Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

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  In Remembrance: Ajit Roy — A forgotten Communist Activist and Intellectual (A birth Centenary Tribute) | Sobhanlal Datta Gupta

  21 November 2020

  by Sobhanlal Datta Gupta *
  Ajit Roy passed away on 3 June, 2011. A month later, on 11 July 2011 Kolkata witnessed a remarkable memorial meeting, packed to capacity, which was attended by a number of prominent Left leaders and intellectuals of the day. On 14 November 2020 Roy stepped into the centenary year of his birth. No initiative has as yet been taken by the mainstream Left to observe this event. The Bengal Left, tragically, seems to be completely oblivious of the indelible presence of (…)

• C.P. Bhambhri (1933-2020) and the Life of a Public Intellectual | Rakesh Batabyal

  21 November 2020

  by Rakesh Batabyal *
  Since the time Prof. Bhambhri retired in 2000 from teaching in the class rooms, which he began in the early fifties, he was gifted a little office space at a corner in the huge School of Bio-Technology in the Jawaharlal Nehru University. The space created under a staircase, just about accommodating two to three chairs at a time, however, emerged as, what Jurgen Habermas had famously called, a ‘public sphere.’ From 9.15 in the morning, when Prof. Bhambhri usually (…)

• Pokhran-II and Since - A Quick Analytical Survey | Sukla Sen

  21 November 2020, by Sukla Sen

  by Sukla Sen *
  Contents: 1. Prefatory 2. The 1998 Blasts: The immediate Backdrop 3. The Explosions 4. Immediate Aftermath 5. Then the Mountains Move 6. the "Geo-strategic Situation" Shifts 7. From Policy Paper to Nuclear Doctrine 8. Enhanced "Security" and "Strategic Autonomy’? 9. Vajpayee’s Lahore Yatra 10. Kargil War 11. A Series of torments 12. Balakot Airstrike: A Game Changer!? 13. Pakistan’s Nuclear Bluff Called? 14. Conclusion 15. Epilogue 16. Notes and Referenences (…)

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  CPI Condemns the Use of Central Agencies to Destabilise the LDF Government in Kerala and Other Non-BJP Governments in States

  21 November 2020

  Communist Party of India Ajoy Bhavan, Com Indrajit Gupta Marg New Delhi 110 002
  November 20, 2020
  Press Release
  Communist Party of India General Secretary D RAJA issued the following statement condemning the use of central agencies to destabilise the LDF government in Kerala and other non-BJP state governments:
  The National Secretariat of the Communist Party of India strongly condemns the central government’s repeated moves to destabilize the LDF government in Kerala and other (…)

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  Text of Declaration from 9th BRICS Trade Unions Forum

  21 November 2020

  (On 30 October, the annual plenary Meeting of the BRICS Trade Union Forum took place via videoconference under the Russian BRICS Chairmanship. Following the IX BRICS Trade Union Forum, the delegates adopted a Declaration, which reflected the position of the trade unions of the BRICS countries on the most pressing issues)
  Declaration of the 9th BRICS Trade Union Forum
  October 30, 2020 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
  1. National trade union centres of the Federative Republic of (…)

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  Text of South Centre Statement To The World Health Assembly (WHA) 73 Session Item 13

  21 November 2020

  The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that, despite the magnitude of the global health challenges it has to face, the WHO is currently unable to fully enforce its directives, norms and standards. It also shows that its funding is neither sustainable nor adequate to respond effectively to current and future global health crises. Overreliance on voluntary targeted funding puts at risk its capacity to operate as the global agency responsible for public health. These are some of the main challenges facing the WHO today.

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  Text of Statement by UN Special Rapporteurs on Universal Access to Vaccines for Prevention and Containment of COVID-19 | Nov 9, 2020

  21 November 2020

  9 November 2020
  To date, there have been more than 49 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 1.2 million deaths reported to WHO.1 This disease continues to prove more deadly than anticipated while the world carries on facing the cumulative and interconnected health, economic, social and human rights crises it has unleashed.
  In October 2020, the World Bank estimated that the pandemic will push an additional of between 88 to 115 million people into extreme poverty this year, with the (…)

• Health Budgets of Developing Countries in COVID Times | Bharat Dogra

  21 November 2020, by Bharat Dogra

  Many developing countries including India had highly inadequate health budgets even before the COVID-19 phase. Now there are very critical questions of maintaining all essential health services and meeting all essential expenses in the middle of new difficulties brought by the pandemic.
  In this situation a statement made by Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the world’s largest vaccine producer Serum Institute on September 26 attracted a lot of attention. ( This manufacturer has tie-ups with global (…)

• Learning in the Midst of Adverse Situation in Assam: Experience from the Covid-19 Pandemic | Nurul Hassan

  21 November 2020

  by Nurul Hassan *
  Abstract
  The World has been facing unprecedented crisis due to Covid-19 pandemic. The Corona induced indecisive disruption makes the entire system vulnerable one. Most of the sectors are favouring new orientation in terms of processing and education is not lagging behind in this regard. At present, education is reaching out through technology and other means of actions. Subsequently, it becomes detrimental for many learners. The Corona based precarious situation is (…)

• Agriculture: Area Planning - A way-out to ensure the MSPs | Sher Singh Sangwan

  21 November 2020

  by Sher Singh Sangwan
  A review of the minimums support prices (MSPs) of agricultural commodities in India reveals that whenever their prices were subdued, the farmers were in distress (1). It happened around 1990, the year of 1st All India Agricultural Loan Waiver (ALW) and also around 2008, the year of 2nd ALW. Recently during 2014-15 to 2017-18 too, the increase in MSPs/market prices has slowed down compared to their increase during the period 2010-11 to 2014-15 (op cit). It again (…)