Withdraw Draft EIA 2020: CPI(M)

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat, in a letter to union minister for environment, forests and climate change, Prakash Javadekar on July 17, has conveyed the Party’s objection to the Draft Notification for Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 2020.Below we publish the full text of the letter.IT is clear enough that India’s environment regulation structure is not robust and needs correction. EIA is part of this structure.

Boastful claims of FM and Fallout

THE finance minister, in her article captioned “Bold decisions pronounced under PM Modi” in Times of India, dated July 14, 2020, has praised the former prime minister, Narsimha Rao for his immense political will for dismantling the four decade old command and control model. Nirmala Sitharaman, in this article, has glorified several policy decisions of the governments headed by A B Vajpayee and Narendra Modi. Truly these policy decisions were responsible to take the country's economy towards pro-corporate and were against the interest of the common man.

The Rajasthan Tussle

THE political drama in Rajasthan, consequent to the revolt of Sachin Pilot who was the deputy chief minister and PCC president, is still unfolding. But the essential contours have become clear. The inner tussle in the Congress cannot be separated from the BJP’s drive to destabilise non-BJP state governments, in particular Congress ones. Since the Modi government came back to power in May 2019, first the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka was toppled in July 2019 followed by the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh in March this year.The BJP has been using hybrid tactics for destabili

India Must Follow Transparent, Reliable, Scientific Clinical Trials Protocols

Below we publish the statement issued by the All India People’s Science Network, a network of 40 people’s science movements working in 25 states, on July 5DEVELOPMENT of vaccines and medicines that treat Covid-19 are extremely important elements in the ways to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic. Around 150 vaccine candidates are currently undergoing pre-clinical and clinical trials globally, though none are yet available.

AIDWA Begins Newsletter

THE All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) has in the month of July 2020 taken two new initiatives, as per the decisions of its central secretariat.First, AIDWA has started its online bi-monthly newsletters in English and Hindi to propagate AIDWA’s campaigns, struggles and views on various current political, economic, social and legal issues in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown. The first newsletters were circulated on July 1, 2020.

Trump’s Attack on WHO a Cover-up for its Abject Failure on Covid-19

TRUMP’s decision to withdraw from WHO is a continuation of his wielding a wrecking ball to the international framework of treaties and organisations. Whether it is arms control treaties, climate change, trade and now WHO, the US sees these agreements and institutions as fetters on its hegemonic powers to shape the world. Trump may express this pathology in its most ugly form, but the disease runs far deeper.Trump’s excuse for withdrawing from WHO is that it did not do its job well on the Covid-19 epidemic and was soft on China.

US and India have another commonality: evicting the tenants

THE congruency between the US and India is increasing over the years. Both have strong leaders, who reciprocated ‘very bravely’ to the Covid-19 pandemic: “the virus cannot affect us”; and the results are in front of everyone. India is fast catching up to the US in the total number of Covid affected patients. Thanks to the common genetic material between both the leaders-Trump and Modi: stubbornness and not science is the guiding material.There is another commonality between the two and that pertains to the period of the pandemic.

Release All Political Prisoners

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on July 13THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expresses grave concern over the deteriorating health condition of several jailed political and human rights activists. Some of them have been reported to have contracted Covid-19 in jail. The deplorable conditions in the overcrowded jails, which lack even basic facilities has contributed immensely to their deteriorating health condition. Many of them have co-morbidities and have been on medications since long.It has been reported that Akhil Gogoi has tested positive.

Rescind CBSE Decision on Syllabus

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on July 11THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly disapproves the decision taken by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), of excluding crucial chapters from classes X-XII course on citizenship, nationalism, secularism, federalism and all other aspects fundamental to our constitutional order.

Reject Online Exams

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on July 11THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) rejects the unilateral proposal made by the University Grants Commission through a circular issued on July 6. This imposes a homogenous national pattern of online/open book examinations where physical mode of examinations may not be possible under the conditions of the pandemic and lockdown.Internet connectivity in the country is still around 36 per cent only.

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