The Week in Parliament

THE CPI(M) has opposed the Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Bill, which was brought in to settle tax disputes between individual and the income tax department without any penalty or interest. Speaking against the bill in Rajya Sabha, CPI(M) member Elamaram Kareem said the scheme was highly discriminatory against honest tax payers. It is, like, regular tax payers got no relief but dubious persons against whom the government cannot impose what they preach.

‘Unions in Action’ SFI holds students’ union convention

ON February 29, office bearers of students’ unions across the nation came together to join the efforts to resist the dark phase in the country; to unite against the steeply growing politics of hatred, particularly against state-sponsored attacks on Muslims in Delhi; to join hands for peace.‘Unions in action’ is one of the very prominent steps to bring together such students’ unions across the country, which have been upholding progressive stands in the fight against the oppressive Sangh regime.The convention took place following a collective call of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’

‘Time to Use Our Resources to Save Lives’

The general secretary of CPI(M), Sitaram Yechury, has written a letter to the prime minister on March 23. Below we publish the text of the letter.THE country and the people are in the midst of the grim battle against the spread of COVID-19. In many states, a general lockdown is being enforced to stop the community spread of this lethal virus.During such lockdowns, it is imperative to scale up the testing of people particularly those with declared symptoms. On this basis, specific areas that are vulnerable can be identified and a lockdown to be enforced in such a

Observe March 22 as People’s Solidarity against Coronavirus

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on March 20THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) appeals to the people to observe March 22 as a day of People’s solidarity in the fight against the coronavirus.However, since the prime minister has not proposed any concrete steps to deal with the health and economic aspects of this fight, the CPI(M) appeals to the people to observe the day with the following demands:1. Scale up testing for the virus to cover the widest sections of people, especially those with some symptoms like cold, fever, cough etc.2. Announ

Pandemic and Socialism

IT is said that in a crisis everybody becomes a socialist; free markets take a back seat, to the benefit of the working people. During the Second World War for instance, when universal rationing was introduced in Britain, the average worker became better nourished than before. Likewise, private companies get commandeered to produce goods for the war effort, thus introducing de facto planning.Something of the sort is happening today under the impact of the pandemic.

Bengal Famine: In the Service of People and the Country

IN 1943, Bengal faced one of the worst famines in Indian history. Grave situation prevailed in Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Assam. Hunger deaths, scarcity and failure of the official machinery defined this period. Food prices rose by 300 to 1,200 per cent. Food became unobtainable for common people. Food queues became a normal feature. According to news reports, nearly 125 million people were starving and many were eating locusts and leaves for their survival.

The National Coronavirus Lockdown

FOLLOWING the prime minister’s address to the nation on the evening of the March 24, the GOI strategy for dealing with the potential stage 2 to stage 3 transition of the covid-19 epidemic is now evident. They are hoping to break the transition by a full national curfew, curtailing mobility on a huge scale, in which the government itself is to shut down except for particular sectors.The 21-day lockdown is likely to extend further, by at least a week, to 28 days.

Kerala’s Response to Covid-19

IT was in the latter half of December 2019 that the cause of an illness that was spreading across Wuhan city in the Hubei province of China was ascertained to be a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Now, almost three months later, the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has affected 195 countries and territories across the world, ie, the entire world has been gripped by the pandemic.

Despite US Blockade, Cuban Pharma Industry Producing Needed COVID-19 Medicines

ALTHOUGH there is no preventive vaccine or specific treatment at this time for the new coronavirus SARS COV-2, which causes COVID-19, the Cuban pharmaceutical industry is guaranteeing production of proven, high efficacy treatment medications, including recombinant human interferon alpha 2b, in addition to another group of drugs that are included in protocols for treating patients with this disease and the complications that may arise.According to the president of BioCubaFarma, Dr Eduardo Martínez Díaz, in this effort the company has taken into account the experience of China, via a guide pu

Lockdown: What about the People?

THERE have been two national broadcasts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the tackling of the coronavirus pandemic, yet there is no economic package still from the government to meet the imminent economic recession and the massive disruption to the livelihoods and incomes of the people.The second speech of the prime minister on March 24 announced a countywide lockdown for 21 days.

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