THE usual folklore is that winters in North India, Delhi in particular, come to an end with Holi. But this year, Holi had gone, but the chill is still lingering, reflecting the times that our country is passing through. On one hand – riots, protests, anger and on the other the novel virus – Covid-19. All these are giving rise to a serious doubt, is Shelley right: ‘when winter comes, can spring be far behind’!It’s those December days in Delhi, when cold bites. No one prefers to come out. Everybody wants to lie in the bed with super warm blankets wrapped around them.

TWELVE member official (government) delegation from Telengana visited Kerala on March 7, it has opined that Kerala government’s intervention to control the threat of novel corona virus is exemplary and a model for all. They were talking to the media after their consultation with K K Shailaja, minister for health.  Kerala has been successful in preventing the spread of the deadly virus.Telengana has also been taking exemplary precaution. All states are following the guidelines of World Health Organization. But the measures taken by Kerala can be considered as model to follow.

THE 13th state conference of the AIKS Haryana state was held on March 7-8 at Jind. On March 7th a public meeting was held which was attended by a large number of kisans. Because of hail and heavy downpour the venue of the rally had to be changed. The space of the public meeting fell short and a large number of people had to stand in outside the venue. The public meeting was addressed by Ashok Dhawale, Amra Ram, Inderjit, Phul Singh and Harpal Singh.Ashok Dhawale spoke in length about the present condition of the kisans in the country.

AFGHANISTAN’S seven-day “reduction in violence” plan negotiated by the US and the Taliban commenced on February 21. Subsequently, the two erstwhile warring parties signed a deal to bring peace to Afghanistan on February 28. America promised phased withdrawal of its military forces from Afghanistan. It is hoped that this will mark the beginning of end of the American involvement in nearly two-decade-old Afghan war which began after the September 11 attacks.The ambiguous US-Taliban agreement signed in Doha, Qatar, was negotiated for more than one year.

BIHAR government must clarify its stand on the NPR; it must issue a gazette notification to withdraw it; the government must also pass a resolution against the CAA. These were the foremost demands of a mass rally in Patna, held in Gandhi Ground on February 26, with the slogan of ‘save constitution, save citizenship’.