A state-level convention to frame a People’s Health Charter was organised in Ranchi on August 27 under the banner of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), Jharkhand. The convention unanimously adopted a 33-point People’s Health Charter and resolved to successfully pursue it and broaden the JSA in Jharkhand to strengthen the people’s health movement.The convention, inaugurated by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat, was attended by 197 delegates, including 49 women, from 11 districts of Jharkhand.

AFTER months of dilly-dallying, the Reserve Bank of India has finally come out with the figure that nearly 99 per cent of the currency notes demonetised in November 2016, came back to the banking system. The total value of demonetised currency, in the form of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, was Rs 15.44 lakh crores, of which Rs 15.28 lakh crores came back to the banking system, which is 98.96 per cent.

THIS Independence Day, the Modi government has yet again made it clear that in our country, none but one person has the freedom of speaking his ‘Mann ki Baat’. Not even the democratically-elected chief minister of a state.Before the Independence Day, Doordarshan Tripura had recorded a speech of Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, which was to be telecast on August 15.

A HUGE rally was organised in Visakhapatnam on August 26 to protest the government’s move to privatise public sector undertakings. The CPI(M) city committee organised the rally from the railway station to the RTC Complex on the slogan: ‘Save Public Sector, Save Visakhapatnam and Nation’. Hundreds of people joined the rally which ended with a public meeting at the RTC Complex.Addressing the public meeting, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member B V Raghavulu said that privatisation of public sector companies was an anti-national act. The public sector units were built with the money of the nation.

Q: Why CPI(M) did not participate in Patna anti-BJP rally on August 27, whereas almost all anti-BJP parties including Left parties like CPI and RSP were present?