2020

Those that have been used to having exclusive rights to the power and the glory of the world’s riches are chaffing at the bit.
Think how a mere invisible molecule defeats their further grandiloquent plans and purposes for mastery of the universe. Having quelled through armed muscle and money power the most determined challenges to their sway, imagine that an impudent nothing of a protein blob with a covering of fat should appear from nowhere to stymie intents and technologies (…)

`Manic Monday’ on March 9th has been followed by another one. Earlier the fall was 5.17% and now almost 8%. The rise on Friday was due to the intervention by public financial institutions, obviously on instructions from above. It is about 20% below its peak and can be characterized as a bear market. Indian markets have followed the global financial markets since they are inter linked, even though there are India specific factors like, the near collapse of the Yes Bank.
The big news has (…)

by Gautam Sen
The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 is a unique instrument of the British India period, but seems inadequate for the present time and a pandemic affected environment like that resulting from infection of novel Coronavirus or COVID-19. This Act (Act 3 of 1897), is in a way very pithy and an all empowering instrument of the Union and state executive authorities. A health emergency can be virtually declared by invoking the Act. However, no detailed parameters of executive action (…)

by Sudipta Bhattacharyya
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman in her press conference on 26.03.20 declared a relief package owing to Corona. However a close scrutiny of the package reveals that the majority of the announcements are centered on financing the old and running projects. In some cases there is no need for financing. Let us look first the newly declared projects and then the old projects.
Newly Declared Projects
Project-1: The poor people will be given through PDS 5 kg of (…)

Contents - Mainstream, VOL LVIII No 15 New Delhi March 28, 2020 LETTER TO THE READERS - COVID 19 Lockdown Edition No.1 India’s lockdown will invite perils for its people | Arun Srivastava Socialist Party (India) Demands Immediate Action from the Government to Ensure Social Security for the Common People of the Country During the Lockdown Public Statement on COVID19 Crisis released by People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) (20 March, 2020) Urgent suggestions to GOI with regard (…)

This issue of Mainstream (Vol. LVIII No.15) dated March 28, 2020 is being brought out online only as there is no possibility of printing the issue on account of the lockdown across the country due the deadly Corona Virus that has affected India and the world at large in a big way of late.
A week ago, it was written in these columns on March 20, 2020: "The increase in the number of Corona Virus cases has caused quite an alarm. The possibility of an actual spurt in such cases has of (…)

by Arun Srivastava
The success of India’s 21-day lockdown to fight Coronavirus depends on how quickly the country’s health system can detect and isolate persons already infected with the disease. It is expected that lockdown will slow down the virus transmission in the larger community. But it is yet not clear that how many people who will be in homes during the lockdown are actually infected.
The lockdown in China was backed by adequate government planning and monitoring of the (…)

DOCUMENT
PRESS RELEASE | 26 March 2020
In order to ensure that no person in India goes hungry or faces economic ruin due to the 21-day lockdown announced on Tuesday, it is imperative that the government take immediate, extensive and wide-ranging measures. If effective action is taken in a timely manner, this will not only provide people with the safety net they need to get through the lockdown but will increase the trust the common person places in the higher authorities of the country. (…)

DOCUMENT
Press Release by People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS)
(20 March, 2020)
India is passing through the first stage of the most serious health crisis in its recent history. How we respond to it as a society is crucial to mitigating effects of COVID 19 on our individual health. Democracy is ultimately a system of social relationships, of everyone with everybody else, that respects the twin principles of equality and individual autonomy, so that everyone becomes (…)

DOCUMENT
E-MAIL
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2020 at 13:19 Subject: URGENT SUGGESTIONS TO GOI WITH REGARD TO SUPPORT TO FARMERS, THEIR LIVELIHOODS AS WELL AS TO ENSURE UNINTERRUPTED FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS
To: 1. Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India; 2. Shri N S Tomar, Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare; 3. Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister; 4. Shri Amit Shah, Home Minister; 5. Dr Ramesh Chand, Member Agriculture, NITI Aayog
Dear Sirs / Madam, (…)