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August 10—16, 2014

Weekly

Central Organ of the Communist Party of India

Vol. 62

No. 32

AUGUST 10—16, 2014

On the working of Ministry of Power.................5

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Charter of Demands Day for Khet Mazdoor on Oct 15

BKMU to Unleash Struggle Against Anti-poor Policies BKMU calls for countrywide protest to observe ‘Charter of Demands Day’ on October 15, 2014 and to launch struggles on agrarian workers demands in all states. It has also been decided to hold national council meet at Varanasi on November 15-16, 2014 to chart out further programmes of struggles. The central executive committee of BKMU in its meeting held in Hyderabad (Telangana) from August 2-3, 2014 has given a call for organizing countrywide struggles against the antipoor policies of the central government and for forcing the state governments to concede the demands of agri-workers, other rural poor households and weaker sections. The meeting was presided over by K E Ismail. S. Sudhakar Reddy inaugurated the meeting. The resolutions on struggles and organisations were

presented by N N Ojha, general secretary of the BKMU. The central executive committee has directed all its state units, agricultural workers and other rural poor to observe the ‘October 15 Charter of Demands Day’ covering all the district headquarters in their respective states. The CEC discussed and formulated the charter of demands as well as the campaigns to be carried out all over the country. Among the demands are to prevent rise in prices, provide land to the landless

From Our Bureau and house sites through implementing the programmes of land distribution, lowering of the ceiling of surplus land and distribute five percent of the area under cultivation; no reactionary amendments in new land acquisition acts passed by the previous Parliament; stop corporatisation of agriculture and agricultural land; provide 15 carts of land to the landless for house sites; implement the provisions of providing 100 days of employment and unemployment allowance; fix daily wage at Rs 400 and adequate allocation of fund for implementing MNREGA; punishment On Page 12

CPI on National Judicial Commission Communist Party of India general secretary Sudhakar Reddy conveyed the CPI stand on the subject of establishing a National Judicial Commission, for appointment of Chief Justice of India and Judges of Supreme Court of India and also Chief Justices and other Judges of High Courts in the following letter to minister of law and justice Ravi Shankar Prasad on August 6, 20014: I am thankful for your letter dated July 17, 2014, to seek my Party’s views on the subject of establishing a National Judicial Commission, for appointment of Chief Justice of India and Judges of Supreme Court of India and also Chief Justices and other Judges of High Courts. This is a very

important issue that is being discussed for more than two decades. It is necessary to discuss and finalise it as soon as possible. We would like to reiterate that our stand was informed earlier also on July 16, 2002 by A B Bardhan, the then CPI general secretary, through a letter to Jana Krishna Murthi, minister for Law. I am writing this letter in continuation of that earlier letter. The method of appointing judges and their accountability was never satisfactory for the last few decades. Earlier executive had played more important role. During intervention in a case of appointment, a system of collegium was introduced for appointments, promotions and transfers of judges by Supreme Court which led

to the unilateral usurpation of that power of appointment of judges by Supreme Court. But the position has not improved much, except limiting the role of executive to some extent. It proved that it is not fool-proof. In the recent years, there have been more allegations about the ethical values of judges, with allegations of corruption, misuse of power etc. There was a shocking allegation about the integrity of former chief justice of India by prominent advocate and former law minister Shanti Bhushan and his son Prashant Bhushan, another prominent Lawyer. The recent comment of former justice of Supreme Court Markandeya Katju on the pressure of executive regarding promotion of judges generated a big controversy, though his allegation has come ten

Nationwide Protest at All District Headquarters on Sept 1-3

AIKS Call for 72-Hour Hunger Strike The National Council of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) met in Jaipur (Rajasthan) from August 1-3, 2014, and decided the following programme of action through out the country and send memoranda to prime minister: 1. September 1-3, 2014: Nation wide three day hunger strike and other forms of protest at districts head quarters and below. Only three demands will be focused: (A) Rs. 3,000 per month KISAN PENSION to all farmers, agriculture workers, artisans, men and women beyond the age of 60 years. (B) Implement National Commission on Farmers (NCF) led by Dr. Swaminathan and MSPs should not be computed on whole sale index but on retail prices. The commission for agriculture cost and price (CACP) should be organized with 50 percent representation of kisans. (C) No dilution by Modi government in Land Acquisition Act 2013 to protect the interests of corporate and the builders lobby. Any change will severely affect the farmers’ interest. (2) In the month of November 2014 the AIKS will organise state level conventions and court arrest programmes highlighting the farmers’ issues in consultations with different kisan organizations. (3) To press the Union government to accept the recommendations of National Commission of Farmers led by Dr Swaminathan and to award kisan pension to rural people, a massive court arrest programme will be organised during the winter session of Parliament at Delhi. years later for no reason.

in the following way.

This should be changed. The appointments of judges should be done by the National Judicial Commission and should be based on merit, integrity, and social and gender justice. The appointed judges should be of high caliber, impeccable integrity and above all having a sense of commitment to the Constitution of India. The appointments should also be transparent.

1. Vice President of India (chairperson)

The composition of judicial commission is a complicated process. We propose the composition of commission

2. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India. 3. Two former chief justices of India. 4. Two senior most judges of Supreme Court of India. 5. The Union minister of law and justice. 6. One judicial member to be appointed by the leader of opposition or the leader of the biggest opposition party in Lok Sabha. 7. One eminent jurist to be nominated by the President of India after On Page 12 New Age Weekly

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August 10—16, 2014

Conspiracy for Communal Polarisation Communal polarization of the masses had been a tested weapon of Sangh Parivar, both for its own thriving as well as political gains. Time and again, RSS and its political wing the BJP have used this weapon as the ultimate resort for political gain. It got new dimension with the launching of Ram Janmabhoomi- Babri Masjid campaign in the late eighties to counter the Mandal effect. Mandal and Kamandal both proved to be most divisive elements that have shattered all the positive features of our democratic polity. It eroded the secular fabric to a greater extent and had very negative impact on class consciousness and concept of class unity. With the advent of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, the two BJP leaders from Gujarat who still have to answer several questions about their role in the 2002 anti-Muslim pogrom of Gujarat and subsequent fake encounters, as the decisive figures in the new BJP dispensation, the tactics of communal polarization has acquired new momentum. During the campaign for Lok Sabha elections, Amit Shah used the weapon bluntly, and one must concede, successfully reaped the rich harvest by winning 73 seats of the 80 at stake. With Amit Shah formally taking over the command of the BJP as its national president the tactics of communal polarization has become the official political line of the party. Experiments are on in the crucial state of UP to consolidate the gains of polarization achieved during Lok Sabha campaign and

widen the gulf between Hindus and Muslims. Simultaneously, the attempt is to line up all Hindu communities, particularly the Dalits and other OBCs behind the Sangh Parivar by projecting the religious minority as the sole enemy. Since May 16, the day the results of the Lok Sabha elections were announced, Uttar Pradesh has witnessed about 600 cases of communal tension. Most of these events have taken around the 12 assembly constituencies that are going for bye-elections in October this year. Another visible feature is of putting different Hindu communities against Muslims in different areas and later call for

Editorial broadest possible Hindu unity under slogans like “Bahu-Beti Bachao”. Apart from the traditional weapons of dispute over places of worship, chanting of slogans in front of places of worship, the conspirators of the new phase of communal polarization have added new excuses for flaring up communal tension and violence. Abduction of girls (in Karnataka during BJP regime it was termed Love Jihad), use of loudspeakers at places of worship, grabbing of land of mosques and Qabrastans are the new pleas that are being used to spark trouble. Even clash of two vehicles having riders from two different religious communities have been used to turn it into communal riots. From all these it is obvious that BJP is for all out communal polarization. The same set

of BJP leaders are found making most provocative statements and organizing acts like disruption of road and rail traffic to register their so-called protest. Some of them were accused in the Muzzaffarnagar incidents. As one of the accused of Muzzaffernagar has been elevated to the Union Cabinet, all that is happening in UP since May 16 has official stamp. But that does not absolve the Samajwadi party government in the state of its responsibility. It too has miserably failed in maintaining the law and order situation and shown undue laxity in nabbing the culprits. Law and order is state’s responsibility and Akhilesh government cannot improve the situation by effecting bulk transfers. Much more stringent measures are need of the hour. Other secular forces, particularly the BSP and Congress too should desist from capitalizing on the communal divide and come out openly and clearly against the conspiracy for widening the communal divide. Lastly, the emotional issue of communalism versus secularism is also the shield for sidetracking the real socio-economic issues confronted by the people. The Narendra Modi government is hastily and shamelessly carrying forward the remaining task of imposing the disastrous policies of neoliberalism for which it received all out support of the Corporate and international finance capital. People have to be warned about the threats posed by the double-edged weapon of communal polarization. We can ignore it at our own peril.

Ideological Training Camp at Puducherry A three days political – Ideological training camp for the state council members and key cadres from various mass organisations was held on July 25 – 27, 2014, at Aranya forest. The camp was started with Com C R Centenary celebrations in which CPI state secretary R. Viswanathan and CPI national council member Nara Kalainathan spoke on rich contributions of Com CR.

On

R. Viswanathan addressing the meeting The topics for the first day class were Marxist philosophy, varna-casteclass (Indian mode of

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production), and history of International as well as Indian communist movement. On the second day, classes were held on the topics of political economy, media-social networkpolitics and crisis of Puducherry economy and politics. Classes were held on the third day on the topics of secularism and communal

threat, Party draft programme, party constitution and o r g a n i s a t i o n a l responsibilities. Tamilnadu education department members C Mahendran, M Veera Pandian, T M Murthi, Aranga Chinappa, V P Gunasegaran, Indrajith and Puducherry education department members A M Saleem, K Murugan, Ellai

Sivakumar, I Dinesh Ponniah, P S Velmurugan conducted the classes that were attended by 50 comrades. The comrades attending thte classes demanded more such classes and at regular intervals. In the concluding meeting, they said the classes were very much useful and important to those who are in the forefront of the movement.

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August 10—16, 2014

CPI Demands Succor to Indian Workers in War Zones ‘There are several lakhs of Indian workers working in Middle East as well as in North Africa. It is their foreign exchange remittances which plays a significant role in the Indian economy. Unfortunately, after the war broke out in Iraq, many of them are to be repatriated,’ said Communist Party of India national council secretary D Raja while calling attention to the plight of stranded workers from India in Iraq and government’s response thereto. Enquiring about the plight of the returnees, CPI leader wanted to know whether the government would consider giving some ex-gratia financial relief to all such workers who were repatriated midway through their contracts. Demanding succor to such workers, he said many of them are in war zones. They would like to come back, perhaps a few of them against their will also in some cases. For them, D Raja demanded financial compensation. He also wanted to know whether the government would consider giving insurance cover to all Indian workers who face such unusual and cruel situations in their lives. Lamenting the fact

that everything goes very casual and ad hoc, he said there is no such insurance scheme here for our workers and asked whether the government was going to consider this issue.

Catholic Father who has gone there on some humanitarian work, and was abducted. Now it is the responsibility of the government to get him back.’

