17 Tuesday Dec 2013
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The dense fog has dirupted air and rail traffic in Delhi for the last two days. Hundreds of flights are delayed. No flights departed from Delhi till now. But it is expected that situation may improve after 11.00 AM. Many trains are also delayed.
17 Tuesday Dec 2013
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EPF account holders will get 8.5 per cent interest in 2013-14. This is less than one per cent of the unions’ demand.
16 Monday Dec 2013
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NEW DELHI, DEC 13:
The total number of telecom subscribers rose marginally to 90.45 crore at end of October this year, telecom regulator TRAI said today.
“The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 899.86 million at the end of September, 2013 to 904.56 million at the end of October 2013,” the TRAI said in a statement.
The total number of wireless subscribers increased from 87 crore in September to 87.54 crore in October, registering a monthly growth of 0.56 per cent.
About 85 per cent of total mobile user base were found to be active customers.
“The share of urban wireless subscribers has declined from 59.75 per cent to 59.65 per cent whereas share of rural wireless subscribers has increased from 40.25 per cent to 40.35 per cent,” TRAI said.
The overall tele density — number of telephone connections for every 100 individuals — in the country increased from 73.01 in September to 73.32 in October.
From October onwards, 105 out of 153 Internet service providers started reporting broadband numbers based on new definition of providing Internet with minimum download speed of 512 kilobit per second from 256 Kbps earlier.
At the end of October 2013, there were 14.91 million wired broadband subscribers in the country.
The total number of request from subscribers to change their operators using Mobile Number Portability facility reached 10.48 crore in October.
At end of October, private operators hold 88.41 per cent of the wireless market share (based on subscriber base) whereas BSNL and MTNL, the two PSU operators held only 11.59 per cent market share, it said.
Airtel led the growth in both wireless and wired segment. The company added 14.88 lakh new mobile subscribers by in October taking its subscriber base to 19.48 crore.
The telecom major added 14,553 new fixed line customers where the overall segment saw decline of subscriber base from 2.92 crore at the end of September, 2013 to 2.90 crore at the end of October, 2013.
Vodafone and Idea Cellular were close competitors in October where they added 11.51 and 11.49 lakh mobile subscribers respectively.
Aircel added 4.97 lakh, Reliance Communications 4.5 lakh, Videocon 2.78 lakh (including HFCL), Loop Mobile about 42,000 and state-run BSNL added around 39,000 new subscribers during the month.
MTNL lost 1.55 lakh mobile customers, the most by any operator during the month. Tata Teleservices too continued to lose customers. The company lost 96,500 mobile customers during the reported month and Uninor lost 21,935 mobile customers.
(Courtesy : Business Line)
13 Friday Dec 2013
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The government, BSNL Management, media and vested interests are continuously propagating that the crisis in BSNL is partly due to the increase in wages of employees which has shot up to 52% of the total revenue.
This propaganda is completely false and based on wrong premises. The fact is that for the last five years, there has not been any increase to be mentioned as such in the wages of the employees. Just go through the following figures showing the wages for the past few years:
2009-10 : Rs. 13455.04 crore, 2010-11: Rs. 13790.95 crore, 2011-12: Rs. 13406.04 crore, 2012-13 : Rs. 13757.82 crore
But the Revenue has been going down as can be seen below:
2007-2008: Rs. 32842.30 crore, 2008-09: Rs. 30169.42 crore, 2009-10: Rs.27913.44 crore, 2010-11: Rs. 27044.71 crore, 2011-12: Rs. 25982.13 crore, 2012-13: Rs. 25654.81 crore.
While the wage expense from 2009-10 to 2012-13 was almost the same with very minor difference, the revenue came down from 2007-08 to 2012-13 from Rs. 32842.30 crore to Rs.25654.81 crore,a reduction of more than Rs. 7,000 crore. If the revenue had increased or at least maintained its position, the percentage of wages should have been far less, say about 33%.
As stated earlier it is not that the wages have increased, but it is that the revenue has decreased. The Management and Government very well know this fact, but want to mislead the workers and public. But the workers are also aware of the facts.
10 Tuesday Dec 2013
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There were strong protests from the opposition against the arbitrary report on 2G Scam presented in Parliament by the Chairman of the JPC on Shri P.C.Chacko. Almost all the opposition party members in the Committee has opposed the report, which completely put the responsibility on Former Minister A.raja. The demand of the opposition to examine Prime Minister and Finance Minister who were also part of the decision making in the matter was rejected by the Chairman. Even the demand for examining A.Raja, who himself volunteered for examination, was rejected by the Chairman, well knowing that such an examination will certainly involve the PM and FM.
In rejecting the opposition party members in the JAC, the Chairman had violated rules as also conventions. The report is only a cover up according to the opposition members.
Although the demand of the opposition not to allow presentation of the one-sided report was rejected by the Speaker, it is sure that a discussion on the report will bring fire and thunder. The government is sure to be exposed.
