Editorial 3rd Quarter 2021
EDITORIAL FIRE MAGAZINE
0CTOBER,2021
T. HANUMAIAH CHIEF EDITOR
AILRSA IN ACTION MODE
Daring the continued severe pandemic Covid-19 situation the loco men risking their lives kept the wheels of trains moving, transporting men and material from destination to destination safely, punctually and economically duly earning profitable revenue to the Indian Railways. So also, they led the Trade Union movement from being in the forefront, be it formation of NCCRS, protest agitations against privatisation of railways and its assets, ordnance factories and other public sector units, anti farmer farm Laws, anti worker labour codes and the demands of loco men and railway men.
The AILRSA as per the decisions taken in the CWC meeting held in New Delhi on 4th and 5th September, 2021 has successfully launched the program of action of Divisional level Hunger fast from morning to evening on 21st September,2021, all over Indian Railways.
The AILRSA has successfully implemented the Solidarity action in support of the 27th september,2021 Bharat Bandh spearheaded by Samyukta Kisan Morcha.
The AILRSA appeals to all Loco Men to ensure massive participation in the next phase of the programme of action of Relay Hunger Fast for three days consecutively, during day time only, on 7th,8th & 9th December, 2021.
DEMANDS:
*Stop selling of railways and other P S Us
*Remove ceiling limit for NDA.s
*Revise running allowance rates as per RAC1980 Formula.
*Ensure facilities for lady running staff.
*Improve running room conditions.
*Treat e-pass as a travelling authority.
*Repeal anti worker labour codes and anti farmer farm laws.
A BIG SUCCESS OF BANDH
The 27th September,2021 bandh, called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), has been a big success. This massive protest action took place exactly a year after the three farm laws came into force with the assent given by the President of India on September 27, 2020.The Bandh was called in support of the demands, for repeal of the Three anti farmer farm laws, The Electricity amendment bill, and legally guaranteed Minimum support price for their produce.
Many Crores of farmers, agricultural workers, industrial workers, transport workers, employees, shop keepers, students, youth and women have, enthusiastically, participated making the Bandh a grand success.
Most of the opposition parties, including regional parties, with an exception of the TMC party in West Bengal which has opposed the bandh, extended their support to the success of Bandh. The bandh affected all the states ,with coming to a complete standstill position in the State of KERALA. The participation of trade unions, traders’ organisations and other sectors on a large scale, has underlined the growing worker-peasant unity in action, which is the need of the hour to protect the interests of people.
The bandh was an assertive reminder that the farmers’ struggles which began on the borders of Delhi on 26th of November, 2020 and has been going on for the last ten months, has not lost its momentum but, ever growing from strength to strength to realise the objectives of the farmer’s struggle. Despite the uncompromising attitude of the NDA government not to withdraw the three farm laws, the bandh was a strong signal indicating that not only the struggle will go on but will also intensify further, to the realisation of the demands.
All entities are duty bound to intertwine and strengthen the growing peasant worker unity to realise the people's demands.
NATIONAL MONETISATION PIPELINE POLICY IS NOTHING BUT A
FLAGRANT DESIGN TO LOOT NATIONAL ASSETS:
The AILRSA denounces the NDA government’s project of ‘National Monetisation Pipeline’(NMP) intended to hand over productive national assets including vital functional infrastructural assets worth several lakhs of crores of rupees to the domestic and foreign private monopolies, for an insignificant meagre amount (pittance). The project is the product of a neoliberal policy dictated by the international finance capital. The “NMP is a pipeline of corruption while handing over public assets in private hands. It is a project of destroying the national economy and bringing untold miseries to the workers and other sections of the toiling people”. Therefore, the policy being anti people, should stand repealed.
The project NMP, announced by the union finance minister on August 23, includes handing over to the private corporate cronies, inter alia, 26,700 kilometres of highways worth Rs 1.6 lakh crore; 400 railway stations and 150 trains (worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore); 42,300 circuit kilometres of power transmission lines (worth Rs 0.67 lakh crore); 5,000 MW hydro, solar and wind power generation assets (worth Rs 0.32 lakh crore); 8,000 kilometres of national gas pipelines (worth Rs 0.24 lakh crore); 4,000 kilometre pipelines of IOC and HPCL (worth Rs 0.22 lakh crore); BSNL and MTNL towers (worth Rs 0.39 lakh crore); 21 airports and 31 ports (worth Rs 0.34 lakh crore); 160 coal mining projects (worth Rs 0.32 lakh crore); and two sports stadia (worth Rs 0.11 lakh crore) etc.
