The serial ‘Looting and leaving’ the country continues with the full knowledge of the Government, whether UPA or NDA.
Looting the country, the banks and the hard earned money of the common people and then leaving the country with the connivance of the ruling party and government continues. Lalit Modi, Vijay Mallya and now Nirav Modi. Whether UPA or NDA, there is no difference. These looters have high level political connections even with the Prime Ministers, what to say about other leaders. It is reported that even after FIR was filed against Nirav Mody, he was present in the Davos meet and photographed with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister! Look out notices will be issued when the scam is exposed, but well before that these barons will leave for foreign countries with the loot. Case will be filed, it will continue for years with out any decision and at last people will forget and these cheats will return and continue further loot.
They will never be caught because the rulers will be exposed when the looters open their mouth. Hence it becomes the necessity of the powers be that these looters are not caught. They are allowed to escape unscathed.
The latest scam in India is in Punjab National Bank. Rs.11,500 crore has been siphoned off to foreign country during the last few years. In the one branch of the PNB at South Mumbai, the above said amount was lost to the Bank in which diamond merchant billionaire Nirav Modi and some officers of the branch are involved. CBI as well as Enforcement Directorate have filed FIRs. It seems that the bank authorities and the government were sleeping when all this loot was going for years together.
Public banks are looted and the government looks as an outsider. The people can not be blamed, if they suspect that all these are done with the complicity of the government. Mallya has left the country and Nirav Modi may also escape. The case will go on, but whether the culprits will be punished? The chances are less.
It has been reported that a RSS-BJP sponsored “Ram Raj Rath Yatra” has been flagged off from Ayodhya in U.P. yesterday which is supposedly to retrace the route of Rama to Sri Lanka, as described in the Hindu epic Ramayana. This was flagged off by the VHP General Secretary.
The disaster and communal clashes as also the demolition of the Babri Masjid which followed the infamous Ratha Yatra of Advani in 1996 is well known. There is no doubt that the present Rath Yatra, which is supposed to pass through M.P.,Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and end at Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, is also being organised with similar intentions.
Both the central and state governments have to be alert for immediate strong actions to avoid any communal disturbance.
BSNL employees, both executives and non-executives coming to about two lakhs are on continuous agitation for about one year demanding that their wages be revised with effect from 01-01-2017, ten years after the last wage revision. A Joint strike participated by almost the entire work force was also organised. The latest is the ‘Satyagraha’ for 5 days and the ‘work according to rule’ programme which is continuing.
BSNL, which was in loss for 5-6 years had started picking up with the initiative of the unions/associations and is in operative profit for the last three years. Even otherwise the profitablity alone can not be considered in a PSU like BSNL, which implementing the policy of the government for full connectivity to the nation, which entails loss to the PSU.
BSNL Management has already intimated Department of Telecom that it is prepared for wage revision. But the DOT and the Communications Minister is keeping silent.
This is unfortunate and completely not acceptable. The minister should take necessary decision and start the process of implementing the wage revision in discussion with the unions/associations.
The government is proposing one more merger of PSUs. This time it is the merger of the Insurance PSUs viz. National Insurance Company Limited, United India Insurance Company Limited and Oriental Insurance Company Limited.
In the name of making bigger and better companies, all the mergers of PSUs so far done have been disasters. Merger of Air India and Indian Airlines made the PSU loss making. Merger of its associated banks with State bank of India resulted in loss for State Bank, which was unprecedented. Now the present proposed merger is not going to be different. This is intended to give benefit to the private insurance companies as was the case with the earlier mergers.
The reaction of the Unions of the Insurance companies is yet to come. I hope that they will examine the case seriously take the correct decision.
The BJP government is continuing its discrimination against INTUC, the second largest central trade union in India. Invitation was not extended to INTUC by the government to the the 47th Indian Labour Conference (ILC) to be held on 26-27 February 2018 on flimsy grounds. All the Central Trade Unions have strongly opposed the discrimination and alleged that it is politically vindictive.
The plan of the government to divide the workers need to be defeated. The government should invite invite INTUC also to the Convention.
We have mentioned in our posts about the huge loss of the SBI in the quarter ending December 2016, which was unprecedented and happened after 12 years. Now it has been revealed that Bank of India is also in loss for the same quarter to the tune of Rs. 2,341 crore. It had posted profit in the earlier quarter.
The main reasons of the loss are Demonetisation and the increasing NPA. Thousands of crores of rupees are taken as loan by the corporates and the same is not remitted to the bank, which is treated as NPA and written off. In December alone the NPA rose to Rs. 64,249 crore in Bank of India.
If it is bad loans from ordinary people, it is forcefully taken back, even by employing goondas and coercion. But when it is the corporates and high people in society, the bad loans are written off!
