THE birth centenary of Jyoti Basu - one of the most revered Communist leaders, was celebrated in West Bengal on July 8 with a variety of programmes including blood donation camps, seminars and cultural programmes. A central public meeting was organised by Jyoti Basu Birth Centenary Committee at Nazrul Mancha in Kolkata, attended by thousands of people and addressed by Left leaders and intellectuals. Red flags were hoisted at the CPI(M) offices throughout the state.

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on July 8:

THE first railway budget of this BJP-led NDA government is a cosmetic exercise, high on rhetoric and low in substance. The emphasis had been in high-sounding bullet trains and commercial freight corridors with no budgetary calculations to back up. The entire emphasis is to attract FDI and to undertake all further expansion and modernisation through the ignominious PPP route.

DEVASTATED! Or is it too mild a word to explain the emotions of all the fans of Brazilian football, not to speak of the Brazilians, after the 7-1 semi-final routing of Brazil at the hands of Germany? Brazilians wanted to exorcise the ghosts of their loss in the final of 1950 World Cup at the Maracana, till now considered as a national tragedy, by hosting and winning this World Cup at home. That was not to be.

THE Narendra Modi led NDA government is going ahead with its plans to gradually finish off the public procurement mechanism in a move which will adversely affect livelihoods of millions of farmers, seriously compromise the food security of the nation as well as mean further increase in food grain prices for the masses. The ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution has issued a letter to states regarding change in policy of procurement for the central pool. This will dismantle even the present weak public procurement as well as the price support system to India’s farmers.

“THE issue of poverty estimates has been the subject matter of public debate in and outside parliament. Government respects and is fully conscious of the sensitivities of the people on this issue…The government has also taken a decision to set up a technical group to revise/revisit the methodology for estimating poverty in a manner which is consistent with the current realities.” This extract is from the government’s press note in March 2012 on the appointment of C Rangarajan as the chairman of the technical group.