Category Archives: General

Rs. 31 lakh crore – Revenue foregone under IT, Excise and Customs

16 Saturday Mar 2013

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In today’s Hindu, on page 11, there is a very important and educative article by well known writer, Shri P.Sainath, under the caption ‘The Feeding Frenzy of Kleptocracy’. It mainly deals with the concessions and tax relief given to the corporates on Income Tax, Customs, Excise etc. among othe issues.

According to the author, more than Rs. 31,11,169 crore revenue has been foregone by the Central Government by concessions/relief given to the corporates towards Income Tax, Customs and Excise alone during the last 8 years from 2005-06 to 2012-13. This information is taken from the successive Budget documents. The annual relief on tax etc. has been increasing year after year. This is much more than the subsidies given towards the crores of poor people.

The neo-liberal policies and economic reforms have benefitted the corporates and the rich and put more misery on the common man and the toiling masses.

Check Prise rise! Demand by Parliament Members.

15 Friday Mar 2013

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Lok Sabha members today raised serious concern over the prevailing high inflation and sought government’s intervention to check price rise along with streamlining the Public Distribution System (PDS).     Moving a private member’s resolution on steps to control the rise in prices of essential commodities, Mahendra Kumar Roy (CPI-M) said people are suffering because of high inflation and demanded ban on futures trading in commodities.     Roy also raised the issue of hoarding and suggested that at least 35 kg foodgrains at Rs 2/kg should be distributed to people every month.     “The stored foodgrains should be distributed among people and not exported. Foodgrains are rotting in godowns, but government is doing nothing to distribute it,” Roy said.     He also favoured doing away with the distinction between the APL and BPL categories in foodgrains distribution.  Supporting Roy, Satpal Maharaj (Cong) said inflation should be brought down and the government should take steps to strengthen the PDS.     “PDS is full of irregularities and lacuna. We need to plug this lacuna and bring down inflation,” Maharaj said. Shailendra Kumar (SP) said 3-4 per cent inflation would be acceptable, but not the current high level of price rise.    WPI based Inflation stood at 6.84 per cent in February while the retail inflation was 10.91 per cent.     Mahendra Sinh Chauhan (BJP) said poor should benefit from government’s initiative to check price rise. (Courtsey: Ganashakti)

 

Shame India! All growth for Rich – India’s worst record in HD Index

15 Friday Mar 2013

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The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human development report 2013 has torn down and exposed the claims of the Indian Government of the high economic growth and development of the people of this country. India is placed at No.136 out of 187 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI), a composite indicator of health, education and income. Many backward countries of Africa and South East Asia are above India.

India has grown economically, but the condition of the common people has not improved accordingly. In Gross National Income (GNI) India is above many countries, but on HDI, it is below many of them. The worst is the rank in the Gender Inequality Index(GII). In this India ranks much below even of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, our neighbours. See the table below:

Country                                GNI                     GII

  1. India                      3285                       132
  2. Sri Lanka                5170                       75
  3. Nepal                     1137                       102
  4. Bangladesh             1785                       111
  5. Pakistan                  2566                       123

With regard to the HDI, India is far below its partners in BRICS Group with Russia (55th), Brazil (85th) and China (101st) with India (136th). Its Human Development Index is below even of Sri Lanka which is having an HDI of 99.

This clearly shows that the benefit of growth in India has not gone to the common people. The saying that the ‘Rich has become Richer and the Poor has become Poorer’ is fully applicable to it. The poor people are not able to get adequate education, health facilities etc.

The Government of India has to open its eyes! This is wake up call for it. Instead of self-praise, it should introspect and concentrate not only the economic growth, but also how the growth is benefitted the poor and common people.

Meerut Conspiracy Case 1929 – 1933

14 Thursday Mar 2013

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The British Government was always on the look out for anything that will disturb their colonial rule in India. The Soviet Revolution which resulted in the fall of the hated Czars and the formation of USSR in 1917 had unnerved the entire capitalist and imperialist countries. In many countries, formation of Communist parties started  with the help and guidance of the Comintern. In India also many workers unions started  in Bombay, Calcutta and other places . The British Government was fully aware about these movements and wanted to crush the workers movements and the Communists in the initial stage itself. The Kanpur Conspiracy case, the Meerut Conspirace Case etc. were part of this witch hunt against the early communists in India. Some of the leaders of the British Communist Party were also made accused in these conspiracy  cases.

The Meerut Conspiracy case started with the issuing of arrest warrants against 31 Communists and other persons on 15th March 1929. The charges were that these persons conspired to overthrow the British Government of India through strikes and other militant methods. By 20th of March almost all were arrested. The arrested included almost all the known communists including Muzafr Ahamed, S.A.Dange, S.V.Ghate, Dr.G.Adhikari, P.C.Joshi, S.S.Mirajkar, Shaukat Usmani, Philip Stratt and others.

The case continued for about 4 years till 1933. The Communists and other accused utilised the case to explain to the people the demands of the workers, the need to fight against the British, the cruel exploitation etc. Wide publicity was received in the press. The working class and independent movement got inspiration and strenth from the bold stand taken by the accused against the British government. The plan of the British to isolate the communists did not succeed. Indeed, it strenthened the independence movement.

