Unprecedented Strike; Unprecedented Response

THE Telangana chief minister, who often creates ‘sensational news’, himself inadvertently confirmed the wide magnitude of the united strike of TSRCTC workers. Out of total 49,190 workers, 48,000 plus workers are on strike at the call of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Telangana SRTC Employees and Workers’ Unions since October 5 early morning. From the agitated reaction of the chief minister, the serious impact of the strike becomes obvious.

India’s Rank on the Global Hunger Index

THE news that India’s rank in 2019 according to the Global Hunger Index (GHI) was 102nd among the 117 countries for whom this index was calculated (it is not calculated for countries where hunger is not a problem), instead of causing consternation as it should have, has generated a rather inconsequential debate. This debate ironically has been concerned with two issues.One is whether India’s rank which was 55 in 2014 has fallen dramatically to 102 in 2019.

CITU All India Conference Logo Released

THE logo for the 16th all India conference of the CITU was released in Chennai by A Soundararajan, chairperson of the reception committee. The conference is going to held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu from January 23-27, 2020.The reception committee has started its work with mega planning which includes massive fund collection as well as broader campaign. To accelerate the works, the committee has opened its office in Chennai.The office of the reception committee was inaugurated by veteran comrade, V Meenakshi Sundaram, former editor of The Marxist, Tamil.

Centenary Celebrations of Indian Communist Movement Begin

ON the call of the CPI(M) Central Committee, Party units across the country observed the centenary celebrations of the formation of the Communist Party in India on October 17. Thousands of people joined rallies and marches in several places to mark the historic occasion. Below we publish reports on the observance that we have received from various states as we go to press.WEST BENGALThe Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, the venue of the centenary celebration meeting, reverberated with the slogan of Inquilab Zindabad.

BSNLEU on Union Cabinet’s Decisions on Revival of BSNL & MTNL

THE union cabinet, in its meeting held on October 23, 2019, has approved a revival package for BSNL and MTNL and the same has been announced in a press conference, by Ravi Shankar Prasad, minister for communications & IT. In his briefing to the press, he stated that BSNL and MTNL are the strategic assets of the nation and that they would not be closed down, or disinvested or handed over to any third party. The minister also highlighted that it was BSNL which has served the nation and the people in times of natural calamities.

BEFI Congratulates Bank Employees for Successful Strike

THE Bank Employees Federation of India in a statement issued on October 22, has congratulated the bank employees all over the country for making the all India bank strike on October 22, a huge success. The strike call against the merger of public sector banks and related issues was given jointly by the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) and All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA).BEFI expressed gratitude to the All India Reserve Bank Employees’ Association, All India Regional Rural Bank Employees Association and organisations of officers, viz.

AP: CPI(M) Demands High Level Enquiry into One Lakh Acre Land Grab in CM’s Home Dist

ONE lakh acres of land in Kadapa, the home district of YS Jaganmohan Reddy, chief minister of Andhra Pradesh have been said to be grabbed by bigwigs, mafia and non-local industrialists. CPI(M) delegation comprising BV Raghavulu, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, Party district secretary Anjaneyulu, state committee member Narayana and other leaders visited the villages in Rajampet revenue division on October 14 and met the farmers and people. The local people explained to them about the land grab and illegal/forced transfers.

To Make a Bigot into an Icon

THE BJP’s election manifesto for the Maharashtra assembly election has proposed that Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the father of the Hindutva concept, be conferred the title of ‘Bharat Ratna’. This is part of the ongoing strategy of the BJP-RSS combine to legitimise the Hindutva ideology and to create icons out of rabid communal figures such as Savarkar. In order to do that, the RSS and the BJP are busy myth-making about Savarkar being a great freedom fighter and nationalist par excellence. It is necessary to debunk this myth-making and expose the designs of the Hindutva forces in this regard

The World Economy in Decline

THE European Central Bank last month pushed its benchmark interest rate to minus 0.5 per cent, which means that if it gives a loan of 100 euros then it would be paid back only 99.5 euros at the expiry of the loan. This has started a new trend: in countries like Germany, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic and even Greece, the yields on government bonds have been pushed into the negative region. Lenders to these governments in other words are willing to pay for holding government bonds.

Telangana: Transport Corporation Employees on Strike Since Oct 5

TELANGANA State Road Transport Corporation employees have been on strike since October 5, but there is no resolution in sight due to the government’s irresponsible stand and unilateral action. All opposition mass organisations, parties, and employees, teachers and workers’ unions have announced their support and solidarity. The protests have been continuing in many ways. The RTC Joint Action Committee has announced the future course of action. All parties, including the CPI(M), have agreed to participate in the programme in support of the strike and make it a success.

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