The Zika Crisis Needs a Global Response

GLOBAL concerns about a new viral pandemic have started making headlines barely weeks after resolution of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. The virus responsible for panic buttons being pressed, with the WHO declaring a ‘public health emergency of international concern’, is the Zika virus. Threats to health at a global scale in the form of epidemics caused by viruses are now too frequent to view these threats as one-off events.

Commodities and Democracy

CAPITALISM is a “spontaneous” system, in the sense that it is a self-driven entity propelled by its own immanent tendencies.

Disability Rights Organisations Raise Concern

The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) and National Federation of the Blind (NFB) have jointly issued the following statement on February 9.

AIAWU Demands Doubling of the Budgetary Outlays for MNREGA

THE All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU), in a statement issued on February 10, has called on the agricultural workers of the country to unite against the attack on their most effective social security law, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

Thinking Together

More than 65 years after our Constitution was passed, is it not time to do away with reservations based on caste? Is it not true that all poor people should be given the benefit of reservation in government jobs and educational institutions?R K Singh, Bulandshahr, UPRESERVATION for socially, educationally and economically backward castes is a provision in our Constitution. This has been given wide acceptance because of the long history of social discrimination suffered by those belonging to the Scheduled Castes (earlier known as ‘Untouch

CPI(M) Greets Lao People’s Revolutionary Party on its Tenth Congress

The following is the text of the message of greetings sent by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party on the occasion of its 10th Congress. The message was sent on January 15.DEAR Comrades,THE Communist Party of India (Marxist) greets the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party on the occasion of its 10th Congress and wishes the Congress all success. We are confident that the discussions and the decisions will lead to the strengthening of the Party.

Condolences for Sushil Koirala

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury pays respect to former prime minister of Nepal and Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala in Kathmandu. Koirala, who was elected prime minister of Nepal on February 10, 2014, died of pneumonia at his residence on the outskirts of Kathmandu on February 9. He was 79. He had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Yechury was part of an Indian delegation which visited Nepal to pay tributes to Koirala. The delegation was led by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

HARYANA: Birth Centenary of Comrade Harkishan Singh Surjeet Observed

THE trio of anti-people economic policies, communalism and authoritarianism is ruling the country today. This trio wants to become trident. The people of the country and the Left shall have to stop this from happening otherwise it would be disastrous for the people. This was said by Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the CPI(M) and member of parliament. He was addressing a meeting at the Matu Ram Community Centre in Rohtak, on February 7 on the occasion of the birth centenary of Comrade Harkishan Singh Surjeet.

CITU Denounces Govt moves for Strategic Sale of PSUs

The following is the statement issued by the Centre for Indian Trade Unions on February 5: AS per a report in one of the leading national English dailies, The Hindu dated February 5, 2016, the government of India is planning to go in for strategic sale of some of India's most efficient and highly profitable public sector undertakings (PSUs). It is also planning aggressive disinvestment of shares in other PSUs. This obviously is meant to hand over our country’s basic economic strength at cheap rates when the stock market is depressed, thus benefiting the global players.

TRAI Bars Facebook's Data Colonialism

ON Monday, February 8, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued its regulations barring differential pricing of data based on content. This has been welcomed widely as a step forward in keeping the internet free from capture by an emerging alliances of global internet monopolies and telcos. Indeed, TRAI's decision goes beyond what Federal Communication Commission (FCC) in the US had decided on net neutrality. Currently, the FCC is enmeshed in a variety of what are called zero rating cases, and hearing them on a case to case basis.

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