Category Archives: General

Protest Government move to increase FDI in Defence

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

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According to the Chief Economic Advisor to the government, Raghuram Rajan, the government is proposing to increase Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in some sectors including Defence. At present FDI in Defence is 26%. FDI was implemented in defence despite protest from the Employees’ Unions.

In a very strategic and security sector like Defence, increasing the FDI has to be strongly protested not only by the employees but by the political parties. The scams and corrupt practices in Defence sector is going to further increase if the FDI increases.

UPA Government for conciliation with Vodafone

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

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The government has decided for conciliation on the issue of Income Tax of Rs. 14,000 to be paid by Vodafone. The Income Tax department has levied the tax considering all  rules and regulations. But the government has succumbed to the pressure of the MNC and has now decided for conciliation. In a conciliation, it is clear that the tax will be drastically reduced and the government will be at heavy loss.

When MNCs and big corporates are involved, the government is always there to help them, even if it loses revenue. But if it is in the case of the workers or the common people, there will be no relaxation and kindness. Decisions and policies of the government, one after another, expose its pro-rich and anti-people attitude.

Another penalty for Vodafone for cheating government

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

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The Department of Telecom (DOT) has directed Vodafone, the second largest mobile company in India, to pay a penalty of rs. 1,263 crores for underreporting revenues for the four financial years from 2007-2008 to 2010-11. The penalty is imposed, since the company manipulated its accounts to show reduced revenue to escape from paying the licence fee and spectrum usage charges on adjusted gross revenue.

This incident once again exposes the methods used by the private companies to cheat the government and escape from paying the taxes and other charges.

CPI(M) statement on CIC order

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

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The Communist Party of India (Marxist) cannot accept the order of the Central Information Commission that political parties are to be treated as “public authorities” and brought under the purview of the Right to Information Act. This decision is based on a fundamental misconception about the role of political parties in a parliamentary democracy.

The CIC order states that “six national parties are substantially financed by the Central Government and therefore they are held to be public authorities under the Act”. This is untrue because the bulk of the funding and finances for the parties do not come from the government or any State institution. In fact, the CPI(M) does not even accept funds from the corporates which is legally permissible.

One of the concerns of the CIC seems to be transparency of the funding and finances of political parties. At present according to the law all political parties are required to submit their accounts to the Income Tax department and the Election Commission. Already under the RTI, the statement of accounts and the finances of the parties are accessible to anyone from the Election Commission. Any more details of the financing of the Party can be sought for and has to be given. The CPI(M) has from the outset taken the stand that the financial statements and accounts of a party should be publicly available.

But this does not mean that a political party has to be treated as a public authority. This will interfere with and hamper the functioning of a political party. A political party is a voluntary association of citizens who believe in the ideology, programme and leadership of the party. That party is accountable to its membership. To apply the Right to Information Act and demand access to the internal deliberations of the party whether it be on policy matters, organisational decisions or selection of candidates will constitute a serious infringement of the inner-party functioning, confidentiality of discussions and undermine the political party system itself. Opponents of a political party can utilise the RTI as an instrument to destabilise a party.

Given the serious implications of this order of the CIC for the political party system and parliamentary democracy, the matter should be discussed by the Government with all political parties so that suitable steps can be taken to preserve the integrity and the role of political parties in a democratic political system.

Political Parties under RTI Act says Central Information Commission

03 Monday Jun 2013

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The Central Information Commission has decided that political parties are answerable under the Right of Information Act(RTI). The Full Bench of the Commission, including the Chief Information Commissioner Satyanand Mishra has held that six parties viz. Congress, BJP, CPI(M), CPI, NCP and BSP to whom RTI enquiries have been directed fulfill the criteria of being public authorities under RTI.

 

Thousands protest in Tokyo against Nuclear reactors

02 Sunday Jun 2013

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A report from AFP

Tokyo, Jun 2 Thousands of anti-nuclear demonstrators rallied in the Japanese capital Tokyo today as conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe considers restarting reactors. Organisers said 7,500 people gathered at a park in the city centre, including disaster victims and celebrities such as Nobel literature laureate Kenzaburo Oe. Protesters later marched through the capital, holding anti-nuclear banners including one which read: “No Nukes! Unevolved Apes Want Nukes!” They also demonstrated outside the headquarters of Tokyo Electric Power Co, operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant which was crippled by meltdowns after the March 2011 tsunami. Abe, whose Liberal Democratic Party has close ties with the nation’s powerful business circles, has repeatedly said he would allow reactor restarts if their safety could be ensured. Japan turned off its 50 reactors for safety checks in the wake of the disaster but has restarted two of them, citing possible summertime power shortages. Radiation from the plant, 220 kilometres northeast of Tokyo, spread over a wide area after the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

Massive protest by Left Front in Kolkata

31 Friday May 2013

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A massive  demonstration was held in Kolkata today, 31st May, by the Left Front protesting against curbs on the democratic rights of the people and also demanding immediate enquiry and action against the brutal murder of SFI leader Sudipta Gupta. and against the Saradha Group for cheating the people. The protesters including the leaders were arrested and later released.

Reduce TV advts to 12 minutes in an hour – TRAI

28 Tuesday May 2013

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Sometimes the advertisements form a good part of the hour in the TV, especially the movies, serials etc. It is not different at the news time also. The viewers are completely harassed.

There are directions of the TRAI to reduce the advertisement time to 12 minutes in an hour, but it was completely ignored by the TV corporates. Now, the TRAI has reiterated its instructions and also stated that violators will be taken to task.

It is reported that the advertisement time will be restricted to 30 minutes up to September 2013 and afterwards it will be strictly 12 minutes only. The TV channels have protested, but the TRAI has now taken a firm position.

It is a good decision which will be appreciated by the public.

 

 

Remembering Jawaharlal Nehru

26 Sunday May 2013

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Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the First Prime Minister of India and leader of the freedom movement, next only to the father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, died on 27th May 1964. Next year, 1914, 50 years will be over after his death. ‘After Nehru, Who?’ was an oft asked question in the early part of the 1960s, because it was felt that nobody can fill up the vaccum. But now, what  after Nehru is known to all and is history.

What happened to the policy of Nehru? That is the relevant question now. The post-independence government had many commitments to the nation and an effort was made  to to honour them. The slogan of ‘socialist pattern of society’ was raised. Starting of Public Sector was a well planned move to bring infrastructure in the country. The Non- Alignment Policy was initiated. Some kind of a good start. Almost after five decades, what is the situation?

The country is still ruled by the first family.  But there is much change, change for the worst. The Non-Alignment Policy has been abandoned. Public sector Units are being disinvested and handed over to corporates for paltry sums. MNCs are given all freedom to exploit the country.  Prices have gone up mountain-high. Corruption has been institutionalised. Valuable natural resources of the country are transferred to MNCs and corporates. Employment in government, both state and Central,  has  come down to 50% of what it was. Rights of the workers and social security measures are denied one after another. Even pension has been attacked. Rich has become richer and poor, poorer.

There is no need to explain more. The ruling classes have started an all round attack on the livelihood of the workers and the common people. The people are now facing the biggest challenge of how to survive and improve their condition.

Are we ready to face the challenge and fight back. It is only through the united struggle of the working class and the common people, that the anti-people policy can be changed. Are we ready?

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