COVID-19: The Critical Case of Mumbai

MUMBAI, the financial, commercial and entertainment nerve centre of India, has been under serious distress because of the COVID-19 pandemic.Mumbai generates 33 per cent of the country’s income tax, 60 per cent of custom duty, 20 per cent of central excise duty, and 40 per cent of the foreign trade, 25 per cent of industrial output, 70 per cent of capital formation, 10 per cent of factory employment. The city is one of the top 10 centres of global financial flow, contributing over 6 per cent of India’s GDP.

75th Anniversary of the Victory Over Nazi-Fascism

In the Name of Freedom, Peace and Truth— Against Fascism and WarBelow we publish the joint statement issued by 75 Communist and Workers' Parties on the 75th anniversary of the victory over fascism.THE victory over Nazi-fascism in the Second World War is a major event in History, the memory of which must be preserved and defended in the face of repeated attempts at historical falsification aimed at making us forget the decisive role played by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, by the communists and by anti-fascists from around the world.Genera

The Economic Steps Needed in the Current Period

The nationwide lockdown has been extended by another two weeks. The problems that emerged since the beginning of the lockdown and the difficulties being faced by crores of Indian people particularly the migrant workers, the daily labourers and the poor who are unable to survive will continue to deepen.In this context, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on May 2, has put forward in public domain the economic steps that are needed to be taken by the government in the current period.

US Trade War on China Takes a Corona Viral Turn

THE Trump administration has expanded the trade war against China to now include the Covid-19 pandemic. With more than a million already infected in the US and about sixty thousand dead, Trump’s assertions in February that this is just a small flu has now been replaced by China did it, even talking about making China pay reparations. A part of this is Trump’s dire need to scapegoat someone, or some country, for the US total incompetence in handling the Covid-19 epidemic. But that is not all.

CITU Calls Upon Frontline Workers to Observe Demands Day on May 14

AS Covid-19 cases increase in the country, there has been an alarming rise in the number of frontline workers getting infected with the deadly virus, mainly due to the lack of safety gears. At least four senior doctors have reportedly died so far due to the novel coronavirus. Nurses and other hospital employees, including sanitation workers at the bottom of the hierarchy, who are more prone to infection are getting infected in large scale. Many hospitals had to be closed.The worst sufferers are the scheme workers, who are treated as ‘volunteers’ when it comes to the question of wages.

The Reality behind Write-Off of 68,607 crore rupees

THE information of write off of Rs 68,607 crores of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) from 50 top wilful defaulters obtained from Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under Right to Information Act (RTI) by Saket Gokhale has been widely shared in the media throughout the country. This news has evoked many arguments, discussions and explanations in the social media. A section of the people argues that “it is only a technical write off; it does not mean that the borrowers would be allowed to go scot free.

Redevelopment of Central Vista-Futile Exercise and Waste of Money

A FASCIST leader wants to leave an imprint of his glory; the footprint does not just limit to the polity, rather extends to a wide spectrum that includes art and architecture. If the construction of Volksshalle was the idea of Hitler, designed and planned by Albert Speer, the proposal of construction of a new parliament building along with the redevelopment of the Central Vista in Delhi by Modi and his prime architect, Bimal Patel is another parallel, to a similar idea.

A Dangerous Course

DESPITE repeated demands by the states, the centre still has not released what is their legitimate due, namely the compensation for their revenue loss owing to the introduction of GST; this has not been paid since August. Meanwhile the Covid-19 pandemic, while adding to the responsibilities of the state governments, has dried up their revenues owing to the lockdown. The main sources of revenue now left to them, leaving aside GST, are taxes on petro-products and alcohol, and stamp duty.

CPI(M) with the People in Combating this Pandemic

THE relaxation of restrictions from May 4 onwards, even as the national lockdown continues till May 17, as was widely anticipated, led to a record peaking of the Covid positive cases and consequent deaths. On May 5, India recorded 3875 new cases in a single day spike, 2.5 times higher than the daily average increase over the past week. The highest number of deaths recorded are between May 4/5 - 194.

War on Workers

THE war on the Covid-19 virus is quickly transforming into a war against the working class in India. In parliament, in March this year, the government had stated that there are estimated to be around 100 million (10 crore) inter-state migrant workers. A vast majority of them would have lost their livelihoods with the lockdown being imposed. They have lost their places of stay and were driven to desperation by lack of food and shelter for their families.

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