Cuba’s Problems Multiply, But Proposals for What to Do Are in Short Supply

THE Cuban economy is the worst it’s been since the “Special Period” following the end of the Soviet Union. The country is in the midst of a years-long economic contraction that’s affecting food production and the availability of medicines.

Comrade Samir Chakraborty

COMRADE Samir Chakraborty, a prominent communist leader, CPI(M) West Tripura district secretariat member, and former Tripura state committee member of the Party, breathed his last at dawn on July 18th at ISL Hospital, Agartala. He had been admitted to the hospital the previous day with multiple health issues, including chest pain. He was a chronic diabetic patient. He was 73 years old.

Reduced Wage Share and the Reserve Army of Labour

THE radical shift in labour relations from regimes of standard employment to fragmented and flexibilised labour force under neoliberalism is signified by a radical shift of responsibilities of the reproduction of labour force from the capitalist employer to the State through the denial of indirect wage payments to workers. One of the major achievements of labour movement in the past was the recognition of elements as constituents of wage and benefits that ensured the reproduction of labour force in its totality.

Budget 2024-25: A Frightening Obduracy

THERE is massive unemployment in the country that especially afflicts the youth; there is a huge and persistent inflation in food prices; there is acute and unprecedented rural distress; there is a crisis in the petty production sector; and income and wealth inequality has reached levels where the whole world is talking about it. One would have thought that a budget presented in the midst of all this would have shown some urgency, some boldness for tackling these issues. But no, not the 2024-25 budget presented by the NDA government to parliament on July 23.

WB: Manikchak Villagers Demand Electricity, Face Police Firing

SEVERE power cuts lasting over twelve hours a day had been going on at a stretch for the past two months. The prolonged outages had caused disruptions in educational and agricultural activities, and children were falling ill due to the sweltering heat. Frustrated with the situation, the villagers of Enayetpur in Manikchak decided on July 18 to rise in protest blocking the road in a demonstration against the authorities. Driven to desperation, they dared to demand a basic necessity: a more reliable power supply.

Anganwadi Helper Rises to the Occasion Amid Floods in Bharuch, Gujarat

IN the wake of severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall in Bharuch district in Gujarat, the low-lying areas have been inundated with water, leaving residents stranded and in dire need of assistance. Amid this crisis, a remarkable act of selflessness and community spirit emerged from Ankleshwar.Bhumi Ben Parmar, an anganwadi helper and a dedicated member of the Gujarat Anganwadi Workers' Union, affiliated to the CITU, took it upon herself to provide relief to her fellow residents. With homes submerged and essential services disrupted, Bhumi Ben Parmar demonstrated extraordinary compassion.

SC Judgement on Relief for Divorced Muslim Women: AIDWA’s Views

THE recent Supreme Court’s judgement in Md. Abdul Samad v. State of Telangana and Another extended the provisions of section 125 of the CrPC to divorced Muslim women. In this case a divorced Muslim wife had been awarded a sum of Rs 20,000 pm by the Family Court which was reduced by the High Court to Rs 10,000 pm under S125 of the CrPC.

Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong

THE Communist Party of India (Marxist) is deeply pained to note the passing away of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) on July 19 at the age of 80. Comrade Phu Trong breathed his last after a period of illness and old age.Comrade Phu Trong devoted his entire lifetime to the revolutionary cause, the country and the people. He was elected as the general secretary of the CPV for three terms and strove hard to build a strong party that plays its role in Doi Moi (national renewal), without severing from the path of socialism.

Pro-Corporate Fraudulent Employment Schemes

THE Indian economy is at a critical cross-road, where the GDP growth is in no way boosting the employment generation capacity. Even within the jobs created, 57.3 per cent are self-employed, 18.3 per cent are unpaid household workers and more than 45 per cent are employed in agriculture. The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme launched in March 2020 has utterly failed to generate employment in manufacturing and strikingly India’s year-on-year manufacturing productivity has fallen by 2.38 per cent in 2022-23.

SKM Decides to Restart Farmers’ Struggle on Burning Issues

THE National Council of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has decided to restart the farmers' struggle and called for coordinated struggle of farmers and workers centered on their livelihood issues in coordination with the united workers movement. The meeting was held at the Harkishan Singh Surjeet Bhawan in New Delhi on July 10, 2024 and it was attended by 145 representatives from 17 States.

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