CPI leader observed that the government and the ministry of overseas Indian Affairs must keep in touch with such returnees and try to find employment and placements for them once they are here.

On Budget for Delhi

However, once peace returns to Iraq or West Asia, their future course also has to be considered. Meanwhile the issue of repatriated workers remains unresolved. There is the issue of those also who are still in those countries and awaiting repatriation, and need protection. The Government will have to take care of this. Speaking on the issue of abduction of Father Alexis Prem Kumar from Tamil Nadu, D Raja said, ‘He was in Afghanistan, not in Iraq and was abducted from Afghanistan on June 2, 2014. The family of Father Alexis Prem Kumar met the external affairs minister and they have made the representation also. But it is not yet known whether the government could find out where he was.’ He said, ‘It is enough that he is an Indian, a

Speaking on the budget of Delhi, CPI leader D Raja said, ‘It is a political issue. We have two Union territories with state legislative assemblies, one is Puducherry and the other one is Delhi, which is also our capital, and is passing through a political

turmoil. The assembly has been kept under suspended animation. The only way out could be to go for fresh elections and seek a fresh mandate from the people of Delhi. The present government should facilitate this process because Delhi cannot be kept under uncertainties when all sorts of political horse-trading gets reported in the media.’ He insisted that it was high time the Union government takes up the issue on a priority basis so that elections are held and a fresh mandate is sought. Coming to the budget,

he said, ‘Delhi is the most polluted city in the world and suffers from acute water crisis. But that is not all. There is also the issue of protection of women and girl children who face everyday harassment in the city, and their self respect and even life is constantly under threat.’

taken up by the finance minister. Then, there is the issue of Public Distribution

Speaking about the basic amenities available in the city, he said, ‘One is with regard to electricity. The subsidy on electricity is a farce. Every three months, the rates are increased in Delhi. The three private companies, which are in the business of distribution of electricity, do not co-operate with the CAG audit.’

Speaking about the issue of housing, D Raja said, ‘It has to be given priority by the government,’ and then he raised the problems of those who are physically challenged, who belong to minority communities and also those who belong to the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes. They need certain affirmative action from the government.’

He said, ’Delhi is a city where you have a large number of unorganised labour. They do not have social benefits nor the Pension Scheme, even for the eligible.’ Adding to the list of woes, he continued, ‘Then there is the issue of public health. There are well equipped government hospitals, but Delhi needs more hospitals, more doctors and more access to the public health facilities.’ CPI leader said, ‘For the two super specialty hospitals constructed in Delhi, there is no adequate budgetary support or funding. This has to be

System. Delhi being the National Capital, people come from different parts and settle here. Lakhs of ration cards have been cancelled recently and the budgetary allocation is also meager.’

CPI leader said, ‘The issue of girl students belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes must be considered with seriousness. They must be provided financial support that will go a long way in empowering the women, particularly, in the city of Delhi.’ Coming to higher education, he said, ‘We have very good central universities but still, Delhi needs more colleges, more medical colleges.’ While summing up he said, ‘Politically, Delhi should have its own government, so that Delhi manages its affairs.’

Textile Workers Demand National Wage Board PUDUCHERRY: The two- day meeting of the executive of the all India Textile Workers Federation held here on July 30 – 31, 2014, called upon the centre to constitute a National Wage Board and demanded the recommendations of the board on wage structure for the textile workers be implemented zealously by the state governments.

in textile industries should be paid Rs 15,000 in keeping with the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act in all the states.

Secretary of the federation T M Moorthy said that the meeting was attended by delegates from different states across the country. The meeting through another resolution asserted that the trainees

Amendments should be effected to the acts to prevent engagement of more than ten percent of the workers under temporary classification and no trainee should be kept in uncertain condition as confirmation should be

He said that the centre should bring in a legislation to ensure confirmation of workers who had put in 480 days of work in two years and the Tamilnadu government should enforce the act now in the state adequately.

From S.Vijayabharathi made without delay after the trainees put in one year of work. Where the work was a continuous and permanent segment no contract labour system should be adopted and firm step should be taken in this regard, the meeting asserted. Moorthy said that the meeting also called upon the Tamilnadu government to ensure that women workers engaged under Sumangali Scheme were not exploited by the textile units. There should be revision of the formula adopted in fixing gratuity

from the point of benefit of the workers. The minimum pension linked to the provident fund of the employees should be raised to Rs 3000 a month and there should be revision of the pension in keeping with price index. Moorthy said that the meeting also wanted the governments to take care of the workers in textile mills that were closed. There should be proper rehabilitation of workers of such closed mills and the funds earmarked should be properly used. Workers who had retired or who opted out of the job or where the industries

were closed should be extended the benefits of the ESI throughout the life time of the workers and medical care should be available to them throughout their life. Moorthy said that an eight-day long campaign would be held throughout the country focusing these pleas. Among those who were present during the briefing included V S Abishegam, scretary of AITUC in Puducherry, Vijayan Kunissery, another secretary of the federation, P Jagannathan from Tamilnadu and A.Swarup from UP. New Age Weekly

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August 10—16, 2014

Odisha Scheme Workers’ Rally Before Assembly Bhubaneswar: At the call of AITUC nearly ten thousand scheme workers such as Anganwadi, Asha and mid-day meal workers demonstrated before the Odisha legislative assembly on July 22, 2014 and submitted a memorandum to the prime minister through the governor of Odisha. The Anganwadi workers under the banner of Nikhil Odisha Anganwadi Karmi Sangh submitted a charter of demands to the women and child development minister, the Asha workers under the banner of Nikhil Odisha Asha Karmi Sangh placed their demands before the health and family welfare minister. The charter of demands of the mid-day meal workers was submitted to the mass education minister by the

Nikhil Odisha MDM Pachika Sangh.

From Souribandhu Kar

The scheme workers demanded that the government of India should implement the decision of Indian Labour 45 th Conference, treat the scheme workers as workers, increase the budgetary allocation for all scheme workers, regularise the scheme workers and pay Rs 15,000 per month as minimum wage, pension at the rate of Rs 3,000 per month after retirement, implement social security and provision of ESI and provide adequate support to the teachers who look after the schemes of child labour.

of India for consideration.

The governor of Odisha accepted the memorandum and assured to forward the same to the prime minister

The Asha workers demanded the minister of health and family welfare that the recommendations

The Anganwadi workers while submitting the charter to the women and child development minister further demanded that the Anganwadi workers should get 100 per cent promotion to supervisor and all central g o v e r n m e n t recommendations such as ANM, primary school teacher and other village level posting for which has quota to be fixed as well as pension for those workers who are removed at the age of 60, failing which the order should be revoked.

of the central government should be implemented. The recommendations are ANM promotion, quota for training in nursing college, welfare schemes, free pass for travelling in bus and train and a minimum of Rs 1,000 monthly remuneration. The representatives of Nikhil Odisha MDM Pachika Sangh demanded the mass education minister that their arrear salary for 28 months must be paid, regular payment of monthly wages, identity card to all the workers and stop the removal of the worker without any reason. All the ministers assured to look into the demands and extend the benefits whatever possible. A public meeting was held before the assembly

under the chairmanship of Ashok Dash, president, AITUC. Souribandhu Kar, general secretary, Ramakrushna Panda, deputy general secretary, Bijaya Jena, deputy general secretary, Dutikrushna Panda, Sura Jena, Debasis Ghosh, Harapriya Swain, Namita Sahu, Mamata Khuntia, Matalda Kulu, Gouri Das, Rashmipriya Jena, Kamal Kumar Sandh, Rashmi Maohanty, Saudamini Das, Sasirekha Mallick and Rajani Bisi spoke and called upon the workers to continue their fight until the demands are achieved. The rally started at 11a.m., from Station Square, Bhubaneswar and culminated before the Assembly. AITUC flags and slogan captivated the people en route.

What the Others Say…

Rape and Reality

End the Senseless Offensive

The number of rape cases registered in the country may conceal

The gulf between statistics and substance is not easily bridged.

Gaza’s horror continues. The August 1, 2014 ceasefire attempt to stall the violence that has ravaged homes and lives of Palestinian civilians lasted less than three hours. Israel’s bombing of civilian areas over the last four weeks continues to wreck breathtaking havoc. More than 100 civilians were killed on July 30; more than 70 on August 1. Around 1,600 Palestinian civilians have died so far, more than 7,000 are injured and nearly half a million displaced from their homes. No image of human tragedy is prompting a rethink in Israeli policy. UN schools sheltering civilians have been targeted. Tel Aviv maintains that Hamas remains a threat and that it will press ahead till its capacities are destroyed. Hamas fires rockets at Israel daily but the latter is able to successfully intercept them with its advanced weaponry and continue reacting with disproportionate force. Three Israeli civilians died from Hamas’ rocket attacks while 63 Israeli soldiers have been killed during this ill-thought through and unconscionable assault.

the reality in two significant ways. First, only a small proportion

It is not clear what Israel’s endgame is. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of a prolonged campaign. His government must know that a violent subjugation of civilian populations works rarely and is no guarantor of peace and stability. Such statesponsored campaigns will have a toxic effect on its society and worsen Israel’s isolation. Accusations of war crimes too will not go away easily. Tel Aviv must contend with the effects of world public opinion increasingly arrayed against it as a nation, even as governments continue to support Israel for most part.

women’s safety is given high priority, it is equally important to

The Obama administration, in a way, articulated the wedge between State and civil society perspectives through its contradictory messages on Israel this week. It termed the shelling of a UN school as “totally unacceptable and totally indefensible” but it also approved an immediate transfer of grenades and mortar rounds to Israel, apart from shipping rocket motors two weeks ago. Exporting weapons at this time is also indefensible. The United States and Israel are equally cynical about Gaza’s suffering.

to statutory rape and abduction can be invoked to appease angry

(Courtesy: The Hindustan Times) New Age Weekly

of the rapes are reported at all. Secondly, a significant number of rape cases relate to consensual sex but have been criminalised by circumstances. The Hindu’s six-month investigation into cases of sexual assault in Delhi has revealed that four of ten cases arose out of complaints by parents of girls who had eloped with boys. Another 25 per cent involved breaches of promise by men that they would marry their partners. And rape as it is conventionally understood, either by strangers or those known to victims in their family or neighbourhood, was seen only in 162 out of 583 cases registered in Delhi in 2013. Such cases resulted in a higher rate of conviction. The association of rape in the popular imagination with predators lurking in dark lanes to prey on vulnerable women has led to a general belief that better policing and more stringent laws will be the solution. While it is entirely appropriate that identify the strands of patriarchy discernible in the resort to complaints of rape at the instance of parents who disapprove of relationships, especially if these are inter-caste or inter-religious. If denial of freedom of choice to women in love and marriage is one issue, the disavowal of women’s agency is another. Accounts gathered from complainants, lawyers and judges reveal that the protestations of women that they had consented to the act or eloped with the accused are disregarded so that provisions relating parents. Conviction is indeed inevitable if the girls involved are below the statutory age of consent. While making the country safer for women, society must move away from the inherent patriarchy behind the phenomenon. That means greater inter-generational dialogue and display of sensitivity by police officers and judges. (Courtesy: The Hindu)

