While the railways face the threat of being divided into production, regulation and operation, the power sector faces a similar challenge of being trifurcated into generation, transmission and distribution.THE joint convention of electricity and railway employees, officers and contract workers, held in Thiruvananthapuram, has resolved to hold extensive programmes against the threats of privatisation of the two key public sector organisations.

LAST Sunday, lakhs of central and state government employees converged in the capital New Delhi, demanding the restoration of the old pension scheme. The coverage of this massive rally was limited to describing it as an event, obscuring the reflection of a deeper economic malaise afflicting our country. According to the old pension scheme, an employee was entitled to receive 50 per cent of their last salary drawn as pension. This amount was also adjusted yearly to account for inflation.

THE Association of Progressive and Democratic Organizations of British Columbia and the Indo-Canadian Association (Canada) have given a memorandum to the minister of external affairs, government of India, through the consul general, Indian consulate, Vancouver, Canada, on September 28, urging urgent restoration of visa services for Canadian nationals.

The BJP’s now nine year rule at the centre starting from 2014 has given us what its economic philosophy and its practice is: the destruction of the planned development of the country, its statistical system, accompanied by the enormous growth of inequalities within the country. While the country’s economic growth has continued, though not at the pace it claims and certainly lower than the earlier years, it has largely benefited the rich.

IN order to take the message of the Left and democratic forces of Tamil Nadu to the people of the southern-most districts in the state, the fifth edition of Theekkathir was launched from Tirunelveli (Nellai) on September 22. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat inaugurated the edition.