THE National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled, in a statement issued on October 13, expressed deep shock and profound anguish at the untimely death of Dr. G N Saibaba.It was just a few months ago that he was released after being incarcerated for ten long years. He was implicated in false cases and had to continuously wage legal battles before finally being acquitted by the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, it was a freedom that was short-lived.A person with disability, Saibaba had certain pre-existing health conditions.

ON October 8, 2024, a public meeting at Shivaji Mandir Hall in Dadar, Mumbai was organised by parties of the India bloc and various social organisations to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and denounce the Israeli genocide of children, women, medical personnel, journalists, activists and citizens in Gaza. This programme was part of the nationwide call by the Left parties, marking one year since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.Hundreds of activists from different political parties of the India bloc and social organisations participated in the event.

SEVERAL international organisations are now engaged in the business of measuring what they call “poverty”. The World Bank has been in it for some time, but now we have a new measure of “Multidimensional Poverty” brought out by the UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). Neither of these measures however actually measures poverty; they typically end up “prettifying” neo-liberal capitalism.

A CONDOLENCE meeting for Comrade Sitaram Yechury was held at the Maharashtra Samaj Hall in Ahmedabad on October 2, 2024. Leaders from the Congress Party, CPI, New Socialist Party, and various trade unions attended the gathering. Those unable to attend, sent their condolences including messages from Suresh Mehta, former chief minister of Gujarat, and Professor Hemant Kumar Shah, an economist.

THE climate crisis that the humanity faces has been addressed by bourgeoisie theorists as a non-class issue to be resolved either by restraining consumption or by internalising climate costs in prices that disfavours polluters. The presumption for such theories is that individual consumption patterns involve increasing use of energy and particularly fossil fuel and to restrict carbon emissions climate action calls for restricting consumption.Tax on polluters and subsidizing green goods alters the price signals in the market and facilitates ecologically sustainable consumption habits.