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August 10—16, 2014

On The Working of Ministry of Power ‘The power sector is in a deep crisis. The gap between the supply and demand is very huge and among the factors leading to such a crisis is that we are not able to optimally utilize the installed capacity in the power sector. Also, the impasse in the power sector and the delay in getting environmental clearances in hydel projects, are all affecting our power generation,’ said Communist Party of India leader M.P. Achuthan while taking part in the discussion on the working of Ministry of Power in the house. Referring to other factors, he said that there are huge losses in the transmission and distribution. In Kerala, some ten years back it was 30 per cent. Now the same state has been able to reduce it to 18.6 per cent. Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and some other states are also able to reduce it, but there are states like Gujarat where the transmission and distribution losses are above 20 per cent. So, one area that we need to concentrate on is reducing the transmission and distribution losses, said the CPI leader. Continuing his argument,

he said, ‘A decade has passed after we introduced reforms in the power sector. I know that our young and energetic energy minister is a strong supporter of the neo-liberal policies that give more and more importance to private participation in this sector. I have no quarrel with that, but I am sure that practical sense and experience will force him to review some policies in this area where undue preference has been given to the private sector.’ Achuthan said, ‘We have the experience in Odisha, Delhi and some other states where the power sector has been privatized. We are giving all the infrastructure built by public money to private parties and agencies despite the fact that the moving inspiration in such initiatives is only profit-making.’ He said, They are not making more investments in this sector. It is only as middlemen that they are invariably charging higher and higher prices from the consumers. They are not making any investment to reduce the transmission and distribution losses or to improve the quality of service to the consumers. So, we must have a review of the situation. What is the effect of the

implementation of the 2003 Act? The main aim of that act, as we understand and as experience shows, is disbanding the state electricity boards. Of course, there is no dispute that the work culture, the management and everything in the state electricity boards must improve. There are a lot of areas that had to be improved, but in the name

of improvement, we cannot kill the state electricity boards. Now, in the state electricity boards, the distribution of power has been given to private parties. Even though electricity is in the Concurrent List, the transmission segment is entirely in the state sector. You are insisting that it must be privatized. And what is it that they are doing? The privatized state electricity boards are outsourcing all their works. Talking of contract labour, in effect, we are reducing the workforce in the electricity boards and it has had a very bad impact on the working of the state electricity boards.

Ultimately, it will have a very bad impact on the consumers and the entire electricity scenario in our country,’ said CPI leader and urged to have another look at it. Speaking about alternative energy sources, he said, ‘Solar energy is one sector where we can have a breakthrough.’ Pointing out the deterrents, he said, ‘The main hurdle is that we do not have panels. Private parties are not ready to invest in research and development to develop a cheaper variety of panels. It is the duty of the central government and the public sector units to have more research and development in this sector. As a whole, if it is not possible to increase the public investment in the energy sector, we cannot have a breakthrough in power generation, including the green power and that is what the solar energy is being called. So, there are two problems — one is the high cost of panels and the second is how to preserve battery charge. So, instead of relying on the battery, we have to keep direct connection with line. Some states have that experience and you have to generalize it and

implement it on all-India level. Another thing is that in some states we have LNG instead of thermal power. There the problem is that there is no uniform price for LNG. In Kayakulam, Kerala, it is being sold for 24 dollar, but in UP it is four dollar. That is the difference. It must be a uniform pricing policy for LNG in all the sectors.’ Speaking about the prevailing situation in Kerala, he said, ‘It is now a deficit state in power sector. Once it was a surplus state after commissioning of Idukki project. Now, it is a deficit state. It is neither getting power nor is it getting clearance for new hydel projects; it does not have new thermal projects. So, it is the duty of the central government to give power to Kerala from the central pool. From the central pool, we have got a quota. From the sectors not allotted, Kerala needs help. Otherwise, we will have load shedding. Even one month before, we had load shedding in Kerala. To tide over the crisis, Kerala has to be helped in a massive way. Only then can Kerala progress. I hope the request of the people of Kerala and its government would be given proper attention provide more power to the state.’

Stop Saffronisation of Education: CPI HYDERABAD: Unity of the left parties and their getting closely associated with people offering political and economic alternatives dominated a seminar on “Contemporary politics and the role of Left Parties” to mark the birth centenary of party stalwart and former general secretary Com. Chandra Rajeswara Rao here on August 1, 2014. There was a need for introspection among left parties and admitting mistakes, if any. Earlier it used to happen but so far such an exercise had not been taken up with regard

to the defeat in West Bengal where CPI was part of the Left Front, former MLA and senior leader Manam Anjaneyulu said. He warned against saffronisation of education and suppression of Left movements by the NDA government. Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu should not be keen on borrowing development models but should do something on the conditions in the state, he said. He hoped that the policies of the NDA government would bring the left parties together. He recalled the ardent wish of Rajeswara Rao for

left unity, his deep study and knowledge of various subjects, adherence to party line, and his study of Indian culture and tradition and its epics, particularly towards the end of his life.

‘Identify with People’ Former political science professor of Andhra University K. Venkateswarlu wanted cadre to identify with people, work on issues and win their confidence that they were nationalists interested in the well-being of people of the country. In the backdrop of globalization, technology

should be used to reduce drudgery and increase employment. Rajeswara Rao had consistently fought the danger from RSS, he recalled. CPI state assistant secretary J V Satyanarayana Murthy pointed out the aggressive pro-corporate and antilabour policies of the NDA government being promoted as Gujarat model, investing state money for furthering interests of industry, increasing FDI cap in key sectors and injecting RSS ideology into education. There is a need for all the left parties to come

together to fight them. Visalandhra Editor Mutyala Prasad said Rajeswara Rao had always stressed the importance of interpreting Indian culture in terms of Marxist thinking, Left unity and taking the movement to rural areas. He had understood the importance of Ramanujacharya and Swami Vivekananda. Prasad said CPI needed to convince the middle class and neo-rich of the work of the party and effectively use social media. The meeting was presided over by party district secretary A J Stalin. New Age Weekly

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August 10—16, 2014

Proportional Representation for Representative Democracy

Campaign Begins in Manipur

Manipur state secretary, CPI Dr. Nara Singh addressing the participants The Manipur state council of Communist Party of India initiated a campaign for proportional representation with a series of programmes in Imphal and Khongjom on July 13, 2014 at Irawat Bhawan. The jam packed meeting hall was the indication of the interest of the people in the subject. Representatives of CPM, Forward Block and JDS attended the seminar. Lala Singh, state secretariat member of the CPI presided over the session while L Iboyaima Singh conducted the proceedings. Among those who shared the dais were Dr. Narasingh, secretary, state council, Dr Yugal Rayalu from Maharashtra and Adv. Ashwini Bakshi from Chandigarh. Initiating the discussion, Dr. Yugal Rayalu, president of Maharashtra vocational teachers association, called upon people to understand the dynamics of democracy in the right sense. “Just voting once in five years is not democracy,” he warned and continued, “Democracy means giving power to people. It means empowering the common citizen. It means allowing

a share in governance to all sections of the society. This is only possible by p r o p o r t i o n a l representation.” Dr. Rayalu explained in details the difference between the First Past The Post (FPTP) and the P r o p o r t i o n a t e Representation (PR) Electoral systems. In a multi ethnic, multi lingual, multi cultural and multi religious country like India it is very important that every section of the population must find its representation in the Parliament and legislative assemblies. In fact PR system brings in full gender justice and justice to the marginalized sections of the society, Dr. Rayalu concluded. Adv. Ashwani Bakshi, a practicing lawyer from Chandigarh explained the legal aspects of the representative system in India. He informed the gathering that right in the constituent assembly, the issue of Proportionate Representation came up for discussion. Many members felt that it was important to adopt PR for a country like in India. But looking at the low literacy rate prevailing at that time the founding fathers of Indian

Dr. Yugal Rayalu Constitution opted for a simpler voting system, the FPTP with a promise that as and when the literacy rates improve, the country would shift to PR. Even the Law Commission of 1999 categorically stated that it was high time India adopted PR system of elections. Ashwani Bakshi informed that there is no need to amend the Constitution for changing to PR system. Our constitution does not specify the system of election. It only speaks of adult suffrage. As the session was thrown open for discussion, there were a number of interesting and important questions that further cleared many aspects of Proportionate Representation. Representatives of other parties also took part in the discussion. Concluding the discussion, Dr. Narasingh called upon the party members to take this discussion to the grass root level, so that it is understood by one and all. He informed that the manifesto of the Communist

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Party of India promises the implementation of PR system. Dr. Narasingh expressed happiness over the fact that Manipur state council has taken the lead in propagating the ideas of Proportionate Representation. He promised to organize such seminars in all the districts of the state. In the afternoon on the same day, there was organised a general body meeting of senior citizens that had a panel discussion on the theme, “Need for a Better Electoral System in India”. Prominent senior citizens of Manipur took part in the discussions. Adv. Ashwani Bakshi and Dr. Yugal Rayalu made their observations in detail and took part in the questionanswer session during which lot of questions were asked to the panelists. Some of the citizens wondered why the consecutive governments that came to power at the centre kept ignoring such an important issue for such a long time. Prof. Shivanand moderated the discussions while Dr. Narasingh made the opening remarks. Another seminar was organized for the faculty and the students of Slope Land Public School and B Ed College. The topic of the seminar was “India Needs Electoral Reforms”. Around three hundred participants listened with rapt attention as speakers spoke for the need for Electoral Reforms. On the dais were former minister

Tomba Singh, principal Prof. Babulin Singh, Prof. Sadanand, Prof. Yugal Rayalu and Advocate Ashwani. Bakshi. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Narasingh. The participants included the faculty members of B.Ed. College and the teachers of Slope Land Public School. Surprisingly a lot of rural citizens from surrounding areas also came to attend. They were attracted by the banners of the seminar that were displayed outside the venue. The speakers were surprised by the high level of the political understanding of the people of Manipur. The seminar was conducted in English. When translation was offered the participants from the villages refused saying they understood what was being spoken The rural folks asked very important questions proving the fact that they really understood what was being spoken. That is Manipur, a state with a high literacy rate! There were questions on the issue of state funding, compulsory voting, criminalisation of Indian politics, gender justice and inclusive governance. Almost entire press and the electronic media of Imphal was present at the venue. Kudos to Manipur State Council of Communist Party of India, for taking a lead in organizing a powerful campaign for Proportionate Representation in the Indian Democracy.

