THE discussions took place in the background of a war imposed on Syria using the weapons of the USA, France, Britain, Israel and Saudi Arabia. According to FAO figures more than two billion people live in countries experiencing conflict and violence today. It is the poorest and most vulnerable who are affected physically. Nearly 900 million are victims of hunger and malnutrition in these countries which are concentrated in four regions: West Asia, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central America and Eastern Europe.

THE extended executive committee of the Trade Union International of workers in agriculture, food, commerce and allied industries met in Paris on June 5-7, 2019. 39 members from 22 countries took part in the discussions. Suneet Chopra,  AIAWU joint secretary and executive committee member of TUI and V S Nirmal, (national secretary, BKMU) who was present on behalf of Nagendranath Ojha, attended the meeting. The discussion was centred on continuing the work and decisions taken in its secretariat meeting in Havana from January 18-20, 2017 followed up by the Lisbon meeting in April 2017.

AT the statewide call of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) Maharashtra state council, thousands of farmers came on to the streets in several districts on June 1, just two days after the newly elected BJP regime of Narendra Modi at the centre took office.

OVER 300 participants including intellectuals, university professors, college students, scientists, bankers, lawyers, labour unions, women’s organizations, social activists, media-persons and others, deliberated on the continuing agrarian crisis over three days on March 01–03 at the national conference of the ‘Nation for Farmers Forum’ in the India International Centre, New Delhi. Very significantly, the audience in the India International Centre included large numbers of young people, several in their early twenties.

THE All India Kisan Sabha, in a statement issued on February 18,  had pointed out that the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi was only aimed at creating an illusion of a farmer-friendly government while vast majority of the peasantry, especially landless and tenant farmers were excluded from the scheme and the amount per peasant was pittance.