Seminar organized by Supansaz and AIPSO

Monday 5th August 2024 at 19:32

The memories of Comrade Bharat Prakash were revived

*A serious discussion on the humanitarian crisis in the war zones and the way forward

*India and Pakistan's 100 "precious" never used nuclear bombs, if used 2 billion people will die - Dr. Arun Mitra

*Need to conduct mass movement for world peace - Dr. Mitra

*Arms dealers think like drug smugglers - Ramesh Ratan

Khanna: 05th August 2024: (M S Bhatia//The Comrade Screen):: 

All India Peace and Solidarity Association (AIPSO) and Supansaaz, an organization dedicated to Punjabi and Punjabi people, organized a seminar In memory of late Comrade Bharat Prakash, an eminent peace fighter belonging to Khanna city. 

The topic was 'Humanitarian crisis in the war zones and the way forward. On this occasion, the stage presiding committee included Balwinder Singh Grewal, Mahendra Jeet Walia, Principal KK Sharma. Dr Arun Mitra (National President Indian Doctors for Peace and Development), M. S. Bhatia (Convener Social Thinkers Forum), Gurnam Kanwar (Editor: Sada Jug) and Comrade Ramesh Ratan spoke as speakers. 

In this seminar, remembering eminent peace fighter Comrade Bharat Prakash, MS Bhatia expressed his condolences on the threats to world peace. Dr. Arun Mitra, expressing concern over the loss of life and property and spread of hunger due to ongoing wars in the world, said that the world is unable to stop it even after seeing the killing of small children in Gaza. 

Israel has adopted the same stance that Hitler once adopted, who oppressed the Jews, and now the war is not only over Gaza, but Israel  has also attacked the West Bank of Lebanon. The assassination of Hamas leader Haniyeh by a missile in Iran has made the situation more serious. 

The dual policy adopted by the US, in which on the one hand it talks about stopping the war to Israel and on the other hand it is supplying deadly weapons, has greatly worsened the situation. The ongoing war in Ukraine threatens the world with nuclear war. 

Here NATO and America do not want to let the war end because for them it is a golden opportunity to sell their weapons. Arms dealers are not concerned about people dying of hunger and thirst. 

On this, Dr. Mitra satirically said that India and Pakistan are far behind in the status of child malnutrition index according to official reports around the world, yet they are blindly spending more than each other on weapons. 

In such a case, the more than 100 "precious" nuclear bombs possessed by both countries, which have not pounded till date despite 4 wars; Now, if they are ever used in war, it is certain that two billion people of the world will be killed. 

He said that the voice of peace movement should be raised all over the world to improve the extremely serious situation. Comrade Ramesh Ratan said that the arms dealers have the mentality of drug profiteers who make their business on piles of dead bodies. 

Comrade Gurnam Kanwar remembered Bharat ji and explained his determination and his thought for peace. In his presidential speech, Balwinder Singh Grewal said that children in India and all over the world are not dying of hunger because of lack of food grains, but it is happening because the profiteers, following the war policies of the arms dealers, have seized or horded the food under themselves.  

At the end of the seminar Advocate Paramjit Singh finally thanked everyone. Teacher leader Gurpreet Singh played the role of stage manager in the seminar. On this occasion, apart from others, Comrade Kewal Singh Banwait, Comrade Avtar Chhibbar, Councilor Sukhmanjit Singh, Jagdev Singh, Paramjit Setia, Comrade Gurmeet Singh, Kamaljit Singh, Shamsher Singh Ghuman, Major Singh and many other young men and women were also present.

AITUC meet at Ludhiana: A grand success

Com Gurudas Das Gupta, MP Calls upon the workers
Lead the fight against policies of the govt.
AITUC meet described the policies as Anti people & pro-corporate 

