Below we reproduce the speech of Manik Sarkar, chief minister of Tripura at the meeting convened by the prime minister on the restructuring of the Planning Commission held on December 7, 2014.
THE premise of sustainable development is that it should be non-discriminatory and equitable as well. Discriminatory practices in the name of development have disastrous consequences as the people of Bhopal had experienced at the hands of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), a US Transnational Corporation (which is currently owned by the Dow Chemical Company, USA).
CREDIT Suisse brings out a Global Wealth Report every year. The current year’s report takes up for specific discussion the issue of wealth inequality. The term “wealth” in the report covers only household wealth and refers to the value of assets at current prices; it includes in other words capital gains and hence the effects of speculative factors.
AN unequal battle was fought on the streets of Kolkata on December 3, observed worldwide as the International Day for Persons with Disabilities. The battle was between disabled people of state and the Kolkata police.
SUN Raha Hai Na Tu (Are you listening?) is a campaign against violence on women; violence which is perpetrated not only on the body of a woman but also on her conscience. Molestation, eve-teasing, comments, rape and even murder has become a common thing for the girls and women in Delhi-NCR. It has perhaps become a common thing for all of us. We have perhaps started forgetting the anger that was stirred and roused in us by the tragic and brutal incident of Nirbhaya case in 2012. We were all on the roads asking for “Justice” for Nirbhaya.
WEST BENGAL
TENS of thousands of people marched through Kolkata streets on December 6, denouncing designs of communal forces. The massive rally, at the call of 17 Left parties, firmly asserted the secular democratic culture of West Bengal.
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on December 11.
THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the religious conversion of around 300 Muslims, mostly poor migrants from Bihar and West Bengal in Agra through false enticement, force and intimidation by the RSS/BJP.
ON December 7, 2014, Prime Minister Modi called a meeting of the chief ministers with the agenda `Replacing Planning Commission’. He was, thus, implementing his decision to dismantle the Planning Commission without any prior consultations with the elected chief ministers of the Indian states.
THE central government, which had adamantly refused to accept any resolution of the issues arising out of the hate speech by its minister Niranjan Jyoti, was forced to accept a compromise resolution read out by the chairman of the Rajya Sabha.The episode highlights various facets of the BJP or rather the Modi style of governance.From the initial response of the prime minister it was clear that he had no intention of addressing the protests rightly expressed by the opposition in both Houses of Parliament. He was present on the first day itself in the Lok Sabha but refused to say a word.
COMING days will be days of massive struggles – this was the message that emanated from different parts of the country on December 5 from the huge gatherings of workers and employees. The national protest day was observed on December 5 by the joint platform of all central trade unions and national federations.