First NPRD Conference :A New Chapter in the History of the Disability Movement

DECEMBER 6-9, 2013. Place: Kochi. History was in the making. And the authors of this report were not just witnesses. They were proud participants as well. For the first time ever, elected delegates from different cross disability organisations in the country assembled in this city of Kerala to script a new chapter in the history of the disability movement in the country. And write they did with honours.

Bangladesh Set for Polls amidst Turmoil To Avoid Constitutional Crisis

AMIDST continuous violence and refusal of the main opposition party BNP and allies to participate in the poll, Bangladesh is going for election to constitute its 10th parliament on January 5, 2014 next. Ruling Awami League leaders said without the participation of the main opposition party, elections to national parliament is not a happy thing. But there is no other alternative other than going for election as the tenure of the present parliament will end on January 24 next. To avoid a constitutional crisis, elections have to be held before the tenure of the present parliament expires.

AIDWA condemns ‘Honour Killing’ in West Bengal

AIDWA strongly condemns the heinous incident of so-called ‘honour killing’ which took place recently in village Eruar, under Bhatar Thana, district Burdwan, in West Bengal. Mousumi Shah (17) and ShambhuBagdi, an agricultural labourer in the village, had been in love for some time and in the face of opposition to their marriage from Mousumi’s family, left the village together a few days back and took shelter in the house of a relative in the neighbouring village of Pichkuri under Ausgram Thana. According to some reports, they had already got married.

AIKS Flays India’s Abject Surrender

THROUGH a statement issued from New Delhi on December 7, 2013 by its president, Amra Ram, and general secretary, Hannan Mollah, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has flayed the abject surrender at the WTO ministerial by the commerce minister of the government of India. The organisation has demanded that the government refrain from accepting the provisions of the unequal ministerial decision on public stockholding for food security purposes without discussion with and approval of the Indian states and parliament.

Indefinite Struggle by ‘Bisi Oota’ Workers In Karnataka Achieves Hike in Wages

BEHOLD the woman with a 3 year old girl-child in her lap sitting on the road in Gandhinagar, the heart of Bangalore city – until heart beats with their heartfelt woes. For the heartless ‘High-Tech’ Bangalore and to its officials, she appears as a stubborn woman sitting amongst other women and is a hindrance to the free-flow of traffic.

Abolish Manual Scavenging TNUEF Pickets the Seat of Power

THE law remains on paper on various issues. But, the most cruel issue is using humans to clean the human waste. Many judgments and orders have been issued by the Supreme Court and various High Courts. The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 was passed in the parliament. The employment of the scavengers or the construction of dry (non-flush) latrines is punishable under the law. There will be imprisonment for upto one year and/or a fine of Rs 2,000. The sad part of this is that till date there is no single conviction under this law.

Employment during the Boom

THERE exists a whole tribe of economists, by no means a small one, which debunks every attempt at income redistribution in the country as “populism”, and which insists that the growth of the Gross Domestic Product must be given absolute priority. This tribe applauds Narendra Modi’s “development” agenda, which entails enticing corporates, both domestic and foreign, to invest in one’s own domain by offering them generous incentives.

Central Committee Communique

THE Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in Agartala, Tripura from December 13 to 15, 2013. This is the first time that the meeting of the Central Committee of the Party has been held in Tripura. After the meeting, the Central Committee has issued the following statement on December 16:

CONDOLENCE
The Central Committee adopted a condolence resolution paying homage to Nelson Mandela, Võ Nguyên Giáp, Shyamali Gupta, member of the Central Committee and Y Radhakrishnamurthy, former member of Andhra Pradesh secretariat of the Party.

Carry Forward the Struggle against Corruption

FINALLY, the Lokpal has been institutionalised as a mechanism to tackle corruption at high places in the country. The Bill adopted by the parliament incorporating most of the amendments suggested by the Rajya Sabha’s select committee was passed by the Rajya Sabha and sent back to the Lok Sabha which endorsed it, thus making it finally a law of the land.

CPI(M) to Strive for a Real Alternative Govt at Centre

THE city of Agartala turned into a red sea of humanity on 15th December as the CPI(M) held its mammoth central rally to mark the end of its first ever central committee meetings in the capital city of the Red bastion in North East. The mass meeting at the newly constructed Vivekananda Stadium (formerly known as Astabol Maidan) virtually saw the beginning of the CPI(M)’s campaign for the forthcoming Lok Sabha election.

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