Author Archives: VAN NAMBOODIRI

K.Vallinayagam resigns – Jayaprakash the new GS, FNTO

16 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in BSNL News

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It is reported in the website of FNTO that Shri K.Vallinayagam, General Secretary, FNTO has resigned from the General Secretary post on health grounds and Shri Jayaprakash has been elevated to the post in the CWC meeting held at Hyderabad. I contacted Shri Vallinayagam, who confirmed that he has resigned due to ill-health.

We had a very co-ordinated functioning all these years, especially when he was part of the United Forum. Even otherwise we had a long connection in the union, when we both opposed the Gupta line in the 1960s etc.

Shri Jayaprakash is the new GS, who was Asst. GS earlier. I hope that he will also be part of the joint struggles for the betterment of the workers as well as BSNL

Meeting with CITU leaders on Casual/Contract labour issues.

16 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers

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Today I went to CITU office and met the leaders of the CITU, Comrades A.K.Padmanabhan, All India President, Tapan Sen, General Secretary and Swadesh Dev Roy, Secretary and discussed about the issues of the casual and contract workers in BSNL. The BSNL management is denying the rightful regularisation of the casual labour, due wages to the contract labour, not implementing the social security measures like EPF, ESI etc.  Contract workers are being retrenched when the demands are raised and the  workers go on struggle. The situation in the other PSUs were also discussed.

The CITU leaders assured that they will take up the issues with the government and also fully support the struggles of the casual-contract workers in BSNL.

 

AIBDPA and Telepensioner

16 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners

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BSNL/DOT Pensioners are joining All India BSNL-DOT Pensioners Association (AIBDPA) every month in large numbers. The sincere and excellent work being done by the Association have been much appreciated by the BSNL workers and pensioners. Most of the retiring BSNL workers are happy to become the AIBDPA members since they know from their  own experience that BSNLEU and AIBDPA are the organisations safeguarding their interests.

Please join AIBDPA to protect and enhance the interests of the Pensioners!

No marriage or talk with CPI(M) members/supporters – Trinamool

16 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in General

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There is no limit for the Trinamool Party as far as its anger against the CPI(M). Any action can be taken against the CPI(M) in its blind anger. Now it has issued diktact to its members not to speak with CPI(M) members/supporters and not even to have marriage allinaces with CPI(M) families! See the Kolkata based report:
” The Trinamool Congress has asked its members not to marry any CPM leader or anyone even distantly related to them.
Conveying the ruling party’s message at a programme in Habra in North 24-Parganas, food supplies minister Jyotipriya Mullick said: “Don’t mingle with the CPM. Don’t even talk to them if you meet them at a local chai (tea) shop. We have vowed to boycott the CPM socially. Our workers must make sure that nobody in their family enters into any marital relationship with any CPM leader or supporter.”
The minister advised the audience, many of whom happened to be the CPM supporters, to avoid any relative who had anything to do with the communist party. Even as chief minister Mamata Banerjee is aware that several local CPM workers have been joining her party even since the Left’s debacle in the 2011 Assembly elections, her party has been talking about the fatwa for quite sometime now.
But Mullick, who is also the Trinamool Congress’ district observer in North 24-Parganas, made the diktat public by making it the major party of his speech on Sunday evening. Among those present at the function was Trinamool M P Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar.
The minister told the gathering that Trinamool Congress workers must work in the most dedicated manner ahead of the panchyat elections since the party would probably go it alone.
The panchayat elections are due next year and the Trinamool’s ally in the government, the Congress, has already declared its intentions to fight the rural polls alone. The Congress leadership in the centre has, however, remained noncommittal on the issue.
Even as the Trinamool leaders present at Habra’s programme talked about a possible separation from the Congress during the panchayat polls, they mostly concentrated on revving up solidarity against the CPM, which, according to Mullick was the “main enemy”.
“We must continue with our tirade against the CPM and make all necessary steps to isolate the party that has destroyed growth in West Bengal for the last 34 years,” the minishter added.
It is no wonder that hundreds of CPI(M) members and supporters have been murdered by the TMC goondas. It is their strategy and action plan. This has got to be stopped.

Health care – India in the bottomline among BRICS countries.

16 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in General, Uncategorized

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India is an emerging economy. But when it comes to the health care in the country, it is far below many other countries. Taking similarly growing economies, like in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries, India is at the bottom line.This is as per the report furnished by the World Bank.

While Brazil spends 2.83% of its GDP on health care, S.Africa 2.73%, Russia 2.68% and China 1.55% India is far behind with only 0.93% of the GDP. If you take the developed countries, US spends 15% and UK 8.5% of its GDP for the health care.

The worst condition of health systems in the lakhs of villages and the juggis in the cities are well-known to the ruling classes and the governments. But nothing worthwhile is done to improve the situation. Take the case of toilets. There are no toilets for crores of poor people in the country who, including women, are compelled to use open spaces without any privacy for the same. A recent survey has stated that there are far less toilets than mobiles in the country. Death rate for children has decreased, but it is much more than in many countries. Sufficient food stuffs are not available for a majority of people in the country. Unless a time bound fast-track programme is implemented with determination, the situation is not going to improve.

