Category Archives: General

Rescue IAF Chopper crash in Uttarakhand – 8 killed

25 Tuesday Jun 2013

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I am quoting below a report from Hindu on the crash of an IAF Chopper during the rescue operations in Uttarakhand killing 8 including 5 crew. The military has been doing a very dangerous task in the hills, saving thousands of victims of the nature’s fury. And the above accident once again shows under what difficult situation the life saving operations are going on. My Red Salute to these brave comrades who are the real heroes of our nation! All of us hope that all the survivors are brought to safety at the earliest.

 

An IAF helicopter on Tuesday crashed during rescue operations near Gaurikund in rain-ravaged Uttarakhand, killing eight persons onboard, including five crew members.

“One Mi-17 V5 chopper on a rescue mission from Gauchar to Guptkashi and Kedarnath while returning from Kedarnath crashed north of Gaurikund,” an IAF spokesperson said.

Eight persons onboard, including five crew members, suffered fatal injuries in the mishap, she said in Delhi.

A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the crash, the spokesperson said.

The IAF said its operations in the area will continue.

IAF had started inducting Mi-17 V5 choppers only in 2012 after 80 of them were ordered from Russia.

This is the second incident of a helicopter crash this week in the hill State.

A private helicopter carrying relief materials for the rain-affected people in Rudraprayag district had crashed on Sunday near Gaurikund leaving the pilot injured.

Air Force officials said eight bodies have been recovered from the crash site by the Garud Commandos of the IAF.

They said the chopper had taken off at 12.30 p.m. from Kedarnath area and crashed within five to seven minutes.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony has expressed anguish over the crash.

A pall of gloom descended at the helipad in Gauchar after reports of the crash reached.

IAF, Army and ITBP officers went into a huddle at a tent erected by the Air Force for controlling its operations.

Senior officials of the agencies involved in the rescue operations also rushed to the helipad.

IAF officers were seen making anxious calls over their cellphones and restricted frequency equipment to finetune the operations and gather details of the crash.

25th June 1975 – The Black Day, Promulgation of ‘Emergency’

25 Tuesday Jun 2013

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Today, we once again remember the Black Day 38 years back, when the ‘Internal emergency’ was declared by the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi on 25th June 1975, to save herself and the Congress Government she led from collapse and constitutional crises.

India never has seen such a period of what happened after emergency. All political opponents, including top leaders of political parties  were arrested, jailed, hunted down and victimised. The working class and their struggles were suppressed. All their genuine rights were denied. Newspapers were censored before each day publication. Many opposition parties’ mouthpieces were banned. Many trade union leaders including from P&T were jailed without any charges. Meetings, processions, every method of protest were prohibited.

It was not Emergency, but it was Draconian Dictatorship. The dark days were over when in the next general elections, the Congress was utterly defeated and the Janata Government came to power.

The people have to be cautious that such violation of democracy never occurs again.

Donate liberally to Uttarakhand / HP Disaster Fund.

22 Saturday Jun 2013

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The tragedy befallen in Uttarakhand and HP due to the floods, deluge, landslides, cloud bursts has taken hundreds of lives and thousands are still stranded despite the valiant efforts of the Military to evacuate them. Loss due to devastation of houses, properties, destruction of roads etc. are beyond imagination.

All these require huge funds. it will not be possible by the government alone to meet all this. Generous donations/assistance from one and all are required to restore normalcy in the hilly regions.

In addition to working 24 hours to restore communication services in the hills where the system stands cut off, BSNL Employees also  have to help financially. BSNL Employees union has called upon the employees to donate at the rate of Rs.200 to the disaster fund. BSNLEU has written to the management to deduct the amount from the salary.

All India BSNL Pensioners Association (AIBDPA) has called upon the pensioners for liberal donations,not less than Rs. 100/- immediately to the CHQ, which will be handed over to the Prime minister’s Relief Fund or any other Fund constituted by the government for this purpose.

Let us donate liberally to help our brethren is distress.

 

 

 

 

Unemployment at 10.8 million – NSSO

21 Friday Jun 2013

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According to the National Sample Survey Organisation the unemployed has reached 10.8 million as on 2012. it is an increase of 10.2% increase during the last two years.

The neo-liberalisation policy being implemented by the central government has resulted not only job loss but also have created an army of jobless youngsters. The government is more worried about the ‘poor’ corporates and their tax issues more than the bread and butter issues of the more that ten crore youngsters.

The man made tragedy in the hills

21 Friday Jun 2013

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The unprecedented floods and  landslides in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh has taken a heavy toll of precious lives of the locals as well as the tourists. Though the bodies so far received are about 150 or so,  the latest reports indicate that the toll may be more than thousand or further  more. The Army as well as the common people are trying their best to evacuate the stranded people from the devastated area. My salute to those Jawans and others who are  putting all efforts to save human lives even at the cost of their own lives.

it is not the time to examine all the issues connected with this catastrophe. It is the time to rescue the people, ensure that the stranded people gets food and shelter,restore the confidence among people, restore the communications etc.

However, it will not be out-of-place to mention one thing. While this is a natural calamity, it is also true that this could have been averted or at least intensity reduced if the government was careful about the construction of large number of dams, and innumerable constructions without considering the eco-problems,despite serious warnings by the eco-experts and the concerned ministry in the government. I am sure that this aspect will be seriously considered by the government at least after the immediate concerns are attended to.

Ignoring them will be only at the peril of further such catasrophies.