The UPA-II Govt. is increasingly working in the interest of big corporate business houses of India and the international cartels undermining the national interest. Latest decisions of the Govt. are enough indicators of the rightist shift in the policies detrimental to Indian growth and progress based on justice and equality. These are against the basic spirit of the Indian constitution which speaks of justice and equality as its mainstay.  The Govt. is more inclined to respond to the demands of the international finance capital and the MNCs while hitting the common man hard, even denying them basic amenities like food, shelter, health and education.  Therefore there is an urgent need for the working people to unite in strength to lead the struggle against these policies so as to meet the goal of sustainable development in the interest of all the people of the country. This was stated by Com. Gurudas Das Gupta, Member Parliament and General Secretary All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) while addressing the 19th State Conference of AITUC at Punjabi Bhawan Ludhiana today. On that score, the job insecurity and the job losses on the one hand and increased trends of contractorization and outsourcing,  contractualisation and casualisation of labour on the other hand is norm of the day. There is attack on unionization itself and pressure on existing unions to suppress and intimidate them to contain their activities. Bringing in FDI in retail trade is a virtual sale out of small business to the foreign companies. It will be big blow to more than 4 crore small traders, shopkeepers, marginal and poor farmers, other small producers of goods in home based and small scale industries etc. Recent announcement of 100% FDI in Telecom and raising of FDI limit in oil sector would further lead to perpetuate the economic crisis.  The government has been responsible for unprecedented rise in corruption at higher places with loss to national revenue and denial of rightful share of common people in the wealth being produced in the country. He further deplored that accumulation of wealth in the hands of few, whereas the vast majority is suffering under acute poverty and unemployment. The latest reports have indicated that 100 top rich families own assets to the tune of 16 lakh crores of rupees whereas 70% Indians are forced to live on meager spending of Rs.16.60 paise per day. With the policies being pursued will further hasten these gaps. 

He said, the govt. continues to act in ruthless manner against the common people and the response to people’s agitations by the Prime minister and some of his ministers are arrogant to the core.  The government’s announcement that only 21.9% of the population lives below poverty line is a shear mockery. How can anyone earning Rs.33.00 per day is above poverty line he asked. In this background he said, the trade unions have come out with their strategies to fight the attacks of government on working people. The successful two days strike by all the Central Trade Unions on 20-21 February,in which independent federations, associations and other independent trade unions also participated, first ever such action in the independent India have shown the unity among the working class and is a big challenge before the government.
Com Amarjeet Kaur – National  Secretary AITUC in her speech said that the workers charter of demands includes seeking check on price rise of essential commodities, end to labour law violations, for social security and pension to all workers, abolition of any ceiling on Provident Fund, gratuity and bonus, abolition of contract labour, steady regularization of them and equal pay for equal work, no disinvestment of public sector/ govt. sector enterprises and resources, national minimum wage to be raised to not less that Rs. 10,000, universal entitlement of maternity benefit to working women etc.

Comrade D L Sachdev in his greetings  called upon the unions to prepare for the next round of proposed joint agitations which includes campaign on demands at grass root level to be followed by massive rallies in the state capitals on 25th September and then a march to parliament on 12th December to be adopted in a joint national convention of Trade Unions to be held on 6th August 2013 at New Delhi.
Addressing the conference Com Bant Singh Brar – President and Com Nirmal Dhaliwal - General Secretary of Punjab unit of AITUC said that the state govt. of Punjab is not following a different course as regards the economic policies in general are concerned. Rather it has been taking anti labour and anti farmer measures more aggressively.  There is increase in the unemployment and due to contractualisation of jobs the real wages of the workers in the state have come down. The workers protests are being crushed by using the police force. AITUC will resist all this.
The conference began with hoisting of AITUC flag by veteran trade unionist Com O P Mehta.
The conference was attended by over 250 delegates from various sections from different parts of the state. The conference elected Com Bant Singh Brar as president and Com Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal  as general secretary. It also elected a  working committee to run the affairs for the coming period.
Earlier Dr.Arun Mitra – Chairman Reception Committee welcomed the delegates.  A reception committee with Dr Arun Mitra as Chairman, Com O P Mehta as President and Com D P Maur as General Secretary worked day and night to make the event successful.
Today’s conference was attended by the elected delegates of various organisations of workers and employees from all over the Punjab. They included workers from different industries, Hosiery, Textile, Construction, Roadways, PRTC, Corporations, BSNL, Banks, Power sector, FCI Palledar, University, PSSF, Govt. Class 4 employees, Khet Mazdoor, MANREGA Workers, ASHA workers Anganwadi workers and other unorganized sector.