09 Monday Dec 2013
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A Condolence meeting was held at AKG Bhawan New Delhi to pay homage to Nelson Mandela, former President, S.Africa and one of the top leaders the world has ever seen. Comrade Hari Singh Kang, presided. Comrades Varadarajan, A.K.Padmanabhan and other senior leaders of CPI(M) and many other comrades were present.
Com.Sitaram Yechury, PBM, CPI(M), spoke in length about the life of Nelson Mandela, his struggle against British imperialists for the freedom of S.Africa, the formation of the militant unit to fight against British, Umkhonto We Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) of which he was the first Commander-in-Chief, his arrest and solitary confinement in Robben Island for 27 years, his release due to the strong protest from the nations all over the world, freedom from British Supremacy, his election as the first black President of S.Africa, the joint functioning of the African National Congress (ANC), South African Communist Party (SACP) and COSATU, the workers organisation. He retired from the post of President after the first term, though everybody pressed him to continue. Com. Sitaram Yechury also informed that he will be leaving to S.Africa to participate in the farewell function along with the President Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Opposition Leader Smt. Sushma Swaraj and other leaders.
The participants stood in silence for one minute paying respectful homage to the memory of the departed leader.
Red Salute to Comrade nelson Mandela!
09 Monday Dec 2013
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Johannesburg, Dec 9 : President Pranab Mukherjee will
be among 70 heads of state and government and global figures
who will attend a memorial service in South Africa tomorrow
for anti-apartheid legend Nelson Mandela, making it one of the
largest such gatherings in generations. Scores of foreign dignitaries have already arrived in the country for the memorial service at the 95,000-seat FNB Stadium, where Mandela made his last major public appearance during the 2010 football World Cup.
President Mukherjee will lead a high-level delegation to the memorial service of the former South African President, who died at the age of 95 on December 5. The delegation will comprise UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury and BSP leader Satish Mishra, a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesman said in New Delhi.
There has been “unprecedented interest” to attend therevered statesman’s funeral, South African Foreign Minister
Maite Nkoana-Mashabane told a news conference here. The other dignitaries who have confirmed their attendance include US President Barack Obama, Brazilian leader Dilma Rousseff, French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron. Obama will be accompanied by his wife Michelle and three living former occupants of the White House — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W Bush. Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, Sri Lanka President
Mahinda Rajapaksa, Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid and UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will also attend the event.Britain’s Prince Charles will represent Queen Elizabeth II at the memorial service.
Authorities have mobilised around 11,000 security personnel to ensure security during the service. Some leaders are expected to travel to Mandela’s rural village of Qunu for his funeral service and burial on December 15th. (PTI)
05 Thursday Dec 2013
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The report that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has tied up with a US company with CIA links is a matter of deep concern. According to a report in the Economic Times, a US company, MongoDB, is providing the software to manage the data base for the registration of Aadhar. One of the investors in this company is the CIA.
Earlier too, the UIDAI had entered into contracts with the US based company, L-1 Identity Solutions, and another French company for the Aadhar project. The collection of personal data and biometrics of all Indian citizens through the Aadhar programme has been made available to the United State’s agencies through the employment of these companies. It is now known through the Snowden files that the US authorities have been suborning all data through US telecom and internet companies. The Indian government and the UIDAI has compromised the vital data collected of Indian citizens by such tie-ups.
The UIDAI collection of data has no legal basis. It is also being used illegally to make the Aadhar number compulsory for delivery of social services and subsidies.
We demand the cancellation of the tie-up with foreign companies and a suspension of the Aadhar scheme till Parliament deliberates and decides on its future and, if required, a legislative enactment.(Coutsey: Press
02 Monday Dec 2013
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It is reported that Karnataka Government has moved a bill in the Winter Session of the Assembly being held at Belgaum against striking workers. The bill called Essential Service Maintenance Bill, when passed will be utilised against striking workers in the essential services like water, power, health, transport etc.
The striking worker can be punished will jail term or fine or with both.
We strongly oppose this draconian bill. We, the Central government employees, had the bitter taste of the draconian Essential Service Maintenance Ordinance promulgated by the Central government at the time of the historic strike of July 1960 when thousands of the striking workers were put in jail. Even those outsiders who supported and gave solidarity to the strike were arrested and jailed.
We strongly oppose the ESM Bill and support the Karnataka workers fighting against this draconian Bill.
26 Tuesday Nov 2013
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It is reported that the National Security Agency(NSA) of USA has hacked more than 55,000 computers and infected them with malware. This is according to the classified documents revealed by the whistle blower Edward Snowden, who is being haunted by the US government.
There is no limit to what the US imperialists will do to continue their top position in the world. For the US, there is nothing except their world hegemony position. Anything can be done for that purpose, murder, attacking other nations, drone attacks, economic blockade of any country etc.
There should be an end to this inhuman and barbaric aggression.
VAN Namboodiri's Blog 