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August 10—16, 2014

Introduce ILP System in Manipur: CPI Communist Party of India national council secretary D Raja, MP, along with party’s Manipur state council secretary Dr M Nara Singh met Union home minister Rajnath Singh on August 2, 2014 and submitted a letter to him inclusive of a memorandum drawing his attention to the severity of the situation arising due to social unrest in the state that has its adverse effect on the social, economic, cultural and political life of people here. They have requested the home minister to treat the matter very seriously and work out an amicable solution. The party feels that introduction of Inner Line Permit (ILP) system can help to a great extent to bring normalcy in the state. Bringing to the notice of the Union home minister the issue of continuing mass movement since last few years that demanded introduction of Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in the state, the text of the letter says as follows: “The movement is getting stronger everyday. Already the state legislative assembly had taken a resolution on the introduction of Inner Line Permit system in Manipur twice that is one on July 13, 2012 and another on June 13, 2013 respectively. “Manipur was an independent princely state till April 1891 before it was annexed into British Empire on April 27, 1891. During the British Rule a Law was introduced in Manipur that is called the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act 1873 which prevented entry of unauthorised people (outsiders) into Manipur. After Indian independence Manipur was merged into the Indian Union on October 15, 1949 and the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act 1873 was withdrawn with effect from November 18, 1950. Till date the ILP system is continuing in

three states of the NorthEast that is Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram. “Now, the demographic imbalance is growing very high in Manipur. Almost more than one fourth of the total population here consists of outsiders from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and also migrants from other parts of India. The total population of Manipur has reached 27 lakh out of which the number of outsiders is more than eight lakh. “This demographic change has affected the social, economic, cultural and political life of people in the state leading to tension and unrest in the Manipuri society today. The law and order situation of Manipur is not good. It is also a border state and insurgency infested area. The people’s discontentment is ever growing day by day. “In these circumstances, it is a request to the government of India as well as the home minister to kindly look into this matter seriously and bring out an amicable solution at an early date.”

limit’, this declaration was vehemently opposed by the people of Manipur. There had been burning of the state assembly, chief minister’s Bungalow, offices of political parties by the angry people. To crush this spontaneous mass upsurge the security forces opened fire killing 18 persons and injuring many people on June 18, 2001. Curfew was clamped for a number of days together in and around Imphal. There was uproar in Parliament and thereafter the Bangkok Declaration was reviewed after which the ceasefire was confined to Nagaland only. This had calmed down the anger of the people of Manipur. But despite the fact that the ceasefire is within the state of Nagaland and the designated camp for the NSCN(I-M) cadres is at Hebrone, Dimapur of

Nagaland, the outfit has been operating from four hill districts of Manipur that is Senapati, Ukhrul, Chandal and Tamonglong. Every now and then many serious challenges are thrown by the NSCN (I-M) cadres to both the hill and valley people that everyone knows well. They have been running their unauthorised camps in four hill districts of Manipur. Recently one Ngalenzar Malu (60) an elected member of Ukhrul Autonomous district council (ex-vice chairman) was shot dead on July 12, 2014, by suspected NSCN (I-M) cadres. As a result of the attack the state security forces destroyed the NSCN (I-M) camp at Ukhrul on July 14, and arrested eight cadres along with huge arms, ammunitions, computers and many documents. Now,

Karaibou

Chawang, convener of the ceasefire monitoring cell issued a statement in the press on July 23 saying that the ceasefire between the government of India and NSCN (1-M) is valid everywhere. Another statement issued by the chairman of the Ceasefire Monitoring Cell, Lt General (Retd.) N K Singh says that the ceasefire is within the state of Nagaland only. These contradictory statements have created a great confusion and the people want non-extension of ceasefire into the territory of Manipur and immediate removal of unauthorized camps of NSCN (I-M) from the soil of Manipur. We therefore, request the Union home minister to kindly look into the matter and issue the clarification statement during this Budget Session of Parliament.

TUs Protest Labour Law Amendment

No to Extension of Ceasefire in Manipur:CPI Following is the text of the memorandum submitted by D Raja and Dr Nara Singh to the home minister: The people of Manipur are facing never ending problems of extortion, looting, arson, collection of illegal taxes from the public, kidnapping and killing of people for ransom, etc, by the underground terrorist outfits. One of the most crucial issues encountering people of Manipur at the moment is the ceasefire between the government of India and the NSCN (I-M). To remind what had happened after the Bangkok Declaration of June 14, 2001 which said ‘ceasefire beyond territorial

VADODARA: The Sanyukt Kamdar Samiti here staged a dharna on July 31, 2014, protesting against the move of the BJP-led Rajasthan government to amend various labour laws. Members of the local unions affiliated to AITUC, BMS, HMS, CITU and other independent trade unions of Vadodara sat in front of the district collectorate raising

From Our Bureau slogans against the dilution of labour laws. The Samiti leaders presented a memorandum addressed to the prime minister through the district collector. The Samiti leaders also submitted a separate memorandum to the state chief minister demanding implementation of the recommendations of the

Minimum Wages Advisory Committee. The committee has asked the state government to raise the minimum wages from Rs 234 to Rs 293. The leaders also demanded immediate filling of the vacant posts in the state labour department. Around hundred TU members participated in the dharna programme. New Age Weekly

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August 10—16, 2014

International Court

Must Pay 50 Billion Dollar On July 28, 2014, an international arbitration tribunal under the auspices of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (The Hague) announced that Russia must pay 50.02 billion dollar (Rs.300120 crore) in damages to former shareholders of the now defunct oil giant, Yukos Oil Company.

T

he three-member tribunal unanimously declared that Russia breached its obligations under Article 13(1) of the Energy Charter Treaty when it ‘took steps equivalent to expropriation of the claimants’ investment in Yukos.” In its Award, the tribunal said, “Yukos was the object of a series of politically motivated attacks by the Russian authorities that eventually led to its destruction…The primary objective of the Russian Federation was not to collect taxes but rather to bankrupt Yukos and appropriate its valuable assets.” The Russian authorities, on the other hand, maintain that its actions against Yukos were legitimate to tackle largescale tax evasion and fraud committed by company’s owners and top management. The three-member arbitral tribunal consisted of Yves Fortier (Chairman), Charles Poncet (appointed by shareholders of Yukos) and judge Stephen Schwebel (appointed by Russia). Incidentally, Yves Fortier is Vodafone’s arbitrator in the upcoming international arbitration related to its long-running 2.4 bn dollar tax dispute with the Indian government. The international arbitration was initiated in 2005 by former majority shareholders of Yukos under the framework of Energy Charter Treaty – a multilateral treaty dealing with cross-border investments and trade in energy sector. Three separate lawsuits against were filed by former New Age Weekly

shareholders of Yukos (Yukos Universal Limited v. The Russian Federation, Hulley Enterprises Limited v. The Russian Federation, and Veteran Petroleum Limited v. The Russian Federation) seeking a total claim of 114 bn dollar.

The Biggest Award The compensation amount of 50 bn dollar is the largest international arbitration award to date. It is more than 20 times bigger than the previous record of 2.4 bn dollar Award won by Dow Chemical Company against the Petrochemical Industries Company of Kuwait in 2013. In relative terms, the compensation award is equivalent to around 11 per cent of Russia’s foreign exchange reserves, 10 per cent of annual national budget and 2.5 per cent of country’s GDP. Given the magnitude of compensation, the Award could be more damaging to the Russian economy than all the economic sanctions imposed by the West against Russia for its actions in Ukraine. What is most astonishing is that the arbitral tribunal has not provided any standard or credible rationale behind awarding 50 bn dollar in compensation to claimants. The calculations of total damages put forward by claimants are based on assumptions and hard evidence is lacking. The tribunal found that the claimants contributed to 25 per cent “to the prejudice they suffered at the hands of the Russian Federation.” Hence, the amount of damages to be paid by

Russia is reduced by 25 per cent to 50 bn dollar from 67 bn dollar. In its lengthy 615-page verdict, no explanation has been given by the tribunal on how did it arrive at 25 per cent of claimants’ contributory fault? Why not 30 or 40 or 50 per cent? The tribunal has given 180 days, until January 15, 2015, to Russia to pay 50 bn dollar to shareholders. After that, interest would start accruing. The tribunal has also ordered Russia to pay 60 million dollar in legal costs to claimants. Separately, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is expected to announce this week its ruling on the case filed by the former management of Yukos.

The Oligarchs: The Biggest Beneficiaries of Tribunal Award The single biggest beneficiary of the 50 bn dollar award is Leonid Nevzlin, who currently owns more than 70 percent of GML - the Gibraltarregistered holding company through which Mikhail Khodorkovsky (Yukos’s former owner) held his controlling stake in the company. After his arrest in 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovsky handed over his dominant share to Nevzlin, a Russian national who fled to Israel in 2003 after facing criminal charges in Russia. The other four major beneficiaries are also Russian nationals (living abroad) who own the rest 30 per cent stake in the GML. The tribunal has awarded a compensation of 39.97 bn dollar to Hulley

Enterprises, 1.84 bn dollar to Yukos Universal and 8.2 bn dollar for Veteran Petroleum Limited. Hulley Enterprises and Yukos Universal are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the GML. The Veteran Petroleum Limited looks after the interest of former employees of Yukos. In other words, just five non-resident Russians who own the GML will together receive as much as 41.8 bn dollar in compensation from the Russian government for the alleged violation of a multilateral treaty.

The Rise of Russian Oligarchs No discussion on this complicated matter with legal as well as political overtones would be complete without understanding the rise of Russian oligarchs and the investment protection provisions of ECT. It is a well-known fact that a handful of oligarchs control a disproportionate portion of the Russian economy since the early 1990s. By seizing assets and property at throwaway prices through corrupt means, relatively unknown individuals became billionaire oligarchs almost overnight during Russia’s transition to a marketbased economy. Apart from generous support from corrupt, but elected, politicians, the empires of the Russian oligarchs were also built with the assistance of IMF and Western powers which played an important role in the privatization of assets and infrastructure built during the Soviet era. Under the “loans for shares” program launched by President Boris Yeltsin, Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s Bank Menatep acquired control over Yukos in 1995. The Russian authorities claim that Bank Menatep rigged

By Kavaljit Singh the auction process by blocking rival bidders and bought 78 per cent stake in Yukos (estimated to be worth about 5 bn dollar) at the astoundingly low price of 310 million dollar.

The Abuse of Transfer Pricing After taking control over Yukos, Khodorkovsky (and his business associates) carried out massive financial engineering to reduce tax liabilities of the oil company. They used shell companies registered in offshore tax havens (such as Gibraltar, Cyprus, Isle of Man and Switzerland) to transfer highly profitable operations in such low-tax jurisdictions. Under this arrangement, Yukos will sell crude oil to these offshore shell companies (with no assets or employees) at below-market rates and the shell companies would sell oil to domestic and foreign buyers at market rates. Through such manipulative transfer pricing strategies, Yukos avoided paying taxes in Russia while the shell companies earned the bulk of profit. The shell companies were wholly owned by Khodorkovsky and his close business associates. However, the rules of the game changed when Vladimir Putin was elected President in 2000 and one of his first steps was to crack down on tax evasion by big firms owned by oligarchs.