Com Gurudas Das Gupta, MP Calls upon the workers

AITUC again exposed the anti peoples policies of UPA-2

Six day workshop on cooperatives in agriculture

Mon, Mar 18, 2013 at 12:16 AM

Comrade A.B. Bardhan will give his opening remarks

Dear All

Joshi-Adhkari Institute of Social Studies invites you to attend the inaugural session of a six day workshop on "National and International experiences of Cooperatives in Agriculture." The workshop is being organized as a follow up of a primary survey of marginal farmers conducted by the institute in eight states of India. The purpose of the workshop is to discuss the possible role of cooperatives in bringing about a change in agrarian relations.

In the inaugural session veteran Communist leader A.B. Bardhan will give his opening remarks and the eminent economist Prof. Prabhat Patnaik will deliver the key note address on "Necessity of Cooperatives in the alternative development paradigm."

The workshop will begin with an analysis of agrarian crisis, a discussion on the question of land and water, and the necessity and feasibility of small farmers' collectives. This will be followed by a three day long detailed review of Indian experience of service and production cooperatives in agriculture and allied sector. In the next three days, experts from other countries would share experiences of their respective countries. The countries chosen for reviewing the international experiences are Spain from Europe, Tanzania, Ethiopia and South Africa from Africa, and China, Vietnam and Nepal from Asia, and Venezuela and Cuba from Latin America.

Academics, scholars, and activists working in rural areas are coming to participate in the workshop. The participants are supposed to stay for the entire period of the workshop and think about the potential of cooperative structures to fight against agrarian crisis. The sessions will be interactive and followed by cultural programmes in some evenings.

Please do come.

Time               :           10.00 am to 12.30 am

Date                :           18^th March 2013, Monday.

Venue             :           Hindi Bhawan, 11, Rauz Avenue, On ITO-Bal Bhawan Road, Delhi.

Ajay Patnaik, Vineet Tiwari

Contact: 9811588100, 9818175205

Lead the fight

Com Gurudas Das Gupta Calls upon the workers
AITUC Convention against anti people & pro-corporate policies of the govts    
Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 3:25 PM

The UPA-II Govt. is increasingly working in the interest of big corporate business houses of India and the international cartels undermining the national interest. Latest decisions of the Govt. are enough indicators of the rightist shift in the policies detrimental to Indian growth and progress based on justice and equality. These are against the basic spirit of the Indian constitution which speaks of justice and equality as its mainstay.  The Govt. is more inclined to respond to the demands of the international finance capital and the MNCs while hitting the common man hard, even denying them basic amenities like food, shelter, health and education.  Therefore there is an urgent need for the working people to unite in strength to lead the struggle against these policies so as to meet the goal of sustainable development in the interest of all the people of the country. This was stated by Com. Gurudas Dass Gupta, Member Parliament and General Secretary All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) while addressing a largely attended convention of the workers organized by the AITUC at Punjabi Bhawan here at Ludhiana today. on that score, the job insecurity and the job losses on the one hand and increased trends of contractorization and outsourcing,  contractualisation and casualisation of labour is norm of the day. There is attack on unionization itself and pressure on existing unions to suppress and intimidate them to contain their activities. Bringing in FDI  in retail trade will be big blow to more than 4 crore small traders, shopkeepers, marginal and poor farmers, other small producers of goods in home based and small scale industries etc. The government has been responsible for unprecedented rise in corruption at higher places with loss to national revenue and denial of rightful share of common people in the wealth being produced in the country. He further deplored that accumulation of wealth in the hands of few, whereas the vast majority is suffering under acute poverty and unemployment. The latest reports have indicated that 100 top rich families own assets to the tune of 16 lakh crores of rupees whereas 70% Indians are forced to live on meager spending of Rs.16.60 paise per day. With the policies being pursued will further hasten these gaps.  
He said, the govt. continues to act in ruthless manner against the common people and the response to people’s agitations by the Prime minister and some of his ministers are arrogant to the core.  
In this background he said, the trade unions have come out with their strategies to fight the attacks of government on working people. National convention of workers organized by 11 central trade unions and other independent federations and associations representing several sectors of economy held on 4th September at New Delhi noted with grave concern on the government’s non-responsive attitude to the plight of the working people and their agitations. They have decided to intensify their joint agitations on the charter of demands which includes seeking check on price rise of essential commodities, end to labour law violations, for social security and pension to all workers, abolition of any ceiling on Provident Fund, gratuity and bonus, abolition of contract labour, steady regularization of them and equal pay for equal work, no disinvestment of public sector/ govt. sector enterprises and resources, national minimum wage to be raised to not less that Rs. 10,000, universal entitlement of maternity benefit to working women etc. 
It is decided in the convention that 18th – 19th December 2012 would be observed as All India Law Violation Day and on 20th December there would be march to Parliament which will be carried forward later on through intensive campaign for organizing  two days national general strike on 20-21 February 2013. 
Addressing the gathering Com Nirmal Dhaliwal, President and Com Bant Singh Brar, General Secretary of Punjab unit of AITUC said that the state govt. of Punjab is not following a different course as regards the economic policies in general are concerned. Rather it has been taking anti labour and anti farmer measures. They informed that several more conventions will be held in the state on these issues, where Com Gurudas Dass Gupta MP, General Secretary AITUC will address. 

