South Asia Citizens Web

20th May, 2020: NAPM express its grave concern at the numerous recent moves of the Govt of India to dilute pro-people, pro-environment legislation and push forth massive projects that are detrimental to national interest. Instead of investing in robust public health infrastructure, amidst the worst pandemic, the nation-wide ‘lockdown’ is being used as an opportunity to ‘clear’ many controversial projects. It is alarming that the environment, forest and wildlife clearance process for as many as 191 large-scale mining, infrastructure and industrial projects is underway through ‘video-meetings’ of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) where many projects are considered in a time-span of just about ’10 minutes’!

Even as the world, including the Nagas, continue to frantically battle with the Corona Virus Pandemic, along with the world, side by side, the Government of India, continues to militarily wage war on innocent Naga civilians on one pretext or the other. While on the one hand, the Indian army in recent times have been aggressively intruding into Naga areas under the present Indian state of Manipur to launch operations against their “so-called insurgents”- with whom they are in Ceasefire and Political negotiations. On the other hand, in another present Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh; Indian Army is ruthlessly engaged in kidnapping and torturing Naga civilians.

19th May, 2020: National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) condemns the absolutely insensitive, anti-poor and anti-working-class approach of the Govt of India, reflected once again in the ‘mega economic package’ of Rs. 20 lakh crores, announced by the Prime Minister and Finance Minister in the past 5 days. Despite all word-play around ‘Atma-nirbharta’, the current regime has ‘Abandoned’ millions of toiling masses, who are left to fend for themselves in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic and horribly managed ‘lockdown’! Instead, the agenda of corporatization and privatization has been pushed forth, across multiple sectors in the garb of ‘relief’ and ‘development’!

Это было в мае 1995 года, ровно 25 лет назад. Хари Васудеван (калькуттский университет), Пураби Рой (Джадавпурский университет) и я сам (калькуттский университет) находились в Москве в течение двух месяцев, работая в составе группы, посланной Азиатским обществом в Калькутту в связи с проектом сбора документов из недавно открытых советских архивов по индо-русским отношениям : 1917-1947 годы.

The Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) has expressed anguish at total sidelining of allocations on health in the packages announced by the finance minister. In her two hours long speech yesterday she hardly spent 4-5 minutes on health. In a statement Dr S S Soodan - President IDPD, Dr Arun Mitra – Sr. Vice President IDPD, Dr Shakeel Ur Rahman – General Secretary IDPD said that she only provided breakup of the already announced package of 15000 crores by the Prime Minister. Out of which 4000 crores has already been spent, she said. The health sector needs over one lakh crores immediately in this crises and there after it has to be a continuous process in the budgets.