The Timeline of Yukos Saga (2003-2014) October 2003: Mikhail Khodorkovsky is arrested on charges of massive tax evasion and fraud. April 2004: Yukos is hit with a bill for 3.5 bn dollar for tax allegedly

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Ruling on Russia

to Yukos Oil Company unpaid in 2000. The Russian government freezes its assets. November 2014: The Russian tax authorities examine the accounts of Yukos for the year 2002 and issue another multibillion-dollar tax bill. All top executives of Yukos leave Russia, fearing imminent arrest. December 2004: Russia auctions Yuganskneftegas, Yukos’s main production unit, which is later sold for 9.3 bn dollar. May 2005: Khodorkovsky is convicted of fraud and sentenced to nine years in prison. 2006-2007: Russia declares Yukos bankrupt and sells its remaining assets to Rosneft. November 2009: An arbitral tribunal constituted under the auspices of the Permanent Court of Arbitration decides that Russia is bound by the ECT and the claims by majority shareholders are admissible under the Treaty. October-November 2012: The arbitration case is tried over five weeks at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. December 2013: Khodorkovsky is pardoned by President Putin and released after a decade in custody. July 2014: The arbitral tribunal gives a Final Award of 50 bn dollar to the majority shareholders of Yukos.

What is Energy Charter Treaty? ECT is a unique multilateral treaty aimed at the promotion of intergovernmental cooperation in the energy sector. The Treaty was signed in December 1994 and entered into force in April 1998. This legally-binding framework is signed or ratified by 54 countries,

majority of them are from Europe. It needs to be emphasized here that Russia only accepted the provisional application of the ECT (pending ratification) in 1994 meaning that the country will only apply the Treaty “to the extent that such provisional application is not inconsistent with its constitution, law or regulations.” Same was the approach adopted by Belarus, Iceland, Norway and Australia. Russia never ratified the ECT and announced its decision to not become a Contracting Party to it on August 20, 2009. As per the procedures laid down in the Treaty, Russia officially withdrew from the ECT with effect from October 19, 2009. Nevertheless, Russia is bound by its commitments under the ECT till October 19, 2029 because of Article 45 (3) (b) which states that “In the event that a signatory terminates provisional application…any Investments made in its Area during such provisional application by Investors of other signatories shall nevertheless remain in effect with respect to those Investments for twenty years following the effective date of termination.”

ECT and Investment Protection The ECT provides comprehensive rules related to protection of foreign investments in the energy sector including protection against unlawful expropriation, fair and equal treatment, most-favored nation, national treatment and umbrella clauses. As in the case of NAFTA and bilateral investment treaties (BITs), ECT also contains investor-state

dispute settlement provisions, in addition to state-to-state dispute resolution mechanisms. The ECT grants the right to foreign investors to take member-states to international arbitration if they feel that the treaty provisions (except those related to competition and environment) have been breached by the memberstates. Under the rules outlined in Article 26 (4), a private investor can choose to submit the dispute for resolution between three alternative arbitration institutions/rules: the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) or the ICSID Additional Facility; the Arbitration Rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL Rules); or the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce. Till now, more than 30 cases have been brought by private investors to international arbitration under the ECT. Nils Eliasson, a legal expert, has analyzed arbitration cases filed under the ECT during 2001-11. He found that investors prefer to initiate arbitration under the ECT rather than under bilateral investment treaties.

Expropriation under the ECT The ECT provides protection against not merely outright nationalization by the member-states but also against measures having effect equivalent to nationalization or expropriation that may also include regulatory and tax policies affecting the investment. The Article 13 (1) of the ECT clearly states: “Investments of Investors of a Contracting Party in the Area of any

other Contracting Party shall not be nationalized, expropriated or subjected to a measure or measures having effect equivalent to nationalization or expropriation (hereinafter referred to as “Expropriation”) except where such Expropriation is: (a) for a purpose which is in the public interest; (b) not discriminatory; (c) carried out under due process of law; and (d) accompanied by the payment of prompt, adequate and effective compensation. Such compensation shall amount to the fair market value of the Investment expropriated at the time immediately before the Expropriation or impending Expropriation became known in such a way as to affect the value of the Investment (hereinafter referred to as the “Valuation Date”).” “Such fair market value shall at the request of the Investor be expressed in a Freely Convertible Currency on the basis of the market rate of exchange existing for that currency on the Valuation Date. Compensation shall also include interest at a commercial rate established on a market basis from the date of Expropriation until the date of payment.”

Is Tribunal Award Final and Binding? As per the rules outlined in the Treaty, the awards of arbitration are final and binding on all parties related to the investment dispute. According to the Article 26 (8) of the ECT, “The awards of arbitration, which may include an award of interest, shall be final and binding upon the parties to the dispute. An award of arbitration concerning a measure of a sub-national government or authority of the disputing Contracting

Party shall provide that the Contracting Party may pay monetary damages in lieu of any other remedy granted. Each Contracting Party shall carry out without delay any such award and shall make provision for the effective enforcement in its Area of such awards.” Although the tribunal ruling is final and cannot be appealed at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Russian authorities could contest the decision of the arbitral tribunal in other legal forums (such as Dutch courts). Initially thrilled with the tribunal’s decision, the GML and other shareholders will soon find it extremely difficult to enforce the Award as Russia has already decided to challenge it. The shareholders could seek to seize commercial assets of Russia (owned by country’s state-owned corporations and sovereign wealth funds) in 149 countries which are signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Award (popularly known the New York Convention). In any case, it is going to be a time-consuming and uphill process to enforce the tribunal Award in 149 contracting parties of New York Convention. Balancing Investors’ Rights with State Regulatory Actions in the Public Interest. Even though this Award is related to ECT, it provides important policy lessons to other countries which have already signed or currently negotiating bilateral investment treaties (that allow investor-to-state arbitration- ISA) without any consideration of consequences and potential costs. At the global level, the growing proliferation of investor-state disputes highlights the lack of balance between public rights and private interests in the existing international investment treaty regime. On Page 14 New Age Weekly

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August 10—16, 2014

TUs Reject Pro-Employer Labour Law Amends As part of anti-labour and pro-employer reforms, the Rajasthan BJP government has amended three archaic laws to benefit the employers. This has evoked sharp criticism and out-right rejection from the workers and their major Central Trade Unions (CTUs). Workers agitated and protested against the a n t i - l a b o u r amendments. The BJP government at the Centre is moving ahead to introduce foreign direct investment (FDI) in key sectors such as banking, insurance and retail. Achhe din aa gaye hain (good days are here). But for whom is the question? Slamming the move, veteran AITUC leader Gurudas Dasgupta said: “We strongly condemn and oppose the move. We ask the working people to protest against such antilabour policies.” Ignoring the nationwide protests by TUs, the Union Cabinet has approved the amendments to the Factories Act, the Apprentices Act, and the labour laws. The government is to table amended laws in the present session of Parliament.

Trade unions objected to the “hasty, proemployer amendments” in the name of development and are likely to meet soon to decide their action programme against the move. The major eleven national Central Trade Unions (CTUs) — including the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Indian Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), ASHA, and the SelfEmployed Women’s Association (SEWA) — have pledged to intensify struggles against “the most basic bottom line needs of working people and working class.” Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), BJP affiliated union, too has rejected the New Age Weekly

amendments saying, such anti-labour initiatives have been taken without even holding a tripartite meeting and taking the workers and the unions into confidence. The TUs call upon the working people of the country and all trade unions irrespective of affiliations to organise protests against such corporate driven retrograde changes in labour laws and prepare for united countrywide struggle to defeat such onslaughts on their rights and livelihood.

The changes in the three crucial labour legislations are part of the regime of ‘bitter pills’ that Narendra Modi is talking about today. It is nothing else but forced implementation of neoliberal reforms, for which the BJP-led Rajasthan government is supposed to have ‘shown the way’. Other states and the central government will soon follow. This is indeed a ‘class war’ and for that changes in labour laws are a dire necessity for the capitalist class. “In the Indian context, even today we cannot leave our sisters and daughters to work in night shifts. The congenial atmosphere is still not there so as to let women work in night shifts,” said AITUC secretary D L Sachdev. About the provision for doubling the overtime hours, he said that through this more liberty is being given to the employer. He said on Apprentice Act, no provision has been made for monitoring breach of the provisions by the employers. According to an amendment proposed in the Apprentices Act, it will now not be compulsory for an employer to absorb 50 per cent of the apprentices as permanent employees. “More than 75 per cent of the workforce in this country work for businesses employing less than 300 workers, so what’s in store for the Indian working class?” asks Amarjit Kaur, national secretary of AITUC.

By C Adhikesavan

End of Unionization? The changes also make it tougher to register labour unions as the existing 15 per cent membership requirement for the registration of a trade union has now been raised to 30 per cent. It is apparent the government wants to wipe out unionisation to give more power to the employers. Employers want to stop workers from getting unionised, and even if workers are members, they look for ways to get those union members thrown out or union busted. They are also pushing for tougher measures on strikes, and are demanding an end to another essential provision of the Industrial Act where employers must give 21 days’ notice before making any changes to working conditions — a measure the employers say leads to inefficient and inflexible production. However, it is worth remembering that of India’s 460 million-strong labourforce, around 86 per cent is active in the informal economy — and the vast majority of these workers are not covered by any real legal protection. The working class must be ready and be prepared for more and more militant struggles to fight for its rights as the ruling class wants to remain a mute spectator to the infringement of labour laws by industrial units. CTUs protested against the g o v e r n m e n t ’ s “unilateralism”, saying it “seriously undermines the basic principle of bipartism as well as tripartism”. In a meeting with central trade unions on June 24, the government has assured that a detailed and prior consultation with them on the matter before finalisation of any proposal of amendments to labour laws. No action is being taken to implement the recommendations on labour law amendments and policy

decisions on which there have been consensus at the bipartite and tripartite levels including in successive Indian Labour Conferences (ILC). The resolution at the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) 144th convention which mandated a tri-partite resolution before any labour reforms are undertaken. The government of India has ratified the resolution. On that basis the state government should have consulted all the parties before bringing in the changes. This is clear violation of the law and will not pass the scrutiny of the President of the country. The consensus areas were amendment of the Contract Labour Act to ensure same wage and benefits as regular workers for the contract workers, formulation of minimum wage as per recommendation of 15th ILC and Supreme Court directive and recognition of those deployed for Anganwadi, midday-meal, ASHA and others as workers with attendant rights to statutory minimum wage and social security benefits. The changes introduced include atrocious provisions to exclude large sections of industrial establishments and their workers from the purview of any labour law besides empowering the employers to retrench and lay-off workers at their will. Despite the Delhi Police coercion to stop the protest demonstration for ‘security reasons’, there was a protest in front of Bikaner House, against the anti-labour reforms proposed by the BJP government. CTUs in solidarity with the growing unrest and protest of workers in many industrial areas of the country, have called out in anger against the increasing insecurity of employment, contractualisation, lowering of real wages and worsening conditions of work and livelihood. Moreover government

the made

provisions that without prior written permission from the state government, complaint for violation of law against the employer cannot receive cognizance by the court. Punishment provision for violation of labour law has also been proposed to be relaxed. These changes will lead to pushing out a large number of factories and workers out of the coverage of almost all basic labour laws. The amendments proposed to Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act also remove all contractors employing up to 49 workers out of the purview of the coverage of the Act. This will in effect throw out vast sections of contract workers from the coverage of almost all labour laws. The amendment proposals to labour laws is aimed at establishing a jungle raj in workplaces giving the capitalist class complete freedom to loot and exploit the workers. In fact, the enforcement of labour laws had all along been worse with numerous complaints of violation of laws pertaining to minimum wages, contract labour, PF, ESI, working hours, unlawful retrenchment, etc. The amendment proposals of the state government are designed to legitimise all those violations by the employers. The overactive move by the BJP government to amend labour laws will result in severe onslaughts on the wokers’ rights and livelihoods in the days to come from corporateservile polity in power at the Centre. Already such move is reported to be afoot in respect of a number of labour laws. Condemning the ‘antilabour policies’ of the state and the central governments, members of the AITUC led by former MLA and state vicepresident of AITUC G Palanichamy staged a demonstration on August 5 in front of Tirunelveli Railway Junction.

