THE CPI (M) has fielded three candidates for the forthcoming Delhi state assembly polls: Ranjit Tiwari from Karawal Nagar; Madhu Diwakar from Burari and Prem Chand from Dwarka. As mentioned elsewhere in the paper, seven Left parties will be supporting each others’ candidates on 14 seats.

The CPI (M) has appealed to the people of the constituencies from where its candidates are contesting to vote for them on the basis of the Party’s record of struggle for the rights of the working class, other toilers and women and its steadfast opposition to all kinds of communalism.

THE 21st conference of CPI(M) Uttar Pradesh State Committee, held in Bulandshahr from January 10-12, gave a clarion call to end stagnation in the Party and intensify people’s struggles against the twin danger of neo-liberalism and communalism. The Bulandshahr district committee of the Party made elaborate arrangements to make the three-day conference a success and an unforgettable event. The conference venue was named after Captain Lakshmi Sehgal. On the first day of the conference, a public meeting was organised at the Exhibition Ground in the city.

INDIA, we are constantly reminded, is one of the more rapidly growing economies of the world at present; and even though the growth rate has come down somewhat of late, official figures show that it still remains quite high. What is less talked about however is the fact that the magnitude of hunger in India today exceeds that of even sub-Saharan Africa, which is generally considered to be among the poorest regions of the world; and it also exceeds that of what are officially categorised as “the least developed countries”.

ON January 1, 2015 there were 3.68 crore tonnes of foodgrains in India's godowns. This is around one third more than the January buffer stock norm. Buffer stocks are decided for four different quarters of the year. Recently the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs reduced the norms for the buffer stock for two quarters. It was brought down for the January to April quarter from a norm of 25 million tonnes to 21.4 million tonnes, the norm for the quarter starting April has been reduced from 21.20 million tonnes to 21.04 million tonnes. The reduction of the norm has policy implications.

BARACK Obama, Hands Off India' and 'Obama Go Back' cries reverberated across the length and breadth of the country on January 24 on the eve of the arrival of the US president in New Delhi to participate in the Republic Day Parade as the 'chief guest'.