Meerut Conspiracy Case and the General Statement given in the court by the Communists exposing the colonial rule, the right of the people to fight against it, the revolutionary ideology of the Communist Party etc. inspired an entire generation of young communists.

The Communist movement in India has come up facing severe repression and attack from the British as also the national government after independence in 1947. This great struggle for the toiling masses continue even now. Meerut Conspiracy Case will always be a milestone in the growth of the Communist Party in India.

Working Men of All Countries Unite! – Communist Manifesto

13 Wednesday Mar 2013

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On this 130th death Anniversary of Karl Marx, I am quoting below the last few paragraphs of the “Manifesto of the Communist Party!”

” In short, the Communists everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political order of things.

In all these movements they bring to the front, as the leading question in each, the property question, no matter what its degree of development at the time.

Finally, they labour everywhere for the union and agreement of the democratic parties of all countries.

The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.

Working Men of All Countries, Unite!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More subsidy to corporates than to the common people

11 Monday Mar 2013

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The UPA Government is always telling about heavy burden on the exchequer due to the subsidy to the common people whether it is on oil, petrol, diesel, agriculture and so on. But what is the reality? More subsidy is given to the few corporates than to the crores of common people. In 2011-12, while only Rs.2,16,297 crore was provided as subsidy to the people, Rs. 5,29,432 crore was given to the corporates. This is not for 2011-12 alone. The same discrimination is continuing for years together. See the connected figures ( From the Annexure to the Budget Documents)

Year Subsidy to People Subsidy to corporates
2004 – 2005 Rs. 45,957 crore Rs.1,58,661 crore
2005 – 2006 Rs. 47,522 .. Rs.2,06,700 ..
2006 – 2007 Rs. 57,125 .. Rs.2,39,712 ..
2007 – 2008 Rs. 70,926 .. Rs.2,85,052 ..
2008 – 2009 Rs.1,29,243 .. Rs.4,14,909 ..
2009 – 2010 Rs.1,41,351 .. Rs.5,02,299 ..
2010 – 2011 Rs.1,73,420 .. Rs.5,11,990 ..
2011 – 2012 Rs.2,16,297 .. Rs.5,29,432 ..
Total 8 years Rs.8,81,841 crore Rs28,48,755 crore

There is a difference of about Rs.20 lakh crore in the last 8 years alone. The difference is increasing every year. These subsidies to the corporates are mainly due to reduction in taxes to be paid by the corportes and big business house.
If anybody says that this is the government of the corporates, it is true. The government should be ‘of the people for the people and by the people’.

The New Bank Licensing Policy disastrous for country

10 Sunday Mar 2013

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The New Bank Licencing Policy which allows private, industrial and business corporates to start their own banks is disastrous to say the least. The private companies with even a minimum of Rs. 500 crores can start a bank! Through this, corporates will be able to manipulate their finances and cleverly cheat on taxes etc. Further this will become a big haven for corruption.
It is to be remembered that the private banks were nationalised earlier to ensure better governance, responsibility and credibility. The present move which is to please the corporates is disastrous and should be dropped. The Bank Employees Unions are already on agitational path on this.

All Women Post Office in Delhi inaugurated

09 Saturday Mar 2013

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The Department of Posts have decided to open All Women Post Offices in some cities to encourage women to take more responsibility and for more access to the women customers. The first such Post office was inaugurated in Delhi yesterday, 8th March, the International Women’s day. Communications Minister, Shri Kapil Sibal, who inaugurated the Post Office, stated that more such post offices will be opened in other cities also.
All Women Banks and All Women Police Stations are already functioning in the country. Now All Women Post Offices also have started. On the International Women’s Day yesterday, a few flights were having all women staff. These are all commendable but much more is to be done to free women from the shackles put on them by the society through customs, tradition and patriarchy

Long Live Hugo Chavez! – CPI(M)

08 Friday Mar 2013

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THE Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) expresses its deep grief at the passing away of Hugo Chavez Frías, president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Chavez died after battling cancer for nearly two years.

Hugo Chavez was an epic figure who symbolised the radical transformations taking place in Latin America. He was elected for a fourth term as president just six months ago with a big margin. The Bolivarian revolutionary process which he initiated enabled Venezuela to take control of its destiny by asserting national sovereignty and control over all the vital resources of the country including oil and gas. In the one and a half decades of his presidentship, the Venezuelan people got health facilities, education and literacy as never before. Poverty was drastically reduced.

“My Own Daughter Feels Unsafe in the City” – Sheila Dixit, CM.

08 Friday Mar 2013

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“My own daughter feels unsafe in the city.” – Chief Minister Smt. Sheila Dikshit about the situation in Delhi.

““our heads hang in shame” due to recurring incidents of rapes and other violence against women – Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Congress President.

These statements by two senior leaders of the ruling party at centre and in Delhi made today on “international Women’s Day’ gives the shameful and dangerous situation in the country for the women, who forms almost 50% of the population.

This shame on India has to be removed. Not only the Government, but the entire people, male and female have to unitedly ensure that gender equality is ensured, attacks and assaults on women are put an end to and the girls and women in the country can walk and live freely and without fear and danger.