The assessment of the worth of these huge national assets at Rs 6 lakh crore as mentioned above from the official statement itself exposes the deliberate undervaluation of assets only to facilitate the private corporates to take over these vital infrastructural assets at throw away prices. However, there is more to come.
“The destructive NMP is not meant for augmenting infrastructural growth in the country, as claimed by the finance minister and the NITI Aayog. This is designed to allow the private corporate to earn huge revenue out of these proposed to be privatised/leased out national infrastructure assets without making any capital investment. This is nothing but loot of national assets, because, instead of investing in infrastructural growth, the private corporate lobby including foreign entities are going to be provided, through the NMP, the avenue to mint huge wealth through exploitation of national infrastructural assets handed over to them under the garb of asset monetisation. It is to be understood that more concessions are to come after the initial announcement, as the past experience shows, to draw the unwilling bidders.
The AILRSA calls upon the workers and the people of the country to unitedly voice their condemnation of such anti-national designs of the NDA government at the centre and resolutely fight to defend the national assets being robbed by the foreign and domestic monopolies with the help of the government at centre.
Price Rise
The AILRSA strongly condemns the daily hikes in the prices of petrol and diesel that are imposing unprecedented miseries on the people. This is accompanied by a steep hike in the price of cooking gas. This has resulted in spiralling of an overall inflationary effect on the economy. Rising transportation costs are leading to the rise in prices of all essential consumer goods including food, vegetables, milk and other articles of daily consumption.
Central Cabinet Ministers are making absurd claims that the hikes in Central excise duties on petroleum products is financing free vaccinations and various social sector schemes being implemented by the NDA government. This is ridiculous. Though the people are paying exorbitant prices, the vaccinations are not given free. The People are paying for it themselves.
What has happened to the budgetary allocation of Rs.35,000 crores for vaccinations? The budget has already accounted for nearly Rs. 4 lakh crores for various Centrally-sponsored schemes and subsidies. Where has all this money gone? So also, where has gone the amount of 3 instalments DA/DR of central government employees/ Pensioners, respectively, withheld for 18 months. It is nothing ,but a loot of public money.
We demand the NDA government to refund the 3 instalments of 18 months amount of DA/DR to the employees, pensioners and family pensioners, immediately.
COMPARISON OF PRICES:
ITEM YEAR 2014 YEAR 2021
Petrol Rs.60/- per litre Rs.112/- per litre
Diesel Rs.55/- per litre Rs. 100/- per litre
LPG Rs.414/- per 14.2 Kgs Rs. 952/- per 14.2 Kgs
DAL Rs.70/- per 1 Kg Rs.190/- per 1 Kg
Ghee Rs.350/- per Kg Rs. 650/- per 1 Kg
Cooking oil Rs. 52/- per litre Rs. 210- per litre
Milk Rs. 30/- per litre Rs. 56/- per litre
Sugar Rs. 22/- per Kg Rs. 50/- per Kg
EGGS Rs. 2/- per 1 Egg Rs. 07/- per 1 Egg
Further, the costs of health and education have gone up beyond the reach of common people.
As such, a nationwide strong protest agitation by all sections of people and their organisations, is an urgent need against price rise and to bring down the prices of goods and services.
Covid-19 Pandemic
In order to cover up its gross mishandling of the Covid pandemic and bungling in vaccinations, the NDA government sought to distract people’s attention by organising ‘celebrations’ for administering hundred crore vaccines. Though delayed reaching this landmark is laudable, it must be noted that only 21% of our population is fully vaccinated. Clearly abandoning the assurance given by the NDA Government of fully vaccinating India’s adult population by year end, the target has now been revised to 60 percent of the population. Even this cannot be possible unless 1.5 crore vaccines are administered every day. The vaccinating rate has been declining and is currently below 40 lakhs/day.
This is alarming when fresh Covid cases are on the rise once again. Nearly 16,000 new cases are being reported daily with over 650 deaths. The expert opinion of All India Medical Sciences hospital says that the possibility of intense third wave covid-19 pandemic effect may reach its peak position during January to April 2021 period.
The AILRSA demands that the pace of vaccinations be accelerated to prevent any further health catastrophe inflicting more miseries on the people.
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