Online News Media & Other Content: Big Leap towards Censorship

THE government announced new Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 last week, superseding the 2011 Rules which mainly addressed intermediaries. The new rules provide for regulation of all kinds of online media, including intermediaries like Facebook or Google, over-the-top streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime, messaging services like Twitter or Whatsapp, and news and current affairs websites.

KERALA: Jathas Culminate with Massive Rallies

IN a glittering effort to mobilise people for the furtherance of development in Kerala, two marches – ‘Vikasana Munnetta Jatha’ (Taking Forward the Development March) – organised by the LDF has drawn tremendous response from every section of voters. The marches reached out to people in all 140 assembly constituencies and were structured to activate the LDF cadres and sympathisers in the run-up to the assembly elections scheduled for April 6. The northern and southern jathas culminated successfully on January 26 with massive rallies in Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur.

Challenges in the Forthcoming Assembly Elections

THE schedule for the assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamilnadu, Kerala and the union territory of Puducherry has been announced. It stretches from March 27 to April 29.These elections have their own importance for each state, given the political background specific to that state. However, taken together, they have a wider national significance.

American Factor in the Indo-Pak Equation

INDIA and China have agreed to begin 'a workable and sequential' disengagement and de-escalation at all the heavily armed “friction points” in eastern Ladakh.

Clarion Call of International Women’s Day Onward on the Struggle Path

THE decision to observe International Women’s Day focussing on the issues of women was taken by the second international conference of socialist women held in Copenhagen, in 1910. In 1911, millions of women marched on the streets on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Over the years March 8 has come to be accepted and observed all over the world as International Women’s Day.The origin of International Women’s Day lies in the struggles of women workers against their exploitative working conditions and to assert their rights and this struggle continues to this day.

Agrarian Question and National Political Situation

THE ongoing farmers struggle at the borders of Delhi, under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha(SKM) is not a spontaneous protest. This struggle, the largest in mass participation and striking power since independence, is the continuation of the agitations by the peasantry and the working class during the last three decades against the State policies, especially the neo-liberal policies being imposed on the people by successive union governments.The big capitalist class in India faces a decisive crisis.

Fifteenth Finance Commission: A Neoliberal Boost to Fiscal Centralisation

THE headlines suggest that the 15th Finance Commission (15th FC) has not let down the states when deciding on their constitutionally mandated share in the divisible pool of the centre’s tax revenues over 2021-26. It has more or less stuck with the 14th FC’s recommendation to set the states’ share at 42 per cent, reducing it by just 1 per cent to take account of the conversion of Jammu and Kashmir from a state into two union territories.

Finance Commission Recommendations to Cities Paltry

THE road map for the next five years for devolution of funds to the states as recommended by the 15th Finance Commission(XV FC) is ready. The XVFC has met in the last few years and the previous year was the year of Covid pandemic and as a natural corollary-lessons to be learnt. However, the recommendations of the XV FC tend to belie the aspirations of the states and the people from getting a due share. The structure of recommendations is reduced on the basis of need and equity and more discretionary with the union.

Punjab: School Named after Comrade Surjeet

PUNJAB state government on February 12, 2021 issued a notification naming the school where Comrade Surjeet studied as: “Comrade Harkishan Singh Surjeet Senior Secondary School, Bundala”. The CPI(M) state committee has welcomed and appreciated this decision of the Punjab government and especially the chief minister , Captain Amarinder Singh. It may be mentioned here that an announcement to this effect was made on the occasion of 2nd death anniversary of Comrade Surjeet by then deputy chief minister of Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal, while paying tribute to Comrade Surjeet.

The Unnao Tragedy

FEBRUARY 18, Basant Panchami was a day when cold, wintry days were replaced by balmy spring weather. A day of rejoicing. For the families of Komal, Kajal and Roshni, young teenagers closely related to each other, Basant Panchami will always bring back memories of young lives blighted by violence.In the afternoon of that day, the three girls went as usual to collect fodder from the fields. When they did not return after a couple of hours, Kajal’s mother, Bitola, and Roshni’s brother went looking for them.

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