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When a person in extreme poverty gets food to eat, it is indeed a relief, and absorbs the major chunk of shock from destitution, but does not eradicate poverty. Throwing some loafs of bread before a hungry is not at all a poverty eradication programme, and hence the praise showered on Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) by Finance Minister of our country, especially after publication of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) working paper is only an effort to conceal the worsening ground reality of destitution, a product of lack of livelihood which Modi government has failed to provide.

There is a general feeling of relief at the exit of the PTI Government led by Imran Khan in Pakistan and the coming of the opposition coalition leader Shehbaz Sharif as the new Prime Minister Nazam Sethi, editor of the renowned The Friday Times, began his column, captioned, ‘Ten Days That Shook Pakistan’, put it in a hard-hitting way- “Imran Khan and his fascist hybrid regime have finally been kicked out. Thankfully, the Miltablishment and Judiciary that had supported him refused finally, to bail him out of his self-inflicted troubles”. He thanked the Opposition for closing ranks ‘in the face of brutal repression.’

While a new prime minister has been elected by a rainbow coalition of opposition parties in Pakistan, it does not bode well for political stability in the country.

The 2022 presidential election will occur when President Ramanath Kovind's term ends on July 25. Though it is more of an ornamental post as the real power exists in the hands of the elected Prime Minister, there are always speculations about the polls.

Incumbent President Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron representing La République En Marche had a slight edge over the far right Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen of National Rally in the first round of French presidential poll held on Sunday - having received 27.6 per cent and 23.4 per cent respectively. Almost neck to neck were the conservative Francois Fillon and the so-called far left Jean-Luc Antoine Pierre Mélenchon of La France Insoumise got 20 per cent and 21.9 per cent respectively. The second and final polling when the voters are to vote for either of Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen is due on 24 April.

In recent days, South Indian films have been very objective in depicting the social reality and it is not surprising that the mainstream media is being exposed for its loss of credibility, especially the television channels. Right now, Malayalam film, ‘Naradan’, has come down heavily on the mainstream media, especially the television news channels, which will go to any extent to accumulate TRP.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has stirred up language controversy that Hindi being official language, it should be the medium for correspondence and discussions between states. This has evoked a vehement and justifiable strong reaction from southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu, which has always opposed imposition of Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states, forming 56 per cent of the population. Raking up such non issues ahead of elections has become a regular phenomenon among politicians of this country, who shy away from discussing real issues. Shah who chairs the official language committee, said 70 per cent of the agenda of the cabinet is prepared in Hindi. He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided that the medium of running the government is the official language and this will increase the importance of Hindi.

India doesn’t know about the real status of the migrant workers in the country even two years after their returning home following sudden lockdown that shook the very conscience of the world during March 24 and May 31, 2020. Modi government had liberally distributed assurances for their well-being which never realized since they did not have the real reliable data then, and even now. We only can hope, as the latest assurance is given, migrant workers survey will be completed by October 2022.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: All stops must be pulled out to ensure that the anti-BJP vote is not divided. Will the decision made at the 23rd Party Congress of the CPI(M) not to have a national-level alliance with the Congress achieve that goal? The five session ended on April 10 with a massive rally and signalling the dominance of the Kerala state under the leadership of P Vijayan in the policy making of the CPI(M) two years before the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s offer to India to consider a rupee-ruble mechanism to settle trade in goods between the two countries to avoid sanctions imposed by the US-led NATO comes at a time when the Indian economy is reeling under high prices of oil putting the country’s energy security at risk. India needs a guaranteed supply of petroleum at stable prices to ensure its energy security and economic growth. The country’s massive dependence on imported oil is fast exposing its economic weakness under pressure of the NATO financial and trade sanctions on Russia as oil prices in the domestic market are zooming up to unsettle the entire economy. India is around 86 percent dependent on imported oil. The latter account for the single largest share of the country’s gross merchandise import bill. India's crude oil import bill may have exceeded the $100-billion mark in 2021-22. The amount is nearly double its spending in the previous year as international oil prices are trading at seven-year high levels. According to the government’s Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC), India spent $94.3 billion on oil imports in the first 10 months (April-January) of the last financial year.