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.

Pensioners all over the country will be observing /celebrating the Pensioners’ Day on 17th December in remembrance of the ‘Nakara’ judgment of Constitutional Bench of Supreme Court on 17th December 1982, which is treated as the ‘Magna carta’ of the pensioners.

About 10 lakh Bank workers as per the call of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) went on on a two day strike from today, 16th December 2021 against the government’s ill-advised move to destroy the PSU Banks and hand over them to private corporates.

I conveyed the greetings on behalf of NCCPA to the striking workers, who have been holding a largely attended meeting near the Mananchira Maidan, Kozikode.

Modi govt refuses to restore train concessions to senior citizens. Condemnable decision. Expressstrong protest.

Senior citizens were granted concessions in train fare since more than two decades. Earlier, the concessions were granted to men aged 65 and women aged 58. The required age for men were reduced after many representations. Till two years ago women aged 58 and above were granted 50% concession and 40% concessions to men aged 60 and above. Representations were made to grant 50% concessions to men also.
After BJP came in to power, it started creating clever moves to take away the concessions. First it was complicating the booking of tickets both direct and online by putting an option due to which the passengers were to specifically make an option for concession. Those who were not aware were compelled to pay the full charge.
Next step was withdrawing the concession in February 2020 by a post in the Railway website withdrawing the concessions to senior citizens and other certain categories citing Covid situation. It was a clever move that too secretly.

But even after situation eased and train started running, the concessions are not restored. Now, to a question in Parliament the real colour of the govt has been exposed, when the Railway Minister refused to restore concession.

The govt’s intention is very clear. Railways are being made ready for privatisation. The private companies will not be prepared for granting conessions as it will reduce their profit.

More than 4 lakhs vacancies exist in Railways without being filled causing acute shortage of staff even in operations side. Posts are not being filled up due to 2 main reasons. Private corporates want to run with less staff.

Another reason is that when vacancies are being filled up, reservations have to be made to SC, ST and other reserved categories by govt. Private corporates will never agree to this. They may even retrench such officials as they tried in VSNL after Tata took it over.

Earlier 50% concessions were granted in fare by Air India to senior citizens above the age of 60. Now it has been curtailed with many restrictions. After take over by Tata, even this limited concession may disappear.

There is no doubt that Modi govt is taking away the rights and concessions granted to people to please the corporates. Strong protests and sustained struggles and exposure of govt is required to defend the rights of citizens, the correct way shown by the Kisans.

Whatever dues are to be paid by BSNL to govt, they are forcefully taken. But whatever is due from govt to BSNL, coming to more than Rs.39,000 crores, is not paid. Double role of the govt to further weaken the PSU. Govt is prepared to pay funds to retrench employees, but not prepared to provide funds for development and expansion.

SAVE BSNL, SAVE NATION.

In reply to a Parliament question, Minister of Railways Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw has replied that many representations have been received to restore the train ticket concessions which were withdrawn during the period and the matter has been examined and not found feasible at present.

These concessions include to that of senior citizens. Women aged 58 and above were granted 50% and men aged 60 and above were granted 40% concession in train tickets. Senior Citizens Friends Welfare Association, Kerala had represented several times for the restoration of the same. Now the government has flatly refused restoration. This is a great injustice to the old aged people. Our strong protest.

As part of the anti-people, anti-worker, anti-PSU policy of the Modi Government, each and every PSU, which had given yeomen service to the Nation and the people are either being closed or handed over to the corporates for a song or destroyed ruthlessly. Workers are being thrown to the streets. Even during the Covid period, while the people and the workers are in great financial distress, the corporates have increased their wealth. Govt is giving more and more support to the corporates while putting the people in great distress.

The case of BSNL is not different. BSNL was formed only to be privatised since a govt department can not be directly privatised. It was correctly stated that corporatisation is the first step towards privatisation. If the recognised federations like NFTE and FNTO had taken a strong stand along with the Unions in the Door Sanchar Sangharsh Samithi (National Action Committee) and continued the struggles against corporatisation, the position would have been different. With more than 3.5 lakh workers in a crucial sector continuing relentless struggles against corporatisation, government would have been compelled to drop it.

Of course there is not much use in going back to the past, but lessons have to be learnt from the past mistakes. That is what BSNLEU and the Joint Form of BSNL Unions did. Through continuous struggles with the full participation and support of the workers, they were able to defeat the decision of the government to sell the shares of BSNL as in the case of MTNL, imposing VRS twice in the 2000s, sharing of towers and optical fibres and so on.

The government took another route to weaken BSNL. Undue benefits were given to private companies, 4 G was not given to BSNL, all anti-BSNL steps were taken by the DOT with the BSNL management meekly implementing them. Salaries were not paid in time, management pressurised the workers to take VRS, contract workers were retrenched and wages not paid – all intended to weaken BSNL making it like a bonsai plant, cutting its roots one after another. Now its main strength, optical fibres and towers are going to be handed over to the private companies.

This is a crucial period. All odds are against BSNL and its workers – the anti-PSU policy of the government, the corporate lobby with its vast influence on the government even making the Prime Minister its ‘poster boy’ as pointed out out by a former Communications Minister in the Parliament today and also BJP’s brute majority in the Parliament, making it arrogant to pass any anti-people bill in the Parliament even without discussion.

But there is a ray of hope. Even this central government with its huge majority had to surrender before the year-old patient struggle of the kisans, the food-givers of the country. Prime Minister was compelled to apologise to them and cancel all the anti-kisan laws and agree to other fully justified demands. It made one to remember the 22 days strike of the P and T workers in 1946, before which the mighty British government was stunned and which had to concede all the 12 demands raised by the union. Of course that was part of the great Independence Struggle.

As far as BSNL is concerned it has to be revived and strengthened for the benefit of the Nation, the people and the workers. Telecom is the second line of defence. It is crucial for the growth of the country, especially the far flung villages, border areas, strategical centres etc. The workers have got the responsibility to go to the people and campaign for getting their active support explaining what would happen if telecom sector is completely handed over to the private companies.

The formation of the Co-ordination Committee of BSNLEU-AIBDPA-BSNLCCWF and its campaign programme and agitations are in the right direction. It has to be developed in to a forum of all the unions and associations of the workers, the pensioners and the contract workers and sustained struggles organised with the support of the people.

The two days strike on 23-24 February 2022 called by the Central Trade Unions and Independent Federations is in the right direction and it had to be made a full success. Such unity and struggles are required to save BSNL and revive it.

General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff died in Chopper accident. Great loss to the nation. Heartfelt condolences.