But, sorry to state, it is not a matter of priority for the UPA government or most of the state governments. Without a massive campaign as in the case of against corruption, nothing is going to happen. This should be treated as a priority.

A day of sight-seeing

15 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in General, Uncategorized

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In between the busy days, today I took myself the indulgence of taking a holiday and sight-seeing. Com. M.Balasubramanian and his wife Roja had come to Delhi and they will be leaving for Agra, Jaipur etc. tomorrow. As such my wife and myself thought that we will visit the Akshardham Temple today.

We went by metro from R.K.Ashram station to the Akkshardham station. Since it was only about 0900 hours and being the election day in Delhi, there was not much rush. For about three hours we went in and around the temple and saw the fine construction and arrangements. There were exhibitions and also a boat journey. The boat was going through an artificial canal on both sides of which images were constructed and exhibited about the growth of the civilisation in India and about the earlier sages, armies, medical achievements etc. Later we had our lunch in the restaurant in the temple premises itself.

The visit was interesting.

 

Indian Railways complete 159 years – Telegraphs also

15 Sunday Apr 2012

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The Indian Railways were started 159 years back, on 16th April 1853, and the first train was introduced between Victoria Terminus (Bombay) and Thane.  (The Telegraphs were also introduced on the same day). During the last one and half century, it has grown as the fourth largest railways in the world after USA, Russia and China. It has got tracks of more than 11,500 kms with about 8000 stations.

The Indian Railways have become an important part of the lives of Indian people connecting them with their friends and relatives all over India. It is the cheapest mode of journey for the common people.

But the recent plans of the government for privatisation and PPP in Railways don’t augur good for the future. Instead, the government should try to construct fresh tracks, improve the services and provide more facilities in the railways. It is a national treasure and the biggest provider of jobs. Don’t  jeopardise its future as in the case of Air India and BSNL. The workers in the Railways has a pivotal role to play in strengthening and improving the railways.We have to save railways from the present crisis.

The Telegraphs played a crucial role for more than one and half century, but after the introduction of telephones its importance lost gradually and after introduction of latest technologies, it has almost lost relevance. It is continuing only as a nominal service at present. But the great contributions telegraphs have given to the people will ever be remembered.

Titanic – a grim reminder after a century

15 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in History

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Through centuries, many ships, from the old hand-stroked /pulled to the latest automatic ones, have sunk in the deep seas. Many warships have also sunk during the great wars, just like what happened at Pearl Harbour. But none of them have moved the hearts of people like the disaster that met the ‘Titanic’, the luxury ship that went down one century earlier, which resulted in the loss of more than 1500 lives, out of a total of 2208 passengers and crew.

It was  on 15th April 1912 at midnight 02.20 a.m. that the Titanic went down completely,which struck a huge ice-berg at about 23.40 hours on its way from England to New York. It was the maiden voyage of the ship,  launched with much publicity and grandeur. It was not known till recently, what happened exactly. But after the wreckage of the ship was found and going through the evidences, it was clear that the ship broke and sunk due to dashing with the iceberg.

The film ‘Titanic’, released in 1997, reminded the people about the great tragedy and was a great success. Now on this 100th anniversary of the disaster, another ship, named ‘Baltimore’, is cruising through the same route with the descendents of the passengers of the ill-fated ship and is holding memorial services to those whose lives have been lost.

Let such disaster not happen again.

 

What is going on in W.Bengal? Professor taken in to custody for cartoon

14 Saturday Apr 2012

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A professor of Jadavpur University, Kolkata has been arrested and taken in to custody for circulating a harmless joke and picture in the e-mail on the change of Railway minister by Trinamol Supremeo Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of W.Bengal. The professor Ambikesh Mahapatra was severely beaten by Trinamool goondas, before he was arrested and charged.

Politicians and cultural leaders across the spectrum have strongly reacted to the arrest and charges. As the protests intensified, the victim was given bail.

This is an indication of the day-to-day affairs after the Mamata Government took charge. Such actions have to be condemned strongly.

Abraham Lincoln – The US President who abolished slavery

14 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by in History

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Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of United States of America, was shot dead on 15th of April 1865, 147 years back, while he was in Ford’s Theatre watching a performance. He is considered as the greatest of the US Presidents for the abolition of slavery in the country and for improving the economical/financial situation at that time.

Born in an ordinary family on 12th February 1809, he rose to the position of the US President by hard work and his high capabilities. He was a great orator. He belonged to the Republican Party. During his first term as President in 1861 Civil War broke between the Government and the Confederates over the issue of abolition of slavery. He gave exemplary leadership in both military and political in facing the civil war. The Civil War continued till 1865 when the government won and the South surrendered. The Emancipation Proclamation abolishing slavery was issued in 1863. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address 1863 is still considered a masterpiece of his oratory, determination and committment to the cause.

He was re-elected a second term as President in 1864 but was murdered  on 15th April 1865 after six days of the surrender of the South, by a fanatic.