THE 16th Finance Commission (FC), constituted on December 31, 2023, with Aravind Panagariya as chairman, is currently preparing its report. The FC has already started visiting state governments and holding discussions on the memorandum submitted by the state governments. Recommendations of the 16th FC will cover a five-year period starting on April 1, 2026.Article 280(1) of the Indian Constitution outlines how a Finance Commission is established.

NOT even the festive spirit of Durga Puja could overshadow the burning demand for justice in Kolkata. Left-wing student, youth and women’s organisations staged a massive rally in Dharmatala, braving heavy rains and police restrictions, to declare that the fight for justice will continue unabated. The rally, held on September 26th  afternoon, saw a massive turnout of young protesters who defied police orders and barricades.

“Human beings are naturally productive, sociable beings who find fulfillment and meaning in their lives through the free exercise of their natural powers. They fulfill themselves through their creations, so that what they make is an expression of what they are.” – Karl Marx.As an apt example of this idea, Comrade Sitaram Yechury spent more than half a century fighting for the true emancipation of India’s toiling masses. To honour his contributions to society, the CPI(M) Tamil Nadu state committee organised a memorial meeting in Chennai on September 23.

THE CPI(M) Tripura state committee organised a remembrance meeting for Comrade Sitaram Yechury on September 24, at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan, Agartala,.

“SITARAM Yechury’s untimely demise is no doubt a huge loss to the CPI(M)”, said veteran leader and NCP president Sharad Pawar, “but it is perhaps an even greater loss to the unity of secular forces. Just as he ably navigated the ship of his Party, he was instrumental in providing ideological clarity to bringing together most of the forces opposed to the BJP.”Sharad Pawar was addressing a packed audience that had gathered to pay homage to CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre at Mumbai, on September 24, 2024.