ASHA (health) workers, midday meal workers and Anganwadi workers held a 2-day strike on 7th and 8th August, in which lakhs of scheme workers struck work all over India. These workers (mostly women) are protesting the fact that they are putting their lives on the line during the pandemic, and yet are not even receiving a minimum wage.

Responding to the call given by AIPWA and Self Help Groups Sangharsh Samiti, Freedom from Debt Day was observed across the country on 13 August 2020.

THE catastrophic landslide of August 6 at Pettimudi, Rajamala, which is located 20 km from  Munnar town and about 38 km away from Painavu, the district headquarters of Idukki, is known to have claimed at least 83 lives of tea estate workers including their families compris-ing women, children, and the elderly. After more than ten days of rescue efforts, only 58 bod-ies have so far been recovered. A number of bodies were found at locations nearly 2 kms downhill  and perhaps many will continue to lie buried under the rubble.

ALL India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) organized a dharna at the office of the District Collector Muzaffarpur against brutal beating of AIPWA activists (women and girls) and misbehavior by the police who entered their homes in Police Line Kanhauli and registering of false cases against girl students.

CPIML and All India Kisan Mahasabha observed 14 August 2020 as a day of protest across the country for the release of CPIML CC member and AIKM National Secretary Assam youth leader Balindra Saikia and against the witch hunt of AIKM National Secretary and Viplavi Kisan Sandesh Editor Purushottam Sharma whom the Delhi Police detained at the Thana for 8 hours and interrogated with the intent of falsely implicating him in the Delhi riots.

The 3-day strike against privatization began on 2 July 2020 at Kumardhuvi Coal Region under the banner of the countrywide joint front (Rashtravyapi Sanyukta Morcha). The strike was widespread and successful in Dhanbad District.

Production was at a standstill in all collieries including Kumardhuvi Colliery, excepting Barmudi, Rajpura Open Cast in Mugma Area (ECL).

Assam and large parts of Bihar are facing flood devastation. Some 27 lakh people are reportedly affected in Assam, while around 10 lakh are affected in Bihar. Homes, fields, forests, human lives, livestock, and wildlife are all being consumed by the flood waters.

The apathy of the respective state governments and the Central Government towards this calamity, can be seen in the fact that they failed to take the measures needed to prevent the devastation and protect communities.

WORLD Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) affiliate trade unions AICCTU, CITU, AITUC, AIUTUC, TUCC and UTUC held protests in Patna on 24 June 2020 in response to the WFTU call against racial discrimination in America and across the world including racial, communal, casteist and gender discrimination in India. The protest meeting in Patna was presided over by AICCTU leader Ranvijay Kumar and addressed by leaders from various parties.

THE Uttarakhand government has issued an order to stay recruitments in 2020-21. The logic behind this order is the old cliché that the government needs to curtail expenditure. But the truth of these so-called austerity measures is exposed by Principal Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh’s letter of 10 June. In Point No. 2 he says new posts will not be created and appointment of workers on the basis of daily wage or contract will be wholly banned. But in Point No.

CPIML organized a countrywide day of mourning on 22 June to pay tribute to the brave soldiers who fell in the Galwan Valley. The party has condemned the misleading and contradictory statements made by the Prime Minister and his party and government. The government has no right to keep the country in the dark.