 

Nature’s fury in Utharakhand, HP and other northern states

19 Wednesday Jun 2013

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The heavy rain and floods in the hilly states of Utharakhand, H.P. etc has caused unprecedented loss of lives of hundreds of local people as tourists who have come to visit the holy shrines at Vaishno Devi, Kedarnath, Badrinath and other places. Hundreds of houses have been destroyed and thousands of people have to stay in temporary camps. Thousands of people who have come from outside are stranded. The tragedy is beyond imagination.

All our sympathies are with the people of these states whose suffering continues. Many of the BSNL families might also have been affected, though we do not have the information.

All support to the suffering people have to be extended by all. It is also reported that in many places the communications system has failed. It is our duty to restore the same at the earliest so that information could be passed. The BSNL Management has to take immediate action to restore communications. The workers are prepared to put all their efforts in this connection. The Forum has given call to all the unions to extend all help in this matter.

 

8 New Ministers – Sis Ram Ola Labour Minister

17 Monday Jun 2013

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8 New  Ministers have been sworn today, making the total ministers to 77. Sis Ram Ola is the new Labour Minister. Mallikarjun Kharge, who was the Labour Minister has now been allotted the important Railway Ministry.

‘North-East do not suffer from eve-teasing’, Delhi Commssioner

17 Monday Jun 2013

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In the Times of India today, 17th June, in the Editorial Page, a very significant statement from Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar is published in the ‘They Said It’ column along with his photo. He has stated that ” I have served in the North-East. ..They have not heard of a thing called eve-teasing.”

I fee that what he said is correct. There is a reason also. In the North-East, the women are very active and are the bread-winners in many house-holds. The women have a respected position. As such, the eve-teasing may not be a problem.

However, it is also to be noted that the girls and women from North-East in Delhi are being regularly  assaulted, attacked and raped. And  Neeraj Kumar, Commissioner of police, is in Delhi and has to do a lot to ensure safety of girls and women of not only NE but all those in Delhi.

Venezuela Solidarity Committee formed

15 Saturday Jun 2013

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New Delhi, June 16: A 17-member Venezuela Solidarity Committee (VSC) was formally constituted in New Delhi on June 12, 2013. The meeting was attended by A.B. Bardhan, Prakash Karat, Sudhakar Reddy, Debabrata Biswas, G. Devrajan, Achin Vanaik, Ravi Roy, Nilotpal Basu and Pallab Sengupta. The Solidarity Committee is formed with the participant members with this understanding that it will be a broad based committee by accommodating more members from different sections of the society. The next meeting of the committee will be held on July 19 at 4pm at Ajoy Bhavan. The meeting has issued the following statement: “The Venezuela Solidarity Committee (VSC) hereby affirms its commitment to promoting deeper understanding and friendship between the peoples of India and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The Committee expresses its solidarity with the ongoing efforts by the people and government of Venezuela to create an independent, prosperous, democratic, peaceful and egalitarian society. Such support has become all the more necessary in light of the US Administration’s effort to impugn the legitimacy of the recent Presidential elections in that country, an electoral process deemed by international observers including from the US, as among the freest and fairest that have taken place anywhere. This Committee also wishes to register its strong opposition to any attempt, whether direct or indirect, by the US in pursuit of its imperial interests to interfere with the right and freedom of the people of Venezuela to determine their own future. This Committee supports the initiative taken by the government of Venezuela and  by other progressive governments in South and Central America to bring about a greater continental unity that is also independent of outside powers in order to better resolve the issues”.

 

Observe Birth Centenary of Jyoti Basu

15 Saturday Jun 2013

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CPI(M) has called for observing the Birth Centenary of Com. Jyoti Basu

July 8, 2013 marks the beginning of the birth centenary of Comrade Jyoti Basu, an outstanding leader of the Communist Party and the Left movement in India. Jyoti Basu, in his nearly seven decades of work as a Communist, left an indelible imprint on the political map of the country.  He joined the Communist Party in 1940 and began his work in the railway trade union movement. In 1946, he was elected to the Bengal Legislative Assembly from the Railway constituency.  Since then, in his long parliamentary career, he became the role model for all Communists and progressives on how to work in parliamentary institutions and serve the people.

Jyoti Basu played a key role in the development of the Communist Party in West Bengal and at the all-India level. He was the Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the CPI from 1954 to 1960. He became a member of the Central Committee of the CPI in 1951. When the CPI(M) was formed, he became one of the founder Polit Bureau and Central Committee members.

Jyoti Basu became Chief Minister of the Left Front government of West Bengal in 1977 – a position he occupied continuously till 2000.  Before that, he was twice Deputy Chief Minister in the UF governments between 1967 and 1970.  Under his leadership, the government undertook the implementation of land reforms and the establishment of the panchayati raj system.

Under Jyoti Basu’s Chief Ministership, West Bengal became a bastion of communal harmony and secular values.  He played a leading role in advocating the restructuring of Centre-State relations and for establishing a federal system.

Jyoti Basu was a leader who creatively applied Marxism to the concrete Indian conditions and made an immense contribution in charting out the course for the Party.

Jyoti Basu, in his lifetime, became a symbol for the Left, democratic and secular forces in the country.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) calls for a year-long celebration of the birth centenary of Jyoti Basu beginning from July 8, 2013.  The centenary will be observed by holding meetings, seminars and a special campaign to propagate the life and contributions of this invaluable leader.

(Prakash Karat)

General Secretary