CPI(M)  Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on December 24THE union cabinet today decided to update the National Population Register (NPR) with a financial sanction of Rs 8,500 crores.  The NPR exercise will require people to declare date and place of birth of parents along with furnishing data on 21 additional points.  Most of the data being collected now was not collected in the last NPR exercise in 2010.By the amendment of the Citizenship Act of 1955 and the rules notified on December 10, 2003 by the Vajpayee government, the National Population Regis

MODI has been claiming that his government has become transparent with all its data and services now being on the internet. If this is true, why is his government shutting down the internet? In 2018, and in 2019, India is responsible for almost 70 per cent of all estimated 196 such globally documented internet shutdowns. As we shall see, Pakistan is next, but is way behind – it has only 12 shutdowns compared to our 134! So not only are we world leaders in internet shutdowns, but also way ahead of the competition.This year too, we have the “best” figures; we have 104 shutdowns.

THE joint trade union movement of India has given a call for country wide general strike on January 8, 2020. This will be the nineteenth strike called by the joint trade union movement since the formal introduction of neoliberal policies in our country.The sweep, the coverage of issues and the spectrum of participation in successive strikes have been continuously widening. Workers who are not members of any central trade unions have also been participating in the strikes.

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) welcomes and greets all sections of the people for their countrywide spontaneous response to the call for protest mobilisations on December 19 against the infamous Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

The All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), in a statement issued on December 21, has welcomed the sentencing of former BJP MLA Kuldip Singh Sengar to imprisonment for the remainder of his life, in the Unnao rape case by the Delhi CBI Court. It also welcomed the Court’s directives stating that adequate steps should be taken by the CBI to ensure the life and liberty of the survivor and her family is protected by providing a safe house and change of identity if so desired by the family.