rs 15.44 lakh crores, of which Rs 15.28 lakh crores came back to the banking system, which is 98.96 per cent.