Kerala Shows the Way: Says No to Centre’s Smart Meter Project

IN a historic move, on August 25, 2023, the Kerala government declared its decision to not implement the central government-imposed TOTEX model prepaid smart metering project. This notorious TOTEX model prepaid smart metering initiative, operating under the framework of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), is designed to generate profits for private corporations such as Adani and TATA.

How Modi Govt has Saffronised Education

WITH the formation of the RSS-BJP central government under the leadership of Narendra Modi in 2014, a national level saffronisation campaign in education began in right earnest. After returning with a huge majority in 2019, this campaign reached its pinnacle. In this second phase, the National Education Policy (NEP) was implemented in the entire country by bypassing the parliament amidst the calamity of Covid pandemic and ensuing lockdowns. The basic purpose of this National Education Policy-2020 is the policy of centralisation, commercialisation and communalisation.

CPI(M) Delegation Visits Muzaffarnagar

A CPI(M) delegation comprising Polit Bureau member Subhashini Ali and John Brittas, member of parliament, Rajya Sabha visited the family of the young Muslim boy on August 30, who had been so cruelly treated by his teacher who is also the owner of the school.The delegation met Irshad and Rubina, the boy’s parents, and the young boy in their joint family home in village Khubbapur, Muzaffarnagar. They are poor people. Their two older sons are working in Chandigarh.

Behind BRICS Expansion

AT the Johannesburg summit of the BRICS countries, it was decided to expand the group beyond its original five, namely, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, to include six more countries. These are: Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. These six it appears were chosen out of a list of twenty-two countries which had been keen to join the BRICS grouping. What is more, government sources in South Africa which currently chairs BRICS have revealed that as many as 40 countries have been interested in joining the group.

AIKS Holds Workshop for Hindi States

THE Hindi states workshop organised by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) on August 25-26, 2023 at Harkishan Singh Surjeet Bhawan in New Delhi was a successful and encouraging initiative. It was envisaged as a workshop focusing on current political challenges and organisation. 86 leading AIKS activists from 15 states attended.The workshop was planned in the context of the enthusiasm and growing struggles, especially in the Hindi Belt region, on genuine demands of the peasantry facing acute agrarian crisis.

AIDWA Convention Calls for National Rally in October

THE “BJP-RSS Hatao, Mahila Bachao, DeshBachao” National Convention organised by the All India Democratic Women’s Association was held at the Surjeet Bhavan, New Delhi on August 17, 2023.

Karnataka: People’s Convention Resolves to Fight the Cost of Living Crisis

THE ‘Bangalore People’s Convention,’ held on August 20 at the Shikshakara Sadana auditorium, aimed to collectively tackle the cost of living crisis. Drawing over a thousand participants primarily consisting of IT employees, the programme was organised by the local committee of the IT front of the CPI(M). Notably, it was a unique gathering led by newly unionised IT sector employees, focusing on the urban cost of living crisis.

WB: Jailed Leaders in Jalpaiguri Released on Bail

TAKING a cue from Mamata Banerjee’s remarks before the press on August 14 blaming the "Marxists", specifically CPI(M), for the Jadavpur University student’s ragging death, the Jalpaiguri unit of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) assembled anti-social elements and rowdies, and on the pretext of staging a dharna in front of the district SFI office, attacked and vandalised the CPI(M) Jalpaiguri district party office, Subodh Sen Bhavan, on August 16.

Assembly Bye-Election in Tripura: Left Front to Give a Big Fight

ON August 8, 2023, the Election Commission of India (ECI) declared bye-elections for two vacant assembly seats in Tripura. The elections are scheduled to occur on September 5, while the vote counting is slated for September 8. Among the constituencies, the 23-Dhanpur assembly constituency became vacant immediately after the assembly election.

New Technology and Unemployment

THE use of new technology has triggered an anxiety of job loss across the world. In advanced countries repetitive jobs at the middle levels are increasingly being replaced by use of intelligent machines empowered by artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IOT). An array of new technologies seems to be inaugurating a technology revolution with the use of AI, IOT, big data, block chain, 5G, 3D printing, robotics, drones, gene editing, nanotechnology and solar photovoltaic.

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