Chhattisgarh: A Fight against School Closures, Layoffs, and Saffronisation

THE state of school education in Chhattisgarh reveals a troubling situation with numerous vacancies and shortages. Over 3,000 schools are without principals, and there are 8,194 post of teachers, more than 22,000 assistant teacher posts, and 2,524 lecturer posts are vacant.

Decline in FDI Inflows

ONE of the main arguments advanced by the proponents of liberalisation policies in developing countries including India is that capital would flow to the global South in search of higher rate of return. This would create new investments and hence growth and employment would increase. Also, the inflow of foreign funds would bring tangible outcomes of higher technological learning which are embodied in machines and organisational culture.

Boeing Troubles… In Space and Elsewhere

WHEN Boeing’s Starliner CST-100 spacecraft was successfully launched on June 5 earlier this year to the International Space Station (ISS), Boeing and NASA heaved a sigh of great relief. The launch was the first crewed flight test of Starliner, carrying two very experienced test-pilots and, one could say, veteran astronauts, Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore. Starliner was originally scheduled to launch its first crewed mission in 2017, but a long series of glitches and problems had seen multiple postponements, so the relief in early June was palpable.

Assam: Opposition Parties Demand CM’s Removal over Communal Incitement and Law and Order Failures

THE law and order situation in Assam has rapidly deteriorated in recent weeks, marked by growing communal tensions. The BJP-led government, headed by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has been fanning communal hatred and failing to provide adequate protection to minority communities and 'outsiders' (non-indigenous people).Under the current administration in Assam, there has been an increase in incidents of horrific crimes, including sexual assaults, rape, and murder across the state.

AIKS Delegation Visits Flood-affected Tripura

Amra Ram submitted a memorandum to the prime minister on the huge devastation caused by floods and landslides in Tripura. The memorandum recounted the huge devastation of houses, shops, crops, mainly paddy and vegetables, domestic animals, fisheries, roads, bridges, vehicles, and other infrastructure and the resultant miseries to the people, especially the farmers and rural workers due to the unprecedented floods and landslides in Tripura during August 19-24, 2024. The death toll was 32, mainly due to landslides at the above places.

Assam: A Chief Minister Unfit for Office

THE situation in Assam has steadily deteriorated due to growing tensions between communities and certain incidents being used to divide people on communal and chauvinistic lines. The chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, and the BJP-led government are solely responsible for the current state of affairs. Himanta Biswa Sarma has crossed all limits in his Muslim baiting campaign and his divisive rhetoric of ‘indigenous versus outsiders’.

Karnataka: Birth Centenary of S Sooryanarayana Rao Observed

“WE have to carry forward the legacy of S Sooryanarayana Rao in leading uncompromising, militant, united struggles of working class”, declared Tapan Sen, CITU general secretary and Polit Bureau member of CPI(M), while inaugurating the national seminar on ‘Working Class Movement and The Development of Karnataka” on August 24.

The Criminality of Unilateral Sanctions

DURING Modi’s visit to Ukraine (why he visited Ukraine at all at the present time remains a mystery), Zelensky asked India not to purchase fuel from Russia in violation of western sanctions, that is, to fall in line with the “unilateral” western sanctions.

CITU Denounces Unified Pension Scheme Calls it Another Dubious Effort to Deceive Employees

THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), in a statement issued on August 25, denounced the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) approved by the union cabinet on August 24, 2024, as another dubious and desperate effort to deceive government employees of their rightful claim to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). CITU urges the restoration of the old pension scheme.The old pension scheme was non-contributory with an assured pension, as per the Central Civil Service Rules, 1972, and later, the 2021 rules.

Mpox Resurgence: Need for Global Coordination and Vaccine Equity

MPOX, formerly known as monkeypox until the WHO renamed it in November 2022 to avoid stigma, is resurging, particularly in Africa. On August 14, 2024, WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) due to a sharp rise in cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighbouring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. This is the second time in history (the first being in 2022 also for mpox) that a PHEIC has been declared for a DNA virus outbreak, highlighting the urgent need for coordinated global efforts to control the virus.

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