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August 10—16, 2014

Black Money Clouts All Powerful! Who will bell the cat? Why is it an imponderable act? Neither the earlier Congress governments nor the Congress-led ones did make any serious attempt to bring back the illegally amassed money stashed in foreign banks. So too the NDA government led by BJP leader A B Vajpayee which made all hue and cry about the black money while in opposition did anything meaningful to unearth black money hidden both in domestic and offshore places. Even the present NDA government and its finance minister Arun Jaitley after making all allegations against the UPA government of shielding black money holders during the campaign for the 2014 parliamentary elections seem to be not very sincere and serious about seizing the illgotten wealth. Once in power their hands gets tied up giving the impression that black money clouts are more powerful than the government itself. Even the Special Investigating Team (SIT) has been appointed as the Supreme Court has set the deadline. Black economy now amounts to 75 per cent of GDP: Driven substantially by the higher education sector, real estate deals and mining income, India’s black economy could now be nearly three-quarters the size of its reported Gross Domestic Product (GDP). These are among the findings of a confidential report commissioned by the government. According to the report, since there were no “reliable” estimates of black money generated in India and held within and outside the country, the UPA government had commissioned the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) to estimate the black money in India and held overseas by Indians. The Special Investigation Team on black money, constituted by the Narendra Modi government on May 27 in compliance with a Supreme Court directive, is studying the report. Though the report was submitted to the finance ministry in December 2013, then finance minister P Chidambaram did not place it in Parliament. Nor has his successor Arun Jaitley done so. The capitation fees collected by private colleges, on management quota seats in professional courses, last year was around Rs 5,953 crore, the report estimates. All these conclude beyond doubt that successive governments are well aware of the fact that there is a parallel economy dictating terms to the ruling class. It may be recalled here that only the CPI and other left parties that have been consistently demanding the confiscation of all ill-gotten wealth without any relief.

in food prices, for his preference to adopt a wait-and-watch approach. However, he has chosen to inject more liquidity into the system by reducing the minimum bond holding requirement by banks — Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) — by 50 basis points. The apex bank and its governor like the governments are in no mood to realise that inflation and climatic changes are policy-made creations — the outcome of the neo-liberal policies that our ruling dispensations have been following since long. Stating that the RBI’s stance has not moved from where it was last time ……, RBI governor said: “Growth is lower than what one would like it to be and inflation is higher than what one likes it to be. We will tighten it (policy) if inflation stays high and loosen the policy if it is on the downside. There is an issue of monsoon but we have to wait and see how it pans out. However, lower monsoon does not necessarily mean lower production and vice versa. Government is also keeping its eye on food production. If disinflation proceeds as warranted, we will eventually have room to cut rates,” he said. It is going to be a long if not unending wait for the salaried people as

Notes of the Week Chidambaram N the government’s moves to enable corporate houses to reap higher profits even by diluting all sane norms will only result in higher inflation. Economists surveyed by the central bank on the eve of its monetary policy review predict that the GDP will grow only 5.3 per cent in 2014-15, at a slightly slower pace than the 5.4 per cent predicted in the previous survey in March 2014-15. Agriculture and allied activities are likely to grow 2.1 per cent this fiscal again down from a previously predicted 2.8 per cent. He further said: “RBI in no way will hold rates high any longer than necessary. There is a path we are trying and want to achieve. We are not against growth but we think growth will be most benefited if we disinflate the economy.”

Unending Wait for EMIs to Fall

After hiking the repo rate to eight per cent in January 2014, the RBI kept the rate unchanged as the inflationary pressures continued at higher levels. According to RBI governor, the upside risks to the target of ensuring Consume Price Inflation (CPI) at or below eight per cent by January 2015 remained, although overall risks were more balanced than in June. “It is, therefore, appropriate to continue maintaining a vigilant monetary policy stance as in June, while leaving the policy rate unchanged,” the governor said.

The middle class continues to be at the receiving end as the Reserve Bank of India announces to hold on to the current rates in its third Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement of August 5, 2014. Governor Raghuram Rajan cited uncertainty over the progress of the monsoon and a likely increase

Dr Rajan pointed that inflationary risks also arose from pass-through of administered price increases, possibly higher oil prices stemming from geo-political concerns and exchange rate movement. He said that the central bank would continue to monitor inflation developments closely, and remained committed to the

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disinflationary path of taking retail inflation (CPI) to eight per cent by January 2015 and six per cent by January 2016. Thus one has to wait for another six months for the prices to fall, if at all it happens as per the imagination of the RBI governor. *

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Drugmakers Reap Benefits of Pricing Gap Even as pharmaceutical companies are opposing the latest regulatory move to keep a check on inter-brand price difference, market data show that in some cases the maximum retail price (MRP) of various brands of the same medicine varies by as much as 1,700-1,800 per cent. That leaves a huge profit margin for drug firms even after paying wholesalers and retailers. Data also depicts pricing parity is more significant between brands sold by domestic manufacturers and those marketed by multinational firms. While most multinationals attribute high prices of their products to better quality, standard procedures and efficacy, industry experts and regulatory authorities say the difference in MRP is due to higher cost incurred in marketing and promotion coupled with better profit margins. This is despite the fact that the ceiling price in case of even regulated medicines provides for up to 16 and eight per cent extra margin for retailers and wholesalers, respectively. Besides, it also takes into account packaging and conversion cost. Regulatory officials say despite having such margins within the price caps, companies make extraordinary profits. However, price differences exist between two indigenously manufactured brands as well though the parity might not be so much as is in the case of those sold by multinational companies. Drug price regulator National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), which brought under price control around 50 new formulations in the anti-diabetes and cardiovascular segment, said: “There exists a huge inter-brand price difference in branded-generics/off patent drugs.” According to the regulator, such interbrand price difference indicates a “severe market failure”. To fill this gap, it identified eight therapeutic areas with disease intensity and said if the price of any drug in these categories is more than 25 per cent higher than the most expensive medicine among the regulated products, then the price of such drugs will be capped by NPPA. Currently, under the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy, the government directly regulates the prices of 348 medicines. NPPA used a rarely used provision of Paragraph 19 of Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013. It empowers NPPA to reduce price of medicines in “extraordinary” circumstances in public interest, However, domestic as well as foreign drug makers have now approached different courts in the country against the regulator’s move. These companies argue that NPPA’s move is out of the purview of the pricing policy, which mandates the authority to only regulate prices of 348 medicines. New Age Weekly

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August 10—16, 2014

Central Party School for Students in Hyderabad HYDERABAD: The central party school for student cadres (English medium) was held successfully here at Makhdoom Bhavan from July 21-29, 2014. About 30 students from Manipur, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamilnad, Telangana and AP attended. These included girls too. The high spirits of the students could be seen in the fact that despite traveling for four days from their far off villages, the comrades from Manipur reached here in time for the school.

Inaugural session The simple inaugural session tuned the students to the nature of the school, its syllabus and programme. Communist party of India national executive member, former MP and in charge of party education in Telangana

state Azeez Pasha inaugurated the school. The session was also attended by principal of the school Anil Rajimwale, AISF president Waliullah Qadri and some other student leaders. AISF general secretary Vishwajeet joined a little later. Azeez Pasha in his address spoke about the new post-election situation, being increasingly dominated by communal trends which were gathering speed. Emphasizing the fact that the ruling party came to power on the basis of only a narrow percentage of votes, he insisted that it was time for thorough electoral reforms and for adoption of proportional representation. Some other parties could not get even

CPI on National Judicial... From Front Page

consulting chief justice of India. Except the sitting judges and law minister, others should be barred from taking up any other judicial, quasi-judicial posts, political posts after retirement from National Judicial Commission. A person shall not be qualified to be a member of the Commission, except the ex-officio members, unless (i) he is of 55 years of age (ii) he has been a judge of the Supreme Court or a judge of a high court, or is qualified to be so appointed or is a senior advocate. The function of the Commission shall be to recommend the appointment and removal of the judges and the chief justice of the Supreme Court and the appointment, transfer and removal of judges and the chief justice of the high court. The commission shall be a permanent body having a tenure of five years and in case of any vacancy, the same shall be filled-in forthwith. A member may resign his office by a letter addressed to the President. No member of the commission will during his membership or after completion of his term will engage himself in the practice of law. All Judges of the Supreme Court shall be appointed only on the recommendation of the commission and shall hold office till he attains the age of 65 years. The establishment of a National Judicial Commission comprising of the members suggested above appears to be the only way to ensure selection of judges of the Supreme Court and the high court who may inspire the confidence of the people as pillars of a fearless and independent judiciary. We by and large agree with the judicial standards and accountability bill 2010 which includes (a) National Judicial Oversight Committee (b) Scrutiny Panel (C) Investigating Committee, the procedure for presentation of an address for removal of judges after a proper enquiry, and judicial standards to be observed by the judges. This bill has lapsed. It should be brought back. These bills will certainly increase the accountability and credibility of judiciary without affecting their independence and will strengthen the confidence of the common man in the Judiciary. New Age Weekly

a single seat even though they got substantial percentage of votes. Pasha also dealt with budget and the economic policies of the present government. Anil Rajimwale welcomed the student-participants and explained the routine and subjects of the school. He underlined the importance of study of Marxism and scientific socialism.

