France handed the presidency to leftist Francois Hollande, a champion of government stimulus programs who says the state should protect the downtrodden — a victory that could deal a death-blow to the drive for austerity that has been the hallmark of Europe in recent years. Mild and affable, the president-elect inherits a country deep in debt and divided over how to integrate immigrants while preserving its national identity. Markets will closely watch his initial moves as president. Hollande portrayed himself as a vehicle for change across Europe. “In all the capitals … there are people who, thanks to us, are hoping, are looking to us, and want to finish with austerity,” he told exuberant crowds of supporters in a speech early this morning at Paris’ Place de la Bastille. “You are a movement lifting up everywhere in Europe, and perhaps the world.” The party reached into the night on the iconic plaza of the French Revolution, with revelers waving all kinds of flags and climbing the base of its central column. Leftists are overjoyed to have one of their own in power for the first time since Socialist Francois Mitterrand was president from 1981 to 1995. Hollande narrowly defeated the hard-driving, attention-getting Nicolas Sarkozy, an America-friendly leader who led France through its worst economic troubles since World War II but whose policies and personality proved too bitter for many voters to swallow. He will take office no later than May 16. Sarkozy is the latest victim of a wave of voter anger over spending cuts in Europe that has ousted governments and leaders in the past couple of years. Greece, a parliamentary vote yesterday was seen as critical to the country’s prospects for pulling out of a deep financial crisis felt in world markets. A state election in Germany and local elections in Italy were seen as tests of support for the national governments’ policies. In France, with 95 per cent of the vote counted, official results showed Hollande with 51.6 per cent of the vote compared with Sarkozy’s 48.4 per cent, the Interior Ministry said. The turnout was a strong 81 per cent. “Too many divisions, too many wounds, too many breakdowns and divides have separated our fellow citizens. This is over now,” Hollande said in his victory speech, alluding to the divisive Sarkozy presidency. “The foremost duty of the president of the Republic is to unite … in order to face the challenges that await us.” Those challenges are legion, and begin with Europe’s debt crisis. Hollande has said his first act after the election will be to write a letter to other European leaders calling for a renegotiation of a budget-trimming treaty.

Today, I am at Bhopal, the capital of one of the largest state in the country as per area. It was the largest till it was bifurcated in to M.P. and Chattisgarh. Due to various other reasons also, it has got importance. I came here to meet comrades of AIBDPA and Casual and Contract workers in addition to strengthen the United Forum activities.

In the morning, I had gone out for a walk. The IQ where I am staying is in the telephone exchange situated in an area where the Vidhan Sadan and many other offices of central and state governments are functioning. There are many gardens, big buildings with large compounds, the roads are wide and neat and have a refreshing look. In the morning there was not much traffic  also. The climate in the morning was comfortable.

After walking for some time, all of a sudden I saw on one side of the road a lot of juggies and small huts. The huts were made of mud or low quality bricks and covered by sheets on which stones were placed so that it will not fly away at the time of rains and winds. People were walking to a nearby open space for their toilets with bottles of water. The area was not having any sanitary arrangements. Children clad in torn and dirty clothes were wandering here and there. This was the other side of any city which we miss or don’t want to see.

Go to any city, Delhi. Mumbai, Kolkatta, Chennai or any smaller cities or towns. You can see such juggies and poor colonies every where. It is an integral part of any city.While the rich and the mighty stay in big bungalows and posh flats and have A/Cs, fridges, washing machines and all facilities and amenities, many cars even for one family, here are these unfortunate people who even after doing work can not feed their children properly, can not give them education, no bathroom or toilets etc.This inequality is growing. Ambanis and the like have big skyscrapers for one family when thousands of families have not even a home.

The situation in the rural areas are tougher. It is more than sixty years since we got independence. Of course, the country has progressed much. But the benefits of growth has been appropriated by a few. Inequalities and  injustice have increased. There are many who realise all these but are keeping quiet. Unless there is an outrage and strong movement against this inequality and injustice, the situation will go out-of-bounds.

The left parties, the progressive and democratic movements  and the working class have to act in unison to change the situation for a better deal to the under privileged people in the society.

Thousands of Japanese marched to celebrate the switching off of the last of their nation’s 50 nuclear reactors on Saturday, waving banners shaped as giant fish that have become a potent anti-nuclear symbol. Japan will be without electricity from nuclear power for the first time in four decades when the reactor at Tomari nuclear plant on the northern island of Hokkaido goes offline for routine maintenance, today 5th May. After last year’s March 11 quake and tsunami set off meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, no reactor halted for checkups has been restarted amid public worries about the safety of nuclear technology.  “There are so many nuclear plants, but not a single one will be up and running today, and that’s because of our efforts,” said the anti-nuclear  activists . They continued that it is fitting that the day Japan is stopping nuclear power coincides with Children’s Day because of their concerns about protecting children from radiation, which Fukushima Dai-ichi is still spewing into the air and water. The government has been eager to restart nuclear reactors, warning about blackouts and rising carbon emissions as Japan is forced to turn to oil and gas for energy. Japan now requires reactors to pass new tests to withstand quakes and tsunami and to gain local residents’ approval before restarting. The response from people living near nuclear plants has been mixed, with some wanting them back in operation because of jobs, subsidies and other benefits to the local economy. Major protests, like the one Saturday, have been generally limited to urban areas like Tokyo, which had received electricity from faraway nuclear plants, including Fukushima Dai-ichi. Before the nuclear crisis, Japan relied on nuclear power for a third of its electricity. The crowd at the anti-nuclear rally, estimated at 5,500 by organizers, shrugged off government warnings about a power shortage. If anything, they said, with the reactors going offline one by one, it was clear the nation didn’t really need nuclear power. Whether Japan will suffer a sharp power crunch is still unclear. Electricity shortages are expected only at peak periods, such as the middle of the day in hot weather, and critics of nuclear power say proponents are exaggerating the consequences to win public approval to restart reactors.

