The Minister for Labour and Employment, Mr.Mallikarjun Kharge has stated that it is proposed to start 1500 ITIs in order to tackle the skilled workers shortages in the country. He was speaking at Coonor where he was to attend the Annual Conference of the United Planters Association of South India.
This clearly shows that while there is unemployment on the one side, even the available work are not being given, especially in the government and public sector. The Minister should pressure the government to fill up the vacancies in the government and PSUs for better governance and performance.

2G scam – No charge about loss to exchequer!
The charge sheet against the 17 accused in the 2G scam has been filed a few days back by the CBI Court. While the conspiracy and cheating charges are there, it is surprising that there is no charge of causing loss to the exchequer. While the CAG has stated that there is a loss of about Rs. 1.76 lakh crore, the CBI earlier stated that the loss is about Rs. 33,000 crore. But in the charge sheet the losses are not mentioned according to the reports in the media. Has the CBI reached a conclusion that there is no loss to the exchequer?
In this connection it is to be noted that from the first the present Communications Minister, Kapil Sibal has been maintaining that there is zero loss. The Prime Minister was also taking the same position and in fact defended minister Raja till the last moment. There seems to be a valid reason for taking such a line. During the enquiries as also from the documents it has become very clear that all the decisions former minister A.Raja have taken, the Prime Minister was consulted and the cabinet / Group of Ministers have jointly taken the decision on all aspects of the allotment of spectrum. This has brought the role of the former Finance Minister P.Chidambaram in focus and also the Prime Minister. How can the CBI prepare a charge sheet accusing the Prime Minster of the country? Naturally, the charges have been issued leaving the monetary loss to the government.
The big corporate are also involved in the scam. Naturally charges against them will cause a wrong message to the MNCs and big business and jeopardise the neo-liberal policies. Charges have been suitably tailored.
What is going to happen to the case in such a situation? Just like Bofors case, whether the case will continue for years and at last it will go in to thin air without punishment to anybody?
Let us wait and see.

The first telegraph services were introduced in India 160 years back on 24th October 1851 between Calcutta and Diamond Harbour. Years have passed quickly and by the first quarter of the 20th century, it became the quickest mode of communications. The Telephone was introduced in the meantinme and since it was quicker and more convenient, the importance of telegraphs got reduced. After the introduction of modern equipments like teleprinter, Fax etc. the use of telegraphs got further reduced. In India also the telegraphs started giving way to fax, teleprinter and of course to telephones.
The Telegraph Offices all over the country which employed more than 25000 of employees in P andT has now reduced to skeleton services in main cities alone.
But once it was the pride of the British India and later Independent India. But as everywhere else the, latest technology replaced telegraphs.

Today, 24th October 2011, the United Nations Organisation (UNO) is completing 66 years.
UNO was formed after the end of the II World War, at the initiative of USA, Britain, USSR, France and China which defeated the fascist forces led by Adolph Hitler. It can be said as a continuation of the League of Nations which was formed after I World War but could not stop the II World War. UNO was formed to ensure world peace and for international co-operation in various fields. At present there are 193 countries represented in the UNO.
Although it was formed for ensuring world peace, later developments have shown that due to the adamant, aggressive and unilateral actions of the United States, especially after the collapse of the USSR, the UNO has become a victim of pressure tactics. It could not stop the US aggression in Afghanistan, Iraq etc.
However, UNO has survived and had made great efforts in the realms of education, health, co-operation etc. India is now a non-permanent member of the Security Council, which is the governing body of the UNO.

The recent protest demonstrations and actions including the ‘Occupy Wall Street’, ‘Occupy London’ movements against the inequality, job loss, austerity measures etc. in US and European countries and the fact that these protesters are using the photos of the revolutionary Che Guevera and Lenin and quoting from Karl Marx etc. have angered some of the media barons. How the youth and jobless can chant slogans against capitalism and imperialism? Communism is already in the grave, why bring that spectre again? They are naturally angry and have started attacks more aggressively than before.
One Editorial, “Let us Occupy Walled Street” in a prominent daily abuses and ridicules the left in bad language. Another daily has a full page article, “Left in the Lurch”, again ridiculing the Communist leaders including Sitaram Yechury, Bardhan and others and also giving valuable advises as to how to organise the party in the present situation!
The symptoms are very clear. These pundits are worried about the left ideas and ideology being spread by the protesters, that too in the capitalist countries. They know that if it spreads, just like in the Carrebian and South American countries, it will be a big debacle for capitalism. And they have donned upon themselves the mantle for defending the crisis ridden capitalism.

The historic St.Paul’s Cathedral in Central London was closed on 22nd October due to the squatting of the ‘Occupy London’ protesters. This is the first time the cathedral has been closed in the last seventy years. Last time it was closed was at the time of Second World War 1940-45.
Hundreds of protesters are squatting in front of the Cathedral with banners like ‘Put an end to corporate greed and inequality”, “Capitalism is crisis” etc. The Cathedral is situated near the London Stock Exchange which control the trading.
Not only in London, in addition to United States, turbulent protests are going in almost all the European cities against inequality, job-loss and unemployment. The crisis of the capitalist system is aggravating and the struggles are strengthening.

The Department of Posts is proposing to reduce the number of Railway Mail Sorting (RMS) offices from the present more than 400 to less than 80. This is being done as per the recommendations of the Mckensey Consultancy which was appointed as part of implementation of the neo-liberal policy of the government. This will completely derail the RMS services and delay in transition of mails. Workers will be shifted to far away places.
The RMS unions have decided to oppose this anti-worker, anti-people proposals through agitations.
Earlier the Department of Posts had decided to close about 1,000 post offices in the name of reforms, but had to retreat after NFPE and Postal Unions went on agitation.Such proposals are mooted by the government to support the private couriers and to exit from the postal services gradually.

BSNL workers are on the cross roads. A crucial point has reached to select whether we support the anti-worker, anti-BSNL policies of the government or fight against it to save both BSNL and the workers. The JAC has decided for the second choice. JAC is fully convinced that it is only through sustained struggles that the anti-PSU policy of the government can be defeated and BSNL and workers saved.
United struggle of all the workers is required for the same. It is with this conviction that JAC has been contacting and trying to bring all those unions which are not in the JAC now. JAC decided to organise the strike on 10th October against the VRS, settlement of ITS absorption, restoration of the cancelled benefits to the workers, Bonus as also on the issues related to the development and expansion of BSNL. In order to bring the NFTE, the date was changed after consultation with them. Now after consultation with NFTE, the date of strike has been decided for 15th November 2011. I have personally met General Secretary, FNTO and requested him to join the united movement. I hope that all will join in the united movement and organise the struggles with massive participation to make the management and the government to understand their wrong approach and correct it.
Start preparations immediately to make the strike completely successful.

After a very long period of inquiry, the CBI Court, Delhi has issued charge sheets today, 22nd October, to 17 accused in the 2G scam including former minister A.Raja, Kanimozhi, former DOT Secretary Sidhartha Behura, former PA to Minister R.K.Chandolia and others. The charges include conspiracy, cheating etc. for which punishment can be from seven years to life imprisonment.
But what about others who are also stated to be directly or indirectly involved? What about the former Finance Minister Chidambaram who approved the policy? What about the Prime Minister who is fully aware of the issue? What about the other private companies like Tata who are stated to be involved as the other private companies against whom charge sheets are issued?
All these issues create doubts about the role of the CBI, whether it is being pressurised to take a certain route by the Government.
People of the country want to see that the culprits, who ever high they may be, should be caught and punished, of course after the natural course of law.