Benami Voters and Laundering Elections with Aadhaar

The use of Aadhaar by governments fits the classical definition of electoral malpractice as it constitutes manipulation of electoral processes and outcomes so as to substitute personal or partisan benefit for the public interest. Such malpractice threatens the integrity of an election as it is extensive, systematic and decisive. Electoral Malpractice Sarah Birch, author of…

On 10% Reservation to Economically Weak Sections in General Category

Mr. Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, Member Parliament, on 8 January 2019, sought a reply from Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, to the question (No. 4475) on ‘Reservation for Poor’. Mr. Reddy’s question was : (a) whether the Government is exploring the scope of providing reservation for poor candidates from forward communities for…

The Political Roots of Falling Wage Growth

The Political Roots of Falling Wage Growth It’s now official: workers around the world are falling behind. The International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) latest Global Wage Report finds that, excluding China, real (inflation-adjusted) wages grew at an annual rate of just 1.1% in 2017, down from 1.8% in 2016. That is the slowest pace since 2008….

BEST’s Contracting-Out of Bus Services: A Case Study in Privatisation

BEST’s Contracting-Out of Bus Services: A Case Study in Privatisation According to the currently dominant ideology, privatisation is identified with greater ‘efficiency’ (the meaning of which is kept vague). Privatisation may take different forms: the handing over of existing public sector assets to private investors; permitting private investors to enter sectors hitherto reserved for the…

Young India Adhikar March, February 7, 2019

Join the Young India Adhikar March on 7th February from Lal Qila to Parliament Street, New Delhi! Representatives of Student and youth organisations from all over the country met in JNU, Delhi on December 27, and decided to form a platform, the ‘Young India National Coordination Committee’ to fight the anti-student and anti-youth policies of…

Act VIII: Yellow Vests Take Over Streets Across France

Yellow vest protesters, who are demanding social justice in France, came out on Saturday, January 5 for their 8th massive mobilisation. Dwindling numbers during the holidays generated fears that the movement had waned, but after dinners and family gatherings, the people of France have retaken the streets. At least 18 people have been arrested so…

Massive Rallies, Angry Protests Mark Two-Day Countrywide Strike

Issuing a clarion call against the Modi government, an estimated 20 crore people from organised sector, both public and private, including workers working in multinational companies, scheme workers and the unorganised sector successfully carried out a two-day nationwide strike on January 8-9. They were protesting against the “anti-labour, anti-people and anti-national policies” of the BJP-led…