EXACTLY twenty years ago, a major financial crisis had hit the countries of East and South East Asia in July 1997. This crisis was a watershed in the history of third world development, in the sense that these “tiger economies” which had seen extraordinarily high growth rates until that time, remained permanently crippled thereafter.

THE week began with an uproar in the Lok Sabha over the recent incidents of lynching. Along with other opposition members, CPI(M) MPs gave adjournment motion notice, but it was disallowed by the Speaker. Speaker suspended six Congress MPs for five days after they stormed into the well of the House, tore papers and hurled them towards the chair. The House was disrupted on the second day on the same issue.

ON July 27, 2017, over eight hundred women enthusiastically marched from Mandi House to Parliament Street in New Delhi, demanding the passage of the long pending Women's Reservation Bill (WRB) in the monsoon session of parliament​. Several women’s organisations participated in this protest.Women came not only from Delhi but also from the rural areas of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Women marched shouting slogans, holding colourful banners, buntings and placards.

THE current BJP led government spares no effort to seek new avenues that have the potential to contribute to the profits of private enterprises. To promote such efforts a recurring policy thrust has been on privatisation of public services.  Virtually all public services – energy and water supply, transport, roads and infrastructure, education, and healthcare – are being privatised. While the government argues that private providers will bring in new investments and provide services more efficiently, there is no evidence that this ever happens.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statements on August 1 DRAWING a wrong interpretation from the Supreme Court decision, the gates of Sardar Sarovar Dam have been closed. The Supreme Court decision had clearly stated that only after proper rehabilitation of the dam-affected was done and after the affected had been given compensation, could they be removed after July 31.Arrangements for more than 40,000 families of the affected have not been completed. Peasants have not got any compensation.