According to Communications Ministry sources, the draft of the New Telecom Policy 2011 ( NTP 2011) will be released on Monday, 10th September 2011. Before finanlising the same, suggestions will be sought from all stake holders.
As I had mentioned earlier, the NTP 2011 will continue the process of giving all reliefs to the private telcos while withdrawing even the committed assurances to the PSUs BSNL and MTNL. The 2G scam has also seriously affected BSNL while certain private companies got the benefit.
Any comments on the draft policy can be sent so that I will be able to send another note to the Minister on the NTP 2011.

The world is celebrating the World Postal Day on 9th October 2011. 9th October was declared as World Postal Day by the Universal Postal Union Congress held in Tokyo in 1969. 9th October is the birthday of the Universal Postal Union which was formed in 1874 in the capital city of Switzerland,Bern.
Universl Postal Union is not a union of the workers. It is the Union of the Postal Organisations all over the world.
It may be a coincidence that the Postal Department in India was also started in the same period. Communication methods were there even at the time of the Moghuls as also other kings. The postal as a system was started by the British, first for their administrative and defence purposes and later for the use of the public. Although the first Post Office was started in 1688 in Bombay by the East India Company the Postal Department was started only in 1854. The services wer made available to the public gradually. Now Indian Posts is one of the biggest postal services in the world.
The neo-liberalisation policy has targeted Postal services also. The government gave permission for starting courier services by the private companies. Works after works of the post offices are tried to be privatised. Government is planning to completely stop the RMS service. The Postal Unions, under the leadership of NFPE are resisting these onslaughts.
The Postal Services is a service which the poor in the country is fully depending. It has to be strengthened, not to be destabilised or privatised.

The agitation by the students and job seekers in US called ‘Occupy Wall Street’ started on 17th September is getting strengthened day by day. Hundreds of youngsters have occuoied the streets in New York at Wall Street and nearby and placards and banners are increasing. The job losses, the difficulty in getting school loans, the doubt about the future – all these have created unrest amongst the youngsters. The workers are fully supporting the movement with money,things and propaganda. Thousands of workers have already paraded in the streets in support of the movement.
Wall Street is considered as the capital of the capitalist system that is after profit and is against the interests of the common people and the toiling masses. It is a coincidence that the youngsters in US, the flag mast of the capitalism, itself is in arms against the exploitaion by capitalism.
The agitation has started in many other cities in USA like Tampa, Trentor, Jercy city, Pholadelphis, Norfolk, Virginia, Chicago, St.Luis, Houston, San Antonio,Nashville, Tennesse, Portland, Oregon,Seattle, Los Angeles etc.

It is a good news. One of the Cuban Five who are imprisoned in the US jail has been released. But he will not be allowed to go out of US.
This is a great victory for the progressive forces in the world. On 3rd October 2011, the Workers world wide organised International Action Day as per the call of WFTU in which one of the demands was the release of the Cuban Five who are jailed in US for the last so many years. The international pressure might have compelled the US to release at least one of the Cubans.
Our demand for the release of the remaining 4 Cubans should continue.

I had focussed the danger that Taj Mahal is facing due to pollution and most importantly due to the wooden base being weakened due to lack of water in Yamuna river and water pollution. Now experts has cautioned that unless immediate remedial measures are taken, the Taj may even crumble within a few years due to the weakened base structure.
Will the Government take immediate action to save this wonder of the world which is attracting crores of people each year?

The draft of the New Telecom Policy 2011 (NTP 2011) is expected to be released on Monday, 10th October by the Communications and IT Minister, Kapil Sibal. The IT Policy was released two days back. There is no doubt that it will be on the neo-liberalisation policy line of the government with more support to the MNCs and Indian big business as was done in NTP 1995 as well as NTP 1999.
As per media reports, the NTP 2011 may abolish the roaming charges, MNP will be allowed from one circle to another circle, Trading, pooling and Sharing of spectrum, unified licence system with pan-India licence, exit policy for telcos who want to quit the business etc. Spectrum and Licencing may be separated. There seems to be a proposal to start a Telecom Finance Corporation for facilitating investments.
As the Convener of the JAC, I had submitted to the Minister Communications proposals for the NTP about three months back, which was forwarded to all BSNL Unions. A detailed note is also being prepared. Since the draft policy may be released by 10th October, it is necessary that we furnish our opinions to the Minister as early as possible and seek a meeting with the concerned persons to press our point of view. Any suggestion in the matter may be immediately sent to me.

The Maruti Suzuki Management is bent upon creating problems and start further attacks on the workers. The 33 days agitation was over only a few days back and normalcy was restored to a certain extent. But the management has once again violated the understanding by keeping out about 1500 contract workers whom the management has agreed to take back.
Since the contract workers were kept out of work, the entire regular workers from the 2nd shift onwards on 7th October struck work by walking out of the work place and sitting in the company premises. The workers in the nearby factories run by the Suzuki Motor Corporation also joined the strike. About 8000 workers are on strike to ensure that the contract workers are taken back to jobs. “We will continue our strike till the contract workers are taken back” stated the leaders of the union.
I fully appreciate and support the strike of the Maruti Suzuki workers who are fighting for the contract workers in their factory.

The proposal for the Kundankulam Nuclear Project is stoutly opposed by almost the entire population near that area in T.Nadu. The recent nuclear catastrophe in Fukushima, Japan and the resultant deaths and radiation to large number of people has naturally raised doubts and fears in the minds of the people. It is near fishing waters and naturally any mistake may result in contamination of fish catching also which in turn will result in serious health problems.
The Tamilnadu Assembly has already passed resolution asking the Central Government not to proceed with the project till all the concerns are sorted out. The environmentalists and other social activists are also demanding the same. The fishing community has also strongly opposed.
But the Central Government is proceeding with its plan. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh stated that the project would go forward. The Government is not worried about the health concerns or danger involved, but is interested in continuing the project, whatever happens. It is completely insensitive to the issues raised by the people.
In the days to come, the protests are going to be intensified. The government should stop the project till all the concerns are addressed to.

The Global Rating Agency, Moodys has downgraded the creditworthiness of the biggest Bank in India, State Bank of India from ‘C-‘to ‘D +’. One of the reasons mentioned for the downgrading is the Non-Performing Asset (NPA).
NPA means the loans taken by the customers and not returned. It runs in to thousands of crores of rupees. While the Bank Managements take extra care and effort to get the loans taken by the common people got returned, the big fish like corporates and big business are capable of avoiding through many loop holes to delay refund of loans and some times not pay at all. The Bank Mnagements are also not taking serious efforts. This has put many PSU banks in the red in the past also.
Why can’t the Government and the Bank Management take necessary action to get these loans returned and avoid the downgrading and crises?

The protest against unemployment and inequality is strengthening in the USA, the capital of the of neo-liberalisation policies and the shining star of capitalism. The recession since 2007 has hit the people in US heavily and the common people are facing the pinch. While the corporates are bailed out and given all relief, the people has been left high and dry. The youths are demonstrating for the last few weeks since 17th September in Wall Street, the head quarters of the big business.
The workers unions are supporting this protest action of the youth and people. They are supporting with blood, money and goods to the youth who are camping in the street.
On 5th September the Union workers demonstrated in the Wall Street in thousands supporting the protesting youth. The support for the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement is increasing. A March to the New York Stock Exchange also was organised.
But the US government has not taken any action to settle the grievances. The protests are expected to strengthen.
If the US government thought that the protests are limited to Arabian Countries only, they are mistaken. Now it will engulf America and Europe also. Already the situation in Greece is very grave. The Euro countries are trying to bail out of this situation, but still the crisis continues.