TWO BJP governments in Rajasthan and Haryana have amended their Panchayati Raj laws to expand the list of disqualifications with regard to who can stand for panchayat elections. These laws lay down the basic minimum educational criteria, two child norm and several other bizarre conditions for a candidate to be eligible for standing for elections. The changes within the Haryana law have been opposed by democratic women’s organisations and the AIDWA even challenged it in the Court.

THE Narendra Modi government is winding up the National Development Council, an apex body consisting of the prime minister, the concerned central cabinet ministers, and all state chief ministers together with their concerned cabinet colleagues, which supervised the planning process in the country, gave final approval to the various five-year plans, and met periodically to take stock of issues and policy measures relating to economic development.

ON the initiative of the Assam State Kisan Sabha, the first ever state-level convention of jute cultivators was held in Kolgachia of Barpeta on December 13-14, 2015. The convention began with an open rally on December 13, which was attended by around three thousand people including a large number of jute cultivators. The greater Kolgachia area was once a flourishing place for jute cultivation as the landmass is conducive for the crop. However, the cultivators are not getting remunerative prices any more and many of them have switched over to other crops.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has alleged that Indian media was gradually distancing itself from the reality of the country. Ruling classes have taken nearly total control of the media. Working class and its woes are rarely represented in the mainstream media. There was practically total silence about the all India strike by trade unions on last September 2; media did not even mention a word about the three-lakh strong rally in Delhi. Yechury lamented that farmer suicides and the present famine like conditions in 18 of the 29 states of the country did not make news.

THE All India Kisan Sabha has organised a condolence meeting on January 4, 2016 to pay tributes to Comrade Noorul Huda at the AIKS central office, in New Delhi.  The meeting was presided over by S Ramachandran Pillai, vice president of AIKS. Hannan Mollah, general secretary of AIKS, Suneet Chopra, joint secretary of AIAWU, PMS Grewal, Delhi CPI(M), Swadesh Devroye, national secretary of CITU, Sivadasan, SFI president, Maimoona Mollah, AIDWA, Nathu Prasad, Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch spoke on the occasion remembering the contributions of Com Noorul Huda.