Senior Citizens Friends Welfare Association, Kerala will be organizing protest dharna in front of Railway Stations on 23rd December 2021 demanding restoration of the Railway ticket concessions, withdrawn during the Covid period. Women aged 58 and above were getting 50% concession in Railway tickets and men aged 60 and above were getting 40% concession. These were withdrawn by the government wef 20th February 2020. The demand is to restore them.

The Parliament, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is being witness to unusual and complete undemocratic situations. Bills are being passed without discussion, despite demand from the opposition. Bills are not being sent to Select Committees, although demanded by opposition. The brute majority is misused by the Modi government to enact anti-people, anti-worker, anti-minority bills.

Election Commission is called by the Ministers to give certain directions, it is stated. Opposition has strongly criticised this unconstitutional incident.

Democracy under attack by Modi Government?

AIBDPA has addressed a detailed letter to Smt. Nirmala Sitaraman, Finance Minister, requesting to issue directions to the concerned officers in the Income Tax department not to harass the VRS pensioners with the demand of Income Tax for the period concerning their service in DOT, as it is already exempted. Copy of the letter is in the AIBDPA website.

Kerala Circle Executive Committee meeting has been held online on 19-12-2021. Com. K R R Varma, Vice President presided over the meeting. Com.N Guruprasad, Circle Secretary welcomed all and presented the report. Com. V A N Namboodiri, Advisor inaugurated the CEC with a brief speech focusing on important issues. Com. K G Jayaraj, General Secretary in his address dealt on main issues of pension revision, denial of medical benefits, struggles of CoC and organisational matters. Com. P V Chandrasekharan, Patron spoke elaborately on our functioning and stressed the importance of strengthening the organisation with effective campaign. All the District Secretaries and most of the office bearers participated in the discussion. General Secretary and Circle Secretary replied to the issues raised in the discussion. The CEC decided to hold the 6th biennial Circle Conference at Palakkad on 12,13 February, 2022. With vote of thanks by Com. P R Mohanan, ACS the meeting came to an end.

20th December 2021 is the fifth death anniversary of Com.P.T.Rajan, militant trade union leader of CITU, Kozhikode. He passed away while attending CITU General Council meeting at Ranchi in 2016 due to severe heart attack.
Com.Rajan was in the lead for all trade union activities at Kozhikode for a long period. He was very active and dedicated to the cause. My relations with him goes many years. He was always addicted to the work entrusted.

Red Salute to Comrade P.T.Rajan!

Comrade Suseela Gopalan, senior leader of CPI(M), former Minister in LDF government in Kerala, Member of Parliament, former President of AIDWA and wife of Communist legend Com. A.K.Gopalan, passed away 20 years earlier on 19th December 2001. On her 20th death anniversary, I pay my respectful homage to Comrade Suseela Gopalan!

She had always been close to the working class and was formerly Chairman of the P and T Co-ordinating Committee Kerala. During her MP days, she took up a lot of issues of the workers in the Parliament and settled many of them. I had the opportunity to meet her and discuss the workers’ issues, while Com. AKG was alive and afterwards. She was always very helpful and took up issues with the government effectively.

Red Salute to Com. Suseela Gopalan!

The Senior Citizens Friends Welfare Association (SCFWA) , Kerala State Committee has called upon its units to organised massive dharnas in front of major Railway Stations in the state on 23rd December protesting against the withdrawal of the concessions granted to the senior citizens in the train fare. Women above the age of 58 were granted 50% concession and men above the age of 60 were granted 40% concession.

The withdrawal is completely anti- age old people. Strong protests are being made by senior citizens. The government should restore the concession in full.

The two days strike of Bank employees as per the call of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) on 16-17 December was a complete success as almost employees participated in the same.

I could attend the dharna by the striking workers in the Manachira corner at Kozhikode, address them and congratulate them.

I am at a loss to understand why my Facebook Account is being blocked again and again. Hence I will now focus on this blog. When Facebook page is ok, I will post there also.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the proposal to raise the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years. This move would bring the legal age of marriage for women at par with men which is 21 years.

The move will now require a law to be tabled in Parliament to amend personal laws governing age of marriage such as the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, Special Marriage Act and personal laws such as the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.

Currently, for Hindus Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists, the Hindu Marriage Act sets 18 years as the minimum age of the bride and 21 years for the groom;

 in Islam, the personal laws lay down that the marriage of a minor who has attained puberty is considered to be of marriageable age.

The Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 also prescribe 18 and 21 years as the minimum age of consent for marriage for women and men, respectively.