Begging and Criminality

ON Wednesday August 8, the Delhi High Court decriminalised begging in the capital. In the course of its hearing, it had raised the question how begging could be an offence in a country where the government was unable to provide food and jobs; its final verdict is in line with this thinking.

Huge Kisan-Mazdoor Jail Bharo

THE AIKS and CITU have congratulated the people of the country, especially the workers and the farmers, for their overwhelming response to the August 9 Jail Bharo movement. It was expected that over 20 lakh people will participate, but the reports received at the centre as we go to the press show that the number may increase the targeted figure.

Article 35A: Another Divisive Move

THE petition challenging Article 35A of the constitution before the Supreme Court is meant to open up another divisive issue in tune with the Hindutva politics espoused by the BJP and the RSS.Article 35A was introduced by a presidential order in 1954 to safeguard the rights and guarantee the unique identity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. This provision gives the Jammu and Kashmir legislature the right to decide who are permanent residents of the state and confer on them special rights in acquisition of property, in public sector jobs and social welfare.

WEST BENGAL: CM’s Concerns on NRC are Doubtful

CPI(M) West Bengal state secretary Suryakant Misra in a statement issued on July 30, has demanded that all citizens residing in Assam should be enlisted in NRC.He said people of West Bengal are concerned about developments in Assam. It is doubtful whether the statement of the West Bengal chief minister in this regard is actually aimed to address this concern. The role of TMC in the past on citizenship issue is one reason for this doubt.

The Week in Parliament

THE monsoon session of Parliament began on July 18, with obituary references to departing leaders including Md. Amin of the CPI(M) who passed away on February 12. New CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP Elamaram Kareem took oath on the first day of the session.LEGISLATIVE BILLSThe Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was taken up for discussion in Rajya Sabha. In his maiden speech, Elamaram Kareem opposed the Bill and said that in the name of ‘road safety’, there is some hidden agenda behind this.

Enact Comprehensive Legislation for Agricultural Workers

AGRICULTURAL workers play an important role in agricultural production, of food as well as commercial crops. They make up the largest share of all working people in our country. According to the last Census in 2011 there were 14.43 crore agricultural workers in India. This is about one third of our country’s workforce and 55 percent of the rural workforce. With continuing agrarian crisis, large numbers of small and marginal farmers are compelled to abandon cultivation and join the ranks of agricultural workers. Thus, their number has been rising steadily every year.

Strategic Partnership Model for Defence Acquisitions: Ready for the Next Scam?

THE Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC), the apex decision-making body for all domestic and international defence acquisitions, as well as for indigenous R&D, finalised guidelines for the vaunted Strategic Partnership (SP) Model under which foreign manufacturers would tie-up with identified Indian partners for manufacturing the concerned platforms in India.

Ranking Universities

THE proposal to eliminate the University Grants Commission and to tighten political control over the higher education system in India, has been mooted at the behest of Narendra Modi who is apparently concerned about the dearth of Indian names among the top-ranked universities in the world. This concern is not confined to Modi alone; it is shared by large numbers of persons in the country’s political establishment, and by many in the general public.

No Indian Must be Excluded in the NRC in Assam

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on August 1THE National Register of Citizens (NRC) was part of the Assam Accord which decided on the cut-off date of 1971 to determine the question of illegal migrants settled in Assam. The work for preparing such a register did not proceed until the Supreme Court intervened and under its directions and supervision, the draft NRC has been prepared.has been noticed that there are a lot of anomalies in the preparation of the draft. A large number of women have been left out despite the fact that the Supreme Cou

TAMIL NADU: Opposition leaders call for overthrowing BJP Govt

SPEAKING at a seminar on “ challenges facing India” at Chennai organized by the Tamil Nadu Platform for People’s Unity on July 29, the leaders of the CPI(M), Congress, DMK and CPI said that Modi government has failed on all fronts and called for ending the BJP rule.CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said that India is facing multiple challenges. The four pillars of the Indian constitution are severely attacked by the BJP government. It has failed on four major fronts ; economy, democracy, social justice and ensuring the state government rights.

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