Tag Archives: India

India at 147 of 157 countries in commitment to reducing inequality – a shame indeed.

09 Tuesday Oct 2018

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India fared poorly, ranking 147 out of 157 countries, in terms of its commitment to reducing inequality, while Denmark topped the list, a report said Tuesday.

According to the Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index developed by Oxfam and Development Finance International, Nigeria, Singapore, India and Argentina are among a group of governments that are fuelling inequality.

The index ranks 157 countries on their policies on social spending, tax, and labour rights.

As per the report, countries such as South Korea, Namibia and Uruguay are taking strong steps to reduce inequality. However, countries like India and Nigeria did very badly.

Among rich countries, USA showed a lack of commitment towards closing the inequality gap.

In terms of its ranking across specific pillars this year, India was placed 151st on the index for public spending for healthcare, education and social protection, 141st for labour rights and wages, and 50th on taxation policies.

Regionally, India ranks sixth among the eight South Asian nations. On public spending and on labour rights it ranks sixth, but India is placed on the top in terms of progressiveness of tax policy.

Other countries in the top ten include Germany (2nd), Finland (3rd), Austria (4th), Norway (5th), Belgium (6th), Sweden (7th), France (8th), Iceland (9th) and Luxembourg (10th). (A report from PTI)

WFTU hails decisions of Workers National Convention in India

12 Saturday Aug 2017

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WFTU has given the following statement on the National Convention of workers in India.

India: The National Convention of Workers decided the next militant steps of the Trade Unions
10 Aug 2017ASIA, INDIA
The Trade Unions of India during the National Convention of Workers discussed about the current developments, the increasing anti-labor policies of India government and worker’s standard of living.

The Convention examined the previous action of the trade union movement and the continuing government’s provocative rejection and indifference of the 12-point Charter of Demands on minimum wage, social security, workers’ status and pay and facilities for the scheme workers, against privatization and mass scale contractorisation etc.

The convention was organised by the joint platform of all the central trade unions – CITU, AITUC, INTUC, HMS, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, UTUC and LPF, and the National Federations of State and Central Government employees and the employees in a wide range of sectors such as banking, telecom, coal, steel, transport and construction.

The Convention decided the next militant steps below:

1. To work for achieving and accelerating united struggles in all the sectors of the economy on respective demands, which have already begun
2. To Organize level massive campaigns at various levels: Block, District, Industrial Centres and State level; mobilisation and convention in preparation to central mobilization to be followed
3. Massive three days dharna (protest) at National Capital on 9th,10th and 11th Nov. to be attended by workers from all over the country.
4. The National Convention calls upon the working people to prepare for indefinite countrywide strike action against the anti people, anti national activities of the Govt.

World Federation of Trade Unions
Central Offices in Athens
40, Zan Moreas str, 117 45 Athens, GREECE

Kerala the biggest buyers of GOLD in India

30 Tuesday May 2017

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As per report of the World Gold Council, indian purchase of gold ornaments in the first quarter of 2017 accounted for more than one fifth of the world demand.

And Kerala, a small state, is number one in India. It spends about Rs. 208.55 per month in Rural areas and Rs. 189.95 in urban areas as per the report. The T.Nadu and Goa, who are in the second and third positions are spending Rs. 44.86 and Rs. 34.07. Other states are far behind.

The craze for Gold in Kerala has historical, economical and religious back ground. But does that justify this unusual craze?

India Number One in population?

28 Sunday May 2017

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Recent reports in the press indicates that India has overtaken China in population and is the most populated country in the world. India’s population has crossed 130 crore while that of China is only around 129 crores. The official figures of both are yet to be released.

China’s one child law has controlled the population to a certain extend. When the government realised that the present system is resulting in lowering the % of young people, it has decided to give permission for more than one child to couples in special cases.

Though the two children policy is still there in India, there are many who do not stick to the norm. Of course, there are many who have only one child. The result is that the population increase as a regular norm.

When resources are less and population more, crores of people are compelled to live in poverty and hardship. Further, even the available resources are cornered by the rich and corporates, further downgrading the people.

