Opinion IAEA on Iran

The article says that the only new evidence is satellite imagery of a “bus-sized container” in Parchin,a military base near Tehran,which the IAEA believes could be used in tests for such explosive testing. “Why Iranians should use an overground container for this(…) when they have buried much of their nuclear facilities underground,” the article asks. It says the key issue here would be a breach of NPT provisions if Iran proceeded to withdraw fissile material out of safeguards and reprocesses it to weapons grade. “This,the IAEA admits,Iran has not done. The report says there is no evidence that Iran has made a strategic decision to actually build a nuclear bomb”. It adds that “it is time we put not only Iran’s nuclear disarmament but global nuclear disarmament back on the agenda.”

Not Lokpal alone

With a week to go for the winter session of Parliament,the editorial in CPI journal New Age gives a sense of the Left’s strategy. It says that the obvious focus of the session would be on the passage of the Lokpal Bill,but that should not deflect attention from more serious problems like price rise,unemployment and economic disparity. During the monsoon session,it says,the Congress and the BJP collaborated to block a meaningful discussion on price rise,for which the Left had given advance notice. It says that the winter session must consider the government’s attempts “at selling the house silver to meet the growing financial deficit,” and discusses the sale of shares of profit-making PSUs and legislation allowing FDI into the finance sector,particularly banks and insurance.

Apart from economic issues,it says there are emerging threats from communal forces. Privatisation of education and the entry of foreign universities also need urgent attention. “Corruption needs to be focused on,but much more important issues outlined above also need to get the attention they deserve,” it concludes.

Price of oil

The People’s Democracy editorial focuses on the petrol price hike,saying the move will benefit the government’s exchequer the most,as more than 40 per cent of this increase goes to the government as taxes and duties.

“With this hike in 2011-12,the Central government expects to earn about Rs 82,000 crore as excise duty alone. During 2010-11,estimates show that the total revenue from the petroleum sector to the Central government in the form of all taxes and duties exceeded Rs 1,20,000 crore,” it says. “In other words,the people are subsidising the government and not the other way around.”

It tries to debunk the two arguments in favour of the hike — that oil companies are suffering losses with under-recoveries projected to touch Rs 1.32 lakh crore in 2011-12 as compared to Rs 78,000 crore in 2010-11,and the concern over fiscal deficit.”Under-recovery is the difference between the import parity price and the retail price of petroleum products. It is,thus,a notional loss that is determined by the international prices and not by the actual costs domestically. This is,thus,a myth perpetuated by the neo-liberal reformists admirably aided by the corporate media,” it argues. In fact,it says,the major oil companies have been making profits,quoting their audited financial results. As far as the fiscal deficit goes,it says that while the government wants to cut subsidies,the tax foregone in the last three years was a staggering Rs 14,28,028 crore. “Of this,Rs 3,63,875 crore have been the concessions to the corporates and the rich. Compare this concession,Mr Prime Minister,with the estimated fiscal deficit of Rs 4,65,000 crore,” it says.