DYFI Pledges to Defend Secularism in the Country

ON the occasion of the 68th Independence Day of the country, the youth in Kerala took a pledge to uphold the unity and integrity of the country and fight against the divisive and communal forces who are aiming to destroy the secular fabric of the country.

CPI(M)’s Initiative in Palliative Care in Kannur Dist

COINCIDING with the 66th anniversary of the death of legendary Communist P Krishna Pillai, on August 19, 2014, 1789 volunteers under the banner of the Initiative for Rehabilitation and Palliative Care (IRPC) visited households in Kannur district inhabited by people requiring palliative care. It is estimated that in Kerala, around 0.3 to 0.4 percent of cancer patients require palliative care, which would mean that around 200 persons in every panchayat in the state, totaling to a whopping 1.25 lakh patients require palliative care. Seeking to intervene in the situation and provide some relief

Fifteen Left Parties Jointly Call Anti-imperialist Rally in Kolkata

FIFTEEN Left Parties of West Bengal have jointly called for a peace rally against imperialist aggression on September 1 in Kolkata. The rally will march from Ramlila Park in central Kolkata to Deshbandhu Park in the north of the city. The Left Parties have called upon all Left parties, organisations and intellectuals to join in this united protest against imperialist machinations and war in different parts of the world.The Left Front has commemorated September 1, the beginning of the Second World War through Germany’s attack on Poland, as anti-imperialism day for long.

“Depending On the State”

RAJASTHAN chief minister Vasundhara Raje is planning to reduce several government schemes of social support to the poor because she says that the “people should not become too dependent upon the State”. If she was only re-casting the schemes, or getting rid of some schemes to put in place others with similar intent but greater effectiveness, or removing support to the poor in one form to provide it in another form, then her proposals might merit scrutiny; and a discussion at an empirical level might ensue on which of the alternatives would be more effective.

U R Ananthamurthy

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on August 23.

THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) mourns the passing away of U R Ananthamurthy, renowned writer and social activist. Ananthamurthy had created a style of writing with social relevance in Kannada which had a big impact on Indian literature.

A socialist by conviction, Ananthamurthy was a firm advocate of secular values, pluralist culture and social justice. In his death, the country has lost a public intellectual of great calibre.

By-election Results Signify a Trend of Waning Modi “Euphoria”

EIGHT days before it completes its first hundred days, the Modi government and the RSS/BJP suffered a major setback in the recently held by-elections in Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. Out of a total of 18 seats, the BJP could only win ten this time. In comparison to the leads that the BJP and allies registered in the 2014 general elections, when they had eight out of the ten seats that went to polls in the by-elections in Bihar, they could win only four seats. And, that too, with very narrow margins. For instance, it won the Banka seat by a wafer thin margin of 711 votes.

Gaza: Back to the Stone Age

A CEASE FIRE agreement between Israel and the Palestinians was finally announced on August 26. Hamas as well as the aggressor is claiming victory. Most observers are predicting that the latest agreement would bring a halt to the terrible suffering of the Palestinians in the Gaza at least temporarily. The international community has chosen to stand aside and watch as Israel continued with its bloodletting in the Gaza Strip from July 8. The Palestinians have said that they would no longer be satisfied with a “quiet for quiet” deal.

CPI(M)’s Ekta Colony for Muzzafarnagar Riot Victims Inaugurated

TURN this Ekata Colony into a symbol and centre of resistance against communal forces.” With this inspiring call, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member M A Baby inaugurated on August 24 a colony at Jola village, around 40 km from here, for the people uprooted from their villages and homes during last year’s communal riots in the district and its adjoining Shamli.

The Week in Parliament

DURING the discussion regarding the spread of Encephalitis in some parts of the country, A Sampath pointed out that our country is in the grip of many diseases. There is an old saying that prevention is better than cure. What measures have we adopted for preventing these diseases? It is because of the water-logging in vast areas that these diseases are there. So, the main cause is water. We are not able to distinguish between safe drinking water and the water that has been polluted and where mosquitoes breed. Another issue is solid waste management.

Janashakti Festival 2014 Held

Janashakti (Kannada weekly magazine) as part of the Janashakti Festival 2014 has organised a seminar on ‘Media and Social responsibility’ on August 17. Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member inaugurated the seminar. He said the media has a social responsibility as it is the primary source of information for people to make an informed choice. But the corporate-controlled media is being used for manufacturing public consent. He also released Janashakti Independence Day Special.

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