And the government is moving to pass the FRDI Bill, which will enable the Banks to take away the hard earned money of the depositors to cover up the losses. The big corporates never keep much money in banks and hence no loss to them. It is the hard earned money of the toiling masses and middle class, which will be confiscated to compensate the NPA.
The fight to save our deposits in the Banks will have to start without delay.
13th February is the death anniversary of two great leaders of the Central Government and P and T employees.
It was on this day in 2000 that Com.N.J.Iyer, the indomitable fighter for the cause of P and T and Central employees, left us forever.
It was on this day again, in 2015 that Com. S.K.Vyas, the legendary leader of the Central government employees passed away.
Both of them were unparalleled fighters who led several struggles of the CG employees and achieved many results.
I had the fortune to be guided by them in my TU activities. I came in touch with both of them after the 1968 historical strike and especially during the inhuman victimisation of the workers who went on strike. Whenever I went to Delhi, I got one free meal from Com. Iyer and staying place by Com. S.K.Vyas at the Confederation Office premises. I avoided going to Dada Ghosh Bhawan, the CHQ of E.III since there was constant fight on the question of policies to be adopted and action organised with GS Com. O.P.Gupta.
After I shifted to Delhi in 1991 consequent to being elected as the President of E.3 Union (affiliated to NFPTE) there was constant touch and interaction with both of them, Com. Iyer as the GS of R.III Union and Com. Vyas as the SG Confederation. I still remember the confidence shown by Com. Iyer, by handing over the valuable original typed copy of the Article by Com.Dada Ghosh on ‘Origin of P&T Trade union movement’ which after getting typed a fresh copy, was returned to him.
Both were leaders with great vision served the workers in very difficult situations. Their lifestyle was the simplest. Both prepared their own food and served others when there were visitors. Vyasji used to come to Delhi by Bus from Rajasthan and after getting down from the bus walked about one kilo meter to reach Confederation office opposite Sir Gangaram Hospital, till the last days. Iyer was not different. The image of Com. Iyer marching with a red cap in his head, ahead of thousands of P&T workers through the streets of Delhi after the P&T Convention in 1972, from West Patel Nagar to Boat Club near Central Secretariat for many kilometers, as the commander of an army still inspires me. It was also noteworthy that the Communications Minister Shri H.N.Bahuguna, came to the Raisina Junction and received the memorandum, instead of waiting in his office for the delegation to come.
They were giants of the Trade Union movement who guided the workers at the most difficult times and showed the correct path to the future generations.
Red Salute to Com. N.J.Iyer and Com.S.K.Vyas on their death anniversary!
International Labour Organisation (ILO) has warned that 77% of Indian workers will face employment vulnerability by
2019, which is much higher than world level.
According to the ILO’s latest report, the number of jobless in the country will increase to 18.6 million( 1.8 crore) in 2018 and 18.9 million in 2019, against 18.3 million in 2017.
Unemployment is increasing every year. The much publicised election promise of Prime Minister Modi that the new government will provide 2 crore job every year was only to dupe the people. Nothing is done and there is not even any remorse or apology for not fulfilling the assurance.
With extreme sorrow and grief it is intimated that Comrade Mohamed Amin, former General Secretary of CITU and PB Member of the CPI(M) passed away at Kolkata today, 12th February 2018. He was 89. He was suffering due to ill health for some time.
Comrade Mohd. Amin started his career as a jute mill worker at the age of 14 and became an active trade union worker. He rose from that position to higher responsibility in the trade union.
Com. Mohd. Amin was a founder member of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions and became its secretary in 1987. He was elected as the General Secretary, which post he held from 2007 to 2010. He was a Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha during the periods 1988-94 as also 2007-2013. He was also Labour Minister in the W.Bengal Government for two terms. He was elected as a Member of the Polit Bureau of CPI(M).
During his tenure as CITU General Secretary and M.P. he was stationed at Delhi and was a great help to BSNLEU and guided the organisation on the right path and took up many issues in the Parliament for settlement. He attended the CEC meetings of the union held at Delhi in July 2008, at Kolkata in November 2008, at Mysore in August 2009 and at Bhopal in February 2010 and gave valuable advice. He was always a source of strength to the organisation.
He was well versed in Urdu and his wrote many books. I read his book on the life of Com. Hyder Amir Khan, one of the founders of the Communist Party in India, in one reading without stopping, as it was so much thrilling and narrated the hard experiences of the earlier communists. After consulting Com. Amin, on my suggestion, Com.R.S.Yadav, former Circle secretary BSNLEU of U.P. Circle translated in to Hindi and was shown to Com. Prakash Karat, the General secretary of CPI(M).
At the time of his death, he was a special invitee to the Central Committee of CPI(M).
AIBDPA and BSNLCCWF express deep sorrow at the demise of veteran leader Com. Mohd. Amin and convey condolences to the bereaved family, friends and comrades!
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