The Left parties, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, All India Forward Bloc and the Revolutionary Socialist Party held a meeting today. They have issued the following statement:
The Left parties discussed about the proposed food security legislation being brought in parliament. The Left parties have been campaigning for a comprehensive and effective food security law and the provision of a universal public distribution system for all excluding only the better off sections.
The Left parties decided to conduct a countrywide movement on this issue culminating in an indefinite protest action in New Delhi during the Monsoon Session of parliament. The next meeting of the Left parties will work out the specific programme.
The Left parties held a preliminary discussion on the forthcoming presidential election. It would be better if there is a wide agreement on a candidate for the post of President. The Left parties decided to consult with other secular opposition parties before taking a final stand in the matter. Those who attended the meeting were the four general secretaries of the Left parties — Prakash Karat, Sudhakar Reddy, Debabrata Biswas, T J Chandrachoodan, besides, A.B. Bardhan, Sitaram Yechury, S Ramachandran Pillai and D Raja.

---

World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU)  has called upon the all the workers to extend Solidarity and Support to the people of Palestine who have dedicated their lives for an independent homeland of Palestine:

* Free the 4600 Palestinian prisoners imprisoned by Israel.

* Stop settlement activity by Israel in Palestine

* Immediate lifting of unfair and inhuman blockade of Gaza strip and the withdrawal of Israeli army from all occupied territories

* Demolish the racist wall

* Creation of an independent, democratic and truly free Palestinian state with Jerusalem as capital and return of all Palestinian refugees to their homeland.

* Implement all decisions of the United nations and Security Council in this respect.

This International Campaign for a free Palestine and for release of Palestine prisoners in Israel is to be made in to a mass movement. April 17, 2012 was observed as Palestine Day in many countries. Let us also be part of this great movement.

6 companies have been empanelled by the Governmentn as Pension Fund Managers(PFM) for providing pension and annuity products under the New Pension Scheme(NPS) . They are LIC, SBI Life, ICICI Prudential, Bajaj Allianz Life, Reliance Life and Star Union Dal-Ichi. Out of these only two are from PSUs and all the others from private sector.

Earlier the Central and state government employees were getting pension as defined pension. But for the employees recruited on or after 01-01-2004 the New Pension Scheme has been introduced which is a contributory pension scheme. Despite strong protest from the employees, the NPS was implemented by  Central and all state governments except the left-led states of Kerala, W.Bengal and Tripura.

Recovery will be made from the employees to Provident Fund. The government will also contribute. This fund will be managed by the Pension Fund Managers. They can invest the fund according to their decision. 60% of the amount will be refunded at the time of retirement and 40% will be put in annuity for payment of pension.

The private employees can accept the scheme. But so far, out of 3 million employees under NPS, 90% are from government or PSUs only.It is mandatory for them.

The Central and State Government employees have strongly opposed the scheme and asked the government to continue he pension scheme as per CCS (Pension ) Rules according to which the pension will be paid as defined pension and not contributory pension. A Parliament March was also organised in this connection.

The fight will continue for defined pension scheme.

910 candidates have been selected for the Civil Service cadres like IAS, IPS, IFS etc. as per yesterdays announcement by the government. Congratulations to them all.

They have to be congratulated. They have been selected after a serious examination and interview later. 4,72,290 has applied  out of which 2,43,003 appeared in the examination. 11,984 candidates were declared qualified in the written examination. Out of them 2,417 candidates were selected for personality test. And 910 are the candidates who became victorious and selected for the coveted posts.

The report of the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) has exposed all the claims of the government with regard to the poverty in the country.

In its report covering July 2009- June 2010, NSSO has reported that “the poorest in India’s rural population had an average monthly per capita consumer expenditure of Rs. 453. The poorest 10% of the urban population had an average MPCE of Rs. 599.”

The survey further pointed out that 10% of the population at the lowest level in the rural areas lives on Rs.15 a day while in urban areas the figure is Rs. 20 a day.

This is a very serious and pitiable situation. India got independence 65 years back. Many five-year plans have been implemented. The government always proudly declare about the growth of GDP and development in the country. But the majority of the people in the rural areas are far below the poverty line, somehow managing to live. The condition of the poor in urban areas is not different as the NSSO report reveals. While on the one side big business barons like Jindals and Ambanis get Rs 65 crores and Rs.51 crores salary in a year, whereas  the poor in the country exists on Rs. 15 per day. Despite this the government is moving on with its neo-liberal policies, which will further reduce the living conditions of the poor in the country.

A sustained struggle with massive participation of the people is required to defeat the neo-liberal policy of the government which is increasing the misery, the inequality. The time is already late; It should not become too late.

India is number one in world in accumulating the yellow metal, gold. Out of the estimated total of 1,40,000 tons of gold available, its 32% is in India.

India produces about 2 tons of gold annually from its 30 gold mines. It imports about 800 to 900 tons every year. Indian household is estimated to have 18,000 tons of gold. One year new demand for gold in India is estimated to be 1,000 to 1,200 tons. These are the information from Study report of World Gold Council.

The Indian greed for the yellow metal has no parallel in the world. Even after the gold price has rocketed without any limit, there is no limit to the demand also. (Courtsey : Bank Workers Forum)