Some new experiments There has been a constant endeavour to introduce new lecture methods, as also some new topics in the party schools. In accordance with this, some new topics were introduced in this school. They related with environment and development, proportional representation, role of students, new methods of work among masses etc. Dr Sagar Dhara used power point presentation in his interesting lecture on Environment and Development. He explained in detail the new approach of energy-based explanation of social development. It was an

absorbing lecture followed by numerous questions. Among others who lectured were: Anil Rajimwale, Pratap Reddy, Azeez Pasha, Adil Mohammed, E Nageswara Rao, Prof Yugal Rayalu, S Sudhakar Reddy, Vishwajeet, etc. The subjects covered were: What is Marxism (in two parts); Political Economy ( in two parts): Capital and Capitalism; Globalisation and Monopoly Capital; Some important economic terms; World Communist Movement; Freedom Movement and CPI; CPI’s Contribution to Independent India; Struggle Against Fascism and Present Day World Communist Movement; India’s Composite Culture and struggle against Communalism; CPI Program; Party and Mass Organisations; Electoral Reforms and PR System; Present Political Situation and Tasks of CPI; History of AISF; Present Policies of AISF; Alternatives to Present Education policies. Also there were some very good interactive sessions in which the

students made presentations.

brief

Address by CPI General Secretary CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy addressed the students of the central party school on one of the days. He exhorted the students to build strong AISF in the new conditions and to educate the students politically and ideologically. Speaking on the subject “Present Political Situation and the Tasks of the CPI”, he pointed to the grave dangers from the new ruling party of the semi-fascist, right reactionary communal character”. The comrades need to face the situation and struggle to save the achievements by the progressive and secular forces. He said the party had to regain its place in the parliamentary arena and go ahead, even while not falling a prey to the parliamentary deviation. The coming to power of the BJP was not a simple change of one bourgeois party by another; it was coming to power of

On Page 14

BKMU to Unleash Struggle... From Front Page against violation of MNREGA, provisions for appointing responsible officers; Rs 3 lakh under Indira Awas Yojna per unit; enactment of separate agricultural workers’ pension act and Rs 3,000 per month as pension at the age of 55. The BKMU has also demanded proper implementation of national health insurance schemes, covering all BPL h o u s e h o l d s ; implementation of all statesponsored welfare schemes without squeezing their benefits; Rs 100 per day per capita income for the identification of BPL; increase minimum wages in agriculture and revision of minimum wage at every two years linked with consumer price index; 35 kg of rice/ wheat at the rate of Re 1

to a BPL household under food security act and provide essential commodities through PDS; set up agricultural workers welfare board in all states; proper rehabilitation policies for those evicted from their land; strengthen the prevention of atrocities act and its proper implementation; implement the provisions of forest act to protect the interest of tribals and forest dwellers; separate employment schemes for agricultural workers. There is also demand raised for ensuring quality education from KG to PG level to all children and implement SC/ST sub plans and ensure adequate fund allocation. All state units have been directed to carry on sustained awareness campaigns among the agricultural workers in

support of their charter of demands. As per a decision the agricultural workers will organise direct actions taking the questions of land, wage, employment, food security and price rise. The CEC has resolved to work of building united struggles forging unity with all organisations of the agricultural workers and foil the attempts of forces in power at the centre to water down, the achievements of agricultural workers’ struggles in the country. The state units of the BKMU have been directed to build united movements to protect their rights and achievements. The committee has directed the BKMU to work for building joint struggles uniting all national organisations of agricultural workers.

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August 10—16, 2014

War Exerts Heavy Toll on Ukraine’s Economy

T

he US, its allies and European Union instigated war exerts heavy toll on Ukraine’s Economy. War has not only affected Ukraine, it has impacted the neighbouring Russia. Long slog of conflict in East further imperils the already fragile growth and development prospects. Ukraine is also fighting an emerging challenge across the country: War fatigue is creeping in. Sanctions after sanctions against Russia are being imposed. President Viladimir Putin has ordered to respond to Western sanctions. He has said that sanctions are “unacceptable” and “political instruments of pressure on the economy are unwarranted for”. Sanctions contradict all norms and rules. He has ordered the cabinet to prepare measures that spared the consumers from suffering any shortages of important Western goods. In retaliation against Western sanctions, Putin signed a decree limiting the import of agricultural also. The war against the pro-Russia rebels, who have managed to hold two large cities in eastern Ukraine despite a month long military onslaught from the government, is dragging down Ukraine’s already fragile economy and weighing on an exhausted public. After the exuberance of last winter’s protests that brought down a pro-Russia president, Ukrainians are being confronted with the increasingly stark human and economic costs of making themselves more independent from the giant neighbor to the east. Ukraine’s economy shrank 4.7 per cent in the second quarter compared with a year before. The government has announced a “war tax” of 1.5 per cent to fund the military effort, which Ukrainian media have criticized for leaving soldiers woefully under-equipped. And Kiev has drafted tens of thousands of Ukrainians to join the fight, making the war hit home in a new way for families across the country. Worries about the war and economic troubles are emerging as a challenge for the Kiev government. Ukrainians have a direct loss, they have a loss of life, and they have a loss of infrastructure and loss of investment. Russia is a key source of Ukrainian gas and its largest trading partner. In the first five months of this year, Ukrainian exports to Russia have dropped 24 per cent compared to the same period last year, predict they will further fall. The war in Ukraine’s east has already done serious damage to an economy that was teetering when protesters toppled Yanukovych in February. Ukrainian officials say they desperately need foreign investment to jump-start the economy. But getting it appears much more challenging now than it did just a few months ago. About 7,30,000 Ukrainians have left the country for Russia this year due to the fighting in eastern Ukraine, pointing to a far bigger exodus than previously thought. More than 400 Ukrainian soldiers had crossed over onto its territory to avoid fighting with pro-Kremlin

in 1945 marking the 69th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the city, as antinuclear sentiment runs high in Japan. But even today, neither Japan nor the US has changed their minds about these deadly weapons. If they cannot change their minds then they cannot do anything. We must dismantle the US’s unprecedented nuclear weapons. insurgents in the east. They had asked Russian authorities to open a “humanitarian corridor” overnight because they were no longer able to defend their positions. Russian Defense Ministry finds Ukrainian Security Service’s data, which was made public and should have proved Russia’s shelling on Ukraine as “hastily collected fakes.” The quality and arguments, which Ukrainian Security Service produces today for accusations against Russia, do not stand any criticism. At the time marked on the satellite images over the air crash zone US electronic intelligence satellite KeyHole was flying.

Russia’s defence ministry has announced it is holding military exercises this week involving 100 aircraft in the west of the country near the Ukraine border. Fighter jets, helicopters and the latest bombers would take part in the operation. Every time Russia announces a new round of military exercises it is seen as a show of strength in the conflict with Ukraine.

US sent Latin Youth Undercover in anti-Cuba ploy Obama administration secretly dispatched young Latin Americans to Cuba using the cover health and civic progammes to provoke political change, a clandestine operation that put those foreigners in danger ever after a US contractor was hauled away to Cuban jail. Beginning as early as October 2009, a project overseen by the US agency for International Development sent Venezuelan, Costa Rican and Peruvian young people to Cuba in hopes of ginning up rebellion. The travelers worked undercover, often posing as tourists and traveled around the Island scouting for people they could turn into political activists.

Hiroshima Day: Nuclear Arsenals, the Absolute Evil This year Hiroshima Day is being observed being observed in the background barbaric bombing Gaza by the Israelis. Tens of thousands of people gathered for peace ceremonies in Hiroshima on August 6, the black Wednesday,

Bells tolled as ageing survivors, relatives, government officials and foreign delegates observed a moment of silence in the rain at 8:15 am local time (2315 GMT), when the detonation turned the western Japanese city into an inferno. “‘Water, please.” Voices from the brink of death are still lodged in the memory of a boy who was 15 and a junior high student.” Young people were badly burned, grotesquely swollen faces, eyebrows and eyelashes singed off, school uniforms in ragged tatters. Many survivors feel profound guilt over living through the attack. But people who rarely talked about the past because of their ghastly experiences are now, in old age, starting to open up. An American B-29 bomber named Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, in one of the final chapters of World War II. It had killed an estimated 140,000 by December that year. On August 9, the port city of Nagasaki was also bombed, killing an estimated 70,000 people. Japan surrendered days later — on August 15, 1945 — bringing the war to a close. Historians have long been at odds over whether the twin attacks brought a speedier end to the war by forcing Japan’s surrender and preventing many more casualties in a planned land invasion. The bombed cities have spearheaded antinuclear movements, calling atomic bombs “the absolute evil”. But today, we are having much more deadlier weapons like nuclear arsenal. Anti-nuclear sentiment flared in Japan after an earthquake-sparked tsunami left some 19,000 dead or missing and knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in 2011.None of those deaths were directly attributed to the nuclear crisis. But the reactor meltdowns spread radiation over a large area and forced thousands to leave their homes in the worst atomic disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Despite strong public opposition, Japan’s nuclear watchdog last month said that two atomic reactors were safe enough to switch back on. The decision marked a big step towards restarting the country’s nuclear plants, which were shut after the disaster, and sparked accusations that the regulator was a puppet of the powerful atomic industry. New Age Weekly

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August 10—16, 2014

Must Pay 50 Billion Dollar...

Cuba Continues...

From Centre Pages

From Last Page

There are currently more than 3000 BITs in force. The private investors could seek compensation worth billions of dollars from states for breaches of treaty obligations. But, at the same time, the states have the right to enact and enforce regulations related to taxation, financial stability, public health and environment, as part of exercising their sovereign powers.

there would not have been the Granma, the struggle of the Sierra Maestra and the extraordinary victory of January 1959.”

The existing investment protection agreements have failed to address the balance of rights and responsibilities of foreign investors as it offers numerous legal rights for investors without requiring corresponding responsibilities for them. Some years back, Venezuela and Ecuador had denunciated some of their BITs. Of late, many developing countries (including South Africa, India and Indonesia) are rethinking about the costs and benefits of BITs and are taking various policy measures to protect themselves from costly investor-state arbitration. Not surprisingly, the inclusion of investor-state arbitration in the ongoing negotiations over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is hotly debated.

Since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, India and Cuba are sharing the same desire for freedom, love of independence and progress of nations, and above all, an unwavering decision of upholding the values of our national identity, said she in course of her observation that ancient India and the young Cuba were founders of the Non-Aligned Movement. Both countries have coordinated actions and shared a tribune to defend the just causes of the people of the Third World, the just causes of humanity.

Apart from ISA, there are numerous problematic provisions of investment protection contained in existing bilateral and regional investment treaties that need a complete re-examination in the light of recent developments.

“That is one reason,” she said, “My country once again urges all states, international organisations and

Central Party School...

international community as a whole, to demand an immediate halt to the new Israeli aggression Gaza Strip.

From Page 12 extreme rightwing reactionary communal party supported to the hilt by the corporate world. He emphasized the need for more ideological struggle and for more party schools in the context.

Review session The review session received very enthusiastic response from the participants. They all opined that it was very

New Age Weekly

useful and they had learnt a lot from it. They requested its extension to at least 15 days. Most of the students took part in the review; they provided lot of suggestions, which are useful. They suggested use of power point presentation and other modern methods. Among the suggestions were providing more lecture notes, interactive sessions, better selection, and others.

bodies, to the Security Council of the UN, and the

The review session was attended by Sudhakar Reddy and Azeez Pasha as well as Anil Rajimwale, Vishwajeet and others.

We reiterate our strongest condemnation and reaffirm

Both Sudhakar Reddy and Azeez Pasha addressed the students, greeting them and wishing them a bright and active future.

told the people assembled that we are proud of the

There was a good sale of literature in English. Some of the booklets were even copied and distributed.

our unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state with its capital in East Jerusalem.” CPI(M) polit bureau member Sitaram Yechury MP success of the Cuban revolution and the great resistance Cuba has put forth in facing the US imperialist onslaughts. The final success of the of the revolution which began with the attack on Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes garrison no doubt inspires all the struggling people of the world for a just and equitable social order. The programme was conducted by Solidarity Committee convener Nilotpal Basu.

