Labour Law Reforms: Some Reflections on the Contemporary Debate

THE Modi government announces its big ticket labour market reforms. Branded as Shramev Jayate, these labour reforms have the objective of pleasing both labour and capital and removing the ‘obstacles’ to economic investment and growth. But Modi is not alone in trying to please labour and capital in one stroke. Even those politically opposed to him are arguing that labour reforms are needed and that they should be suited to address the problems of labour market rigidities which have traditionally held back economic growth.

Recovery of J&K from Devastation of Floods

INDIA is a land of festivals. Almost every other day there is some or the other festival, but the festivity reaches its peak as the time of the harvest of rice approaches. This is also the time when Kashmiri apples reach the national and international markets. But, this year the season of festivals has brought a long series of destruction and worries for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The devastating floods which the state saw in the first week of September are completely unprecedented for this ‘heaven on the earth’.

ANDHRA PRADESH: Declare Cyclone Hudhud as National Calamity: CPI(M)

VISAKHAPATNAM, one of the most beautiful cities on the East Coast, was devastated by Cyclone Hudhud which hit Andhra Pradesh on October 12. The devastation was unprecedented. In fact, the whole northern region of Andhra Pradesh was badly affected by it. Due to development of technology, several agencies like NASA, ISRO and IMD had warned about the magnitude of the cyclone five days in advance, but the state government was not in a position to take up relief measures even two days after the cyclone hit the state.

Capitulation on IP: Reaching a Point of no Return?

THE government has chosen the occasion of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the US to articulate a vision on Intellectual Property (IP) protection that promises to radically reshape the Indian IP system (as reported in this column a couple of weeks back). What is of particular interest is the contrast between the BJP led government’s present stance on IP and the BJP’s position on the floor of Parliament when India’s Patent Act was being amended in 2005, in order to make it compatible with the TRIPS agreement.

The Nehruvian Economic Strategy

THIS being Jawaharlal Nehru’s 125th birth anniversary, much is being written about him and the economic strategy he pursued. The corporate-controlled media are full of articles criticising the “inward looking” dirigiste economic strategy that Nehru, along with PC Mahalanobis who was in charge of the planning process for much of the Nehru era, was supposed to have introduced.

Diesel Price Deregulation, Hike in Natural Gas Price

ON October 17, the Modi government has announced its decision of total deregulation of diesel price, besides declaring an increase in the price of natural gas with a provision of revising it every six months. The entire media reported the decision and the move with a warm welcome. The entire big business lobby also loudly welcomed the move.

KERALA: Youth Organisations Register a Historic Victory

MARKING a historic victory, the youth organisations in Kerala ended the four-day long indefinite hunger strike led by the LDYF when all its demands were approved by the state government. The Left Democratic Youth Federation, a platform of Left and democratic youth organisations had launched a massive hunger strike in front of the State Secretariat building in Thiruvananthapuram, on the burning issues faced by the youth in the state as well as the common people.

Kisan Jathas Reach 30,000 Villages in Bengal

KISAN jathas, organised by the West Bengal Provincial Krishak Sabha (AIKS), traversed through nearly 30,000 villages for five days, interacting with people, raising burning issues and building the confidence for greater struggle in the days to come. This was a unique programme with thousands of activists of peasant movement participating and thousands others attended. On their way, the jathas braved terror, intimidation and direct attack.

Jammu & Kashmir Flood Relief Fund

Kerala State Committee36,80,715West Bengal State Committee18,91,366Tripura State Committee15,16,000Delhi State Committee3,05,000Tamil Nadu State Committee2,00,000Rajasthan State Committee1,05,000Mumbai Shramik Sangh1,00,000Subhashini Ali62,000Haryana State Committee50,000Madhya Pradesh State Committee25,000Chattisgarh State Committee25,000CC units22,157Jagadamba ZC, Andhra Pradesh16,315Odisha State Committee15,000Jharkhand State Committee10,000Nagpur DC, Maharashtra10,000Individual donations from Delhi6,100Total

Left Parties to Meet on Nov 1 to Chalk out Nationwide Joint Campaign

ADDRESSING media persons in Kolkata on October 17, 2014, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said that various Left parties are coming together on a nationwide platform for a joint campaign. In the political situation after the Modi government was formed, there is a rightwing offensive. In order to counter this, there is a need for a strengthened Left, which is possible only by forging a wider Left unity.

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