In the capitalist system, there is no solution to such problems of the people. Socialism is the only remedy.

Intolerance has no limit – danger to the secular fabric of the nation

08 Saturday Apr 2017

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After the Modi government has assumed power, the intolerance of the Sangh Parivar has crossed all limits. The declared  threat to the life of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan by them is but one example.

Black Africans, South Indians, cattle purchasers, love couples, rationalists, minorities, dalits, women – all are victims of this brutal intolerance. The list is sure to increase every day.

Fascist Mussolini and Nazi leader Adolf Hitler are two rulers who took intolerance to unlimited level. Is the same thing happening in present India?

Can this intolerance can be tolerated by people of the Secular Democratic Republic of India.

India Alone is India – Gopalakrishna Gandhi

27 Friday Jan 2017

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“An impression prevails that you want to be seen as India,that criticism of you therefore amounts to criticism of India, tantamount to treason.”

“Indira was not India. No Prime Minister can be India. India alone is India.”

( From the Open Letter to Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India by Shri Gopalakrishna Gandhi, former administrator, diplomat and Governor published in Hindu dated 26th January 2017)

The Rich become Richer, the Poor becomes Poorer, that is India

23 Friday Sep 2016

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According to the latest Forbes List of Super Rich Indians, Mukesh Ambani has kept his first position as the richest Indian. He has also increased his wealth from $ 18.9 billion to $ 18.9 billion In the list of richest Indians, next comes Dilip Shanghvi ($ 16.9 billion), Hinduja Brothers ( $15.2 billion), Azim Premji ($15 billion)and others.

While thousands of such rich persons have increased their wealth substantially, crores of poor people have become poorer and more people have become in the poor category. The government is boasting of increasing the wealth of the country. Of course it is true that the wealth of the country has increased, but most of it has gone to the coffers of the rich and powerful. The ordinary and poor people are the losers. Can this be called democracy of the people?

All the people have got a right to live in this country and the government has got a duty to ensure it. But the actions of the government are only to help the corporates and the rich. Strong protest and retaliatory action are required to change the policy of the government.

Committee to recommend ‘New Financial Year’.

07 Thursday Jul 2016

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The Central Government has appointed a committee with Former CEA Shankaracharya as Chairman to look in to changing the financial year from April to March and submit recommendations. The financial year for countries are different, some starting with January, some April, Some July and some October. India follows the British system of starting from April and the US financial year starts from October.

Is the proposal to change the financial year, a political one? Is it intended to change from April to October in order have more compatibility with US with whom India is  strategically coming closer and closer?

India is at 130th rank in World Human Development Index

15 Tuesday Dec 2015

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Despite 68 years after Independence, India is at 130th rank among 188 countries in Human Development Index. HDI is a summary measure to assess long term progress in three basic dimensions of human development – a long healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.

Norway, Australia and Switzerland are the first three in ranks. The rank of Bangla Desh and Pakistan, our neighbors, are 142 and 147 respectively. Among BRICS nations ie. Brazil, Russia, India, China and S.Africa – India is in the lowest position.

Crores of Indians have no dwellings on their own and are staying in open spaces. Crores of children do not get education. There are again crores who can not have two meals a day. Lakhs of crores of rupees are given as subsidy to the corporates and big business. Ministers and high level people are involved in corruption of thousands of crores of rupees. Black money of lakhs of crores of rupees are still not confiscated. A parallel economy is allowed to function. But neither the Congress nor the BJP, which are the ruling parties for more than six decades do not have time to think about the condition of the poor. They should be kicked out for ignoring the conditions of the poor in this country.

People protest world-wide demanding action for reducing gas emissions

30 Monday Nov 2015

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At the time when 150 nations’ heads are meeting in Paris Summit to discuss about the climate change and how to reduce gas emissions, protest rallies are being held in many countries demanding the summit to take concrete decisions to reduce the greenhouses gases so that the world is saved from the coming catastrophe.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated in his speech in the summit, India is suffering much more due to climate change, even though it is  far behind in the list of countries emitting greenhouse gases. it is to be noted that the developed countries like US are leading the gas emissions.