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EPF Board, Centre should decide: Yechury

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI : Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury on Sunday said the decision to slash the interest rate of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) scheme or to let it remain where it stands has to be taken by the EPF Board and the Union Government.

"Our position is very clear on the issue. It is for the EPF Board and the Government to decide on the matter. Everybody across the board has opposed the cut in the interest rate of 8.5 per cent so why single out CITU only," he said while releasing the inaugural issue of the special edition of party's mouthpiece `People's Democracy' to mark the 25th year of the battle of Plassey, 150th year of the 1857 revolt and 60 years of Independence.

Mr. Yechury said the weekly organ would come out with special editions during the next eight months highlighting the events relating to the freedom struggle — from the First War of Independence in 1857 to Independence .

Relevant even today

Stating that comparisons to happenings during 1857 were very relevant in today's scenario, Mr. Yechury said at that time also people stood up against the British, cutting across religious lines and such a scenario was very much relevant in the present situation. "We need to highlight this important aspect of history and the issues involved in it as this could help in checking the communal forces and at the same time spreading awareness among the masses," he said.

Absence of historian

Referring to the issue of celebrations of 150 years of the 1857 struggle by the Union Government, Mr. Yechury said the CPI (M) had objected to the absence of a historian in the main committee constituted to oversee the celebration. Asking the Government to a re-think on the issue, Mr. Yechury said no historian on contemporary history had been included in the committee and this should be rectified.

He suggested the Government should not confine the celebrations to squandering public money on advertisements and instead launch programmes to reach out to the masses. It should also ensure that people come out in large numbers to watch the events relating to the celebrations.

Mr. Yechury said the CPI(M) had planned a series of articles by scholars and political leaders on various aspects of history to draw the necessary inspiration for the current battles for consolidating the Republic. As part of this programme, Sahmat is organising a painting exhibition in the Capital starting January 30 titled `Marking History our Own.'

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