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August 10—16, 2014 COIMBATORE: In deference to the call given by the national council of the Communist Party of India to observe the centenary celebrations of Comrade C.Rajeswara Rao, the CPI district committee here organized a special meeting on July 29, 2014 at Thiyagikal Nilayam (Martyrs building), in the office of Coimbatore district mill workers union (AITUC). The meeting hall has been named after veteran comrade late P K Ramasamy as P K R Hall. Comrade M Arumugam, M L A and CPI district secretary presided over the meeting which was attended by a large gathering. Tamilnadu state unit secretary of the CPI, D Pandian delivered the main speech wherein he dealt at length with the sterling qualities of the legendary leader. He said, “Comrade CR hailed from a rich feudal family owning thousands of acres of land crisscrossing 12 villages. CR’s father dreamed of sending his son to English school and further studies in a foreign country. He arranged an Anglo-Indian teacher to teach better English to CR. But the young CR reacted with a disdain. For him, there was hardly any justification for learning English language when the nation was struggling to

CR Centenary in Coimbatore wrest freedom from colonial rulers. Conceding to the wish of CR, his father admitted him in Banaras Hindu University at Varanasi. The political climate around the country and the surging nationalist spirit amongst the students there naturally had an impact on the young CR. His bubbling patriotism very soon blossomed into a strong faith in communism as he came in contact with communists there. Comrade CR’s political struggles started with the peasant movement. He believed that landlordism prevailing in the rural areas should be demolished and the real tillers should get the ownership of the land. Hence he led the land struggle in Telangana and planted the seeds of communist movement there. Along with Comrade Ravinarayana Reddy and others, Comrade CR launched struggle against the aristocracy of Nizam and soon liberated 10 lakh acres of land that was later redistributed among landless people. Though the valiant struggle was crushed by the ruthless forces of the government, the burning issue of land reforms was

ON RECORD... The government is looking to sell 5 percent stake in SAIL and 10 per cent each in RINL and HAL in the current fiscal, besides an outright sale of Tyre Corporation of India. The department of disinvestment is presently engaged in disinvestment of only one such CPSE, namely Tyre Corporation of India (TCIL).

From B.B.Ramani brought to the national agenda. Many states were forced to enact the land reforms despite the loopholes in them. During the Telangana movement, Com CR was organizing the rural masses for armed struggle with the help of an ex-army brigadier who was also a staunch communist. Though he was leader of high stature, he intermingled with the tribals and won their hearts. Understanding his intimacy with the tribals, the police conceived a plot to kill him with the help of a blackleg among the tribals. Com. CR somehow got the inkling and could take timely precautions against it. CR was of the opinion that it is not enough that leaders are prepared for revolution but the masses must be ready for that. Com. CR was an embodiment of simplicity. During one of his visits to Tamilnadu, he was invited to visit Tuticorin, the coastal town where the great forerunner of freedom movement in South India V O Chidambaram Pillai fought the repressive policies of British rulers. Comrade V S

Muruganandam then Memebr of Parliament and Comrade V S Gandhi, Tirunelveli district secretary, had arranged a colourful reception for the CPI general secretary, Comrade CR, by erecting arches and buntings all along the route. Comrade CR took exception to the pompous decorations. He expressed his displeasure again when he was put in a big lodge. Only after much persuasion from the comrades and the lodge owner, who was a well wisher of the party, Comrade CR agreed to stay there. The next morning when the comrades got into room, they were shocked to see Comrade CR washing the clothes in the bathroom. Another interesting incident happened at Madurai where Comrade CR was staying at Gandhi Museum. Local comrades had arranged for a sumptuous dinner with a variety of non-vegetarian dishes. Comrade CR refused to accept the non-vegetarian dishes at a place where the relics of Gandhiji were preserved. Such was Comrade CR’s abiding simplicity and ennobling character, worthy of an outstanding leader. People of Tamilnadu cannot forget Comrade CR’s

broadly the region around these constituencies — this proportion rises to two-thirds, police records scrutinised by The Indian Express show. Five of these seats — Saharanpur Nagar, Bijnor, Kairana, Thakurwada and Gautam Buddh Nagar — are in Western UP, where the largest number of 259 communal incidents was recorded. Fifty-three incidents took place in Awadh, where the Lucknow East assembly seat will go to polls.

In the Budget, the government has estimated to collect Rs 43,425 crore from selling stake in PSUs and another Rs 15,000 crore from sale of residual stake in the erstwhile government companies.

A third of all “communal” incidents recorded by police in Uttar Pradesh in the 10 weeks following the Lok Sabha election results have occurred in — or on the fringes of — 12 assembly constituencies that are scheduled to go to polls over the next few months. If a larger circle is imagined — covering

CPI leader pointed out that during the 25 years of CR’s leadership, the party made significant strides in Indian politics. He rightly underlined the danger of communalism and contributed to the cause of secularism in his own way. His role in restoring communal integration in the aftermath of Babri Masjid demolition when he proposed that the site might be made a memorial for interreligious harmony testify to his foresight, said D Pandian. The meeting was also addressed by K M Selvarj, general secretary, engineering and general workers union, and Rajan, Coimbatore district secretary and district bank employees association leader. C Sivasami, assistant secretary of the CPI district committee, proposed vote of thanks.

activities involving masjids, madrasas and kabristans (graveyards); and the use of loudspeakers for prayers (120 instances each). Issues of land led to communal tensions in about 70 cases; alleged incidents of cow slaughter in 61 cases; and alleged incidents of elopement and eve-teasing or harassment involving men and women of different communities in 50-odd cases. Minor accidents triggered communal incidents in some 30 cases. – The Indian Express, August 5. *** About 2.3 crore children in India, up to 6 years of age, are suffering from malnourishment and are underweight, according to a status report on the anganwadi (day care center) programme, officially known as ICDS. This staggering number amounts to over 28 per cent of the 8 crore children who attend anganwadis across India.

Of the disinvestment target of Rs 40,000 crore in 2013-14, the government had mobilised Rs 15,820 crore. In 201213, of the Rs 30,000 crore target, Rs 23,957 crore was raised. In 2011-12, only Rs 13,894 crore was raised of the Rs 40,000 crore target. – zeenews.com, August 5. ***

role during the period when the erstwhile Madras Presidency was reorganized on linguistic basis in 1956. Chennai, the then Madras city, was the bone of contention. There was a clamour from Andhra for retaining Madras as their capital city. Comrade CR, despite hailing from Andhra Pradesh, endorsed the claim of Tamilnadu to retain Madras city as he felt the demand was justified, said Pandian.

In the Terai, Eastern UP and Bundelkhand regions, each of which is home to two of the 12 seats, 29, 16, and 6 incidents respectively were recorded. Records of more than 400 communal incidents in and around the constituencies show that tensions arose out of broadly six issues. The most common were construction

The status report includes statewise data for under-weight children. In Bihar, the proportion of under-weight children is nearly 50 per cent. Andhra Pradesh (37 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (36 per cent), Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh (both 32 per cent) are some of the other large states with a high proportion of children being malnourished. – The Times of India, August 5. —Compiled By: C Adhikesavan New Age Weekly

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Delhi Postal Regd. No.DL(C)-01/1274/2012-14 August 10—16, 2014 Licenced to Post without Pre-payment No.U-(C)/47/2012-14 (R.N.I.No.539/57)Posted in NDPSO, Friday&Saturday Published Every Friday

August 10—16, 2014

Cuba Continues to Be a Beacon of Hope

CPI national council secretary A B Bardhan addressing the meeting A well attended meeting in the national capital on August 1, 2014 recalled the heroic resistance that Cuba has been putting against the US and its continuing blockade in the very citadel of imperialism. Leaders of CPI and CPI(M) along with charge d’ Affairs of Cuba observed that Cuba continues to be a beacon of hope for all those struggling in every part of the world for their freedom.

They were all in unison to use the occasion to extend full support and solidarity with the people of Palestine, fighting for their self-determination facing mighty Israeli war machines. They also condemned the US stance of justifying Israeli attacks. The programme was organised by National Committee for Solidarity with Cuba and the Embassy of Cuba marking the 61 st anniversary of Moncada Barracks Attack Senior communist leader

Our Special Correspondent A B Bardhan addressing the gathering which included diplomats said that the significance of Cuban revolution is that it could not only stand like a rock before the onslaughts of US imperialism and the continuing blockade but also could inspire the peoples of other countries in Latin America like Bolivia, Peru and Equador to wage successfully their fight for emancipation. He said that

what is happening in the Gaza strip is the most inhuman outrage by Israel supported by its imperialist master, the US, on innocent unarmed people including women and children of Palestine. He asserted that finally victory will be of Palestinians. Marileydis Dueñas Morales, Chargée d’Affaires, Embassy of Cuba in India addressing the meeting recalled that on July 26, 1953 when a group of young people who dreamed of transforming the sad

reality in Cuba attacked the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes garrison, it was tough, though not a triumph of arms. It was a moral and dignified victory, since it led us to reach in just five years and five days later our true and definitive independence, under the direction of the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, she said and added that it was the reason why Fidel stated that “without the Moncada On Page 14

Communal Riots Key to Power? ‘Power grows out from the communal divide’ is the age-old formula of the Indian bourgeois political formations of various hues. Initially the grand old party exploited the minorities and after its gradual decline others followed. The other day Rahul Gandhi made noise in Parliament forgetting the 65-year record of his own party regarding the communal flares-up in some states. No doubt there should be a serious discussion on the grave matter by all political formations instead of the blame game. Prime minister Modi got the verdict on the development plank. He assured the nation that in 60 months he will change the face of the country and make it a place worth-living. But even after almost three months in power, the government has not moved in the economic uplift of the nation. The national budget presented by his government was a damp squib. Even his core constituency the ‘corporate world’ gave it lukewarm response. There was no word of a new beginning to boost the economy

By S. K. Mittal and ways for the growth of the industry. It is just saddening. The prices of essential commodities ran beyond control, putting the ordinary masses on the mercy of the looters, despite a booming harvest and vast availability of the goods. There is no shortage or dearth of the food articles, the market is overflowing, but strangely the prices are touching new high, when the BJP and its leader promised to deal firmly with the market sharks. In fact it is they who run the Modi Sarkar. In Delhi a high drama was played with great fanfare of raiding the premises of the hoarders. But the RSS came in the way as the BJP and its other sister organisations draw their full strength from the trading community and 90 per cent of its cadre come from this community. It is a petty business party and over the years the other big sharks have joined it to loot the citizens. This is strange that despite plenty of availability, the prices are jumping.

An organised loot is on and the people are helpless. The mafia is ruling the city and the rulers have given them free hand. Behind this communal flare-up, the motive is clear to sidetrack the real issues of vikas as the BJP rulers are no different from the Congress. Both ‘make promises and forget’. But the youth is restless and dismayed over the ways the Modi Sarkar is moving — high on promises and very low in action. The single achievement of the government up to this day is the re-emergence of the demand for the creation of ‘Hindu Rashtra’. Modi is encouraging such people by his own actions and religious fervour is on a high tide. In a democracy, the state has no religion and the communal virus should be nipped in the bud itself. The UP government has proved that it is not capable of maintaining law and order, which is its first responsibility. It has failed the people who reposed faith in it. Akhilesh should act. The young man should come out with stern actions before it is too late.

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