Com Kartar Singh Bowani – Vice President Punjab Kisan Sabha criticized the present Akali BJP State government as it tolerates and permits communal activities of several groups reminding the dark days of terrorism which people of Punjab would never want to be revived in this land of peace and harmony amongst common masses. The people of the state while fighting against retrograde, anti people economic policies of the central and state govt. would have also to be continuously vigilant and brave fighters against divisive forces.

Today’s convention was attended by representatives of various organisations of workers and employees from Construction, Hosiery, Roadways, PRTC, Banks, Power sector, FCI Palledar, University, PSSF, Govt. Class 4 employees, Corporation, BSNL, ASHA workers  and unorganized sector. 

Com O P Mehta General Secretary AITUC Ludhiana and Com D P Maur, General Secretary Joint Council of Trade Unions Ludhiana assured that they will participate in large number in the march to parliament at Delhi on 20th December and the general strike on 20-21 February 2013.

Comrade O P Mehta                                                       Comrade D P MAUR 
Gen. Secy: AITUC Ludhiana                 Gen. Secy:Joint Council of Trade Unions Ludhiana 

AITUC: Ludhiana convention on 5th October

Com. Gurudas Gupta will address Convention

                                                                                                                                                                              File photo

Meeting of the Joint Council of Trade Union was held to discuss the issues concerning the workers of organized as well as unorganized sectors. Expressing concern at the recent hike in prices of Diesel and reduction of subsidy on LPG, the meeting felt that this will hit the working class the most as they are already low paid. Contractualisation has further added to their woes. It is ironical that even the public sector units are not paying minimum wages. The meeting which was attended by All Indian Bank Employees Association, PAU Employees Union, PSSF, Punjab Roadways Workers Union, PRTC Employees Union, Construction Workers Union, Hosiery Workers Union, Municipal Corporation Workers, AITUC, Asha Workers and Punjab Govt. Class IV Employees Union also condemned the Lathi Charge and registration of FIR against the agitating teachers demanding jobs at Ludhiana.
The meeting demanded the review of new pension scheme effective from 01.01.2004 on all govt. and public sector employees, Increased minimum wage of Rs. 10,000-00 per month, Enrollment of  employees in various departments/sectors on regular basis instead on contract & daily wages, Effective implementation of already existing labour laws, Immediate implementation of security of service laws for the workers of un organized sector, Anganwadi and Asha workers be given regular employment with grade equivalent to class 3 and 4 employees, Pension for all, creation of social security fund for unorgnaised sector workers.
Com D P Maur – General Secretary Joint council of Trade Unions Ludhiana informed that a convention of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) will be held at Punjabi Bhawan, Ludhiana on 5th October to finalise the upcoming programme of the central trade unions i.e March to the Parliament by the Trade Unions at Delhi on 20th December 2012 and then nationwide general strike of the workers and employees on 21 and 22 February 2013. This convention will be addressed by Com Gurudas Das Gupta – M.P, General Secretary AITUC.   AITUC: Ludhiana convention on 5th October
D P Maur
General Secretary Joint council of Trade Unions Ludhiana
Mobile: 94176 02333                                            Date: 27.09.2012