SFI sweeps Kerala University Union office bearers election

Students Federation of India (SFI) swept the Kerala University Union office bearers elections by bagging 23 seats out of the total 27 seats.

Lenin R of Navjeevan Bethany College of Physiotherapy here was elected chairman of the University Union. Ramya Remanan of TKMM College, Nangiarkulangara, was elected general secretary.

In the 15-member executive committee, 12 candidates are from SFI. The remaining seats were won by AISF, SIO and KSU. SFI also won four seats in the five-member Accounts Committee.

In the Kerala University Senate elections, SFI won 5 seats and KSU won 4 seats. The remaining one seat was won by AISF.

FDI in retail market will affect livelihood of 8 crore traders: CPI(M)

If foreign direct investment (FDI) is allowed in retail market, it will swallow up the livelihood of 8 crore people involved in the trade, said CPI(M) State secretary G. Ramakrishnan on Saturday.

Addressing a protest organised by Chennai Maangar Siru Viyapari Sangangalin Kootamaippu, he said the previous UPA regime could not go ahead with its proposal to allow FDI in retail because the Left had a strong presence in the Parliament. Mr. Ramakrishnan said American public corporations like Walmart were keen on entering the Indian retail market because it was vast and offered great space for profit making.

“The turnover in retail trade in 2004-05 was Rs 12 lakh crore and the amount has gone up to Rs 19 lakh crore now. That is why these multi-nationals are eyeing the Indian market,” he said, rejecting the Centre's argument that retail trade had not achieved growth. “The argument is one of the many points in the note sent to political parties by the Centre to discuss the issue,” he said.

As for another argument that these companies would set up cold storage facilities in rural areas, he wanted to know why the government depended on multi-nationals instead of creating infrastructure for the farmers. He also rejected the argument that FDI in retail trade would eradicate the middleman in procuring agriculture products.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury in his message said FDI in retail affected all sections of the society. President of the Kootamaippu T.N. Nambirajan and general secretary P. Karunanidhi participated.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

CITU wins Visakhapatnam Steel Plant Cooperative Store polls

In the election results announced for Visakhapatnam Steel Plant Cooperative Store, CITU bagged six posts of directors leaving one to INTUC. Of 14,000-odd voters, 10,957 took part in voting.

CITU Employees' Union president J. Ayothyaram thanked the employees for reposing faith in CITU.
(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Nuclear Liability Bill : Govt Protects Foreign Suppliers

The amendments to the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010 proposed by the Government not only goes against the grain of the crucial recommendations of the Standing Committee, but also seeks to further dilute the provisions of the original bill to protect the interests of the foreign suppliers of nuclear equipment and domestic private players.

The new formulation of Clause 17 (b) suggested by the Government reads as follows:

“(b) the nuclear incident has resulted as a consequence of an act of supplier or his employees, done with the intent to cause nuclear damage, and such act includes supply of equipment or material with patent or latent defects or sub-standard services;”

This makes any liability on the part of the suppliers, for supplying defective or sub-standard equipment or material, contingent upon proof that it was “consequence of an act…done with the intent to cause nuclear damage…”. With this amendment, it will become impossible to ascribe liability to the supplier. 

This goes against the Standing Committee formulation of 17 (b), which does not require any such proof:

“(b) the nuclear incident has resulted as a consequence of latent or patent defect, supply of sub-standard material, defective equipment or services or from the gross negligence on the part of the supplier of the material, equipment or services.”

Thus, in the name of removing the “and” in 17 (a), as suggested by the Standing Committee, the Government has rewritten 17 (b), effectively throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The formulation of 17 (b) proposed in the amendment is in fact worse than the provision contained in the original bill. 

The dubious intent of the Government is further exposed by the addition of Clause 7 (1) proposed as an amendment, through which it seeks to “assume full liability for a nuclear installation not operated by it” (i.e. private nuclear installations) even as the Standing Committee had categorically recommended “that there will be no private operator of nuclear installation”. This paves the way for a massive subsidization of the private players in nuclear power by the Government, as and when they are allowed to operate.

All this is clearly being done under pressure from the foreign nuclear suppliers and domestic corporate lobbies. The Left Parties call upon all political parties to unitedly oppose these amendments proposed by the Government to protect the interests of the people and the country.