People's Democracy

COMING AIIEA 19TH CONFERENCE

Renowned Dramatist Heads Reception Committee

REPRESENTING an overwhelming bulk of insurance workers in the country, the All India Insurance Employees Association (AIIEA) has decided to hold its 19th national conference at Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, from February 9 to 14 next year.

To host the conference at this critical juncture in the history of the Indian insurance industry, representatives of more than 100 trade unions and other mass organisations recently met in the Canteen Hall of the LIC’s Raipur divisional office and formed a representative reception committee. Those who took part in the function included Lalit Surjan, chief managing editor of the Deshbandhu group of newspapers, and Prabhakar Choubey, editor of the Highway Channel and state secretary of Progressive Writers Association. Secretariat members of the Central Zone Insurance Employees Association (CZIEA) and general secretary of the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Insurance Employees Association (MPCGIEA) were also present on the occasion.

The CZIEA (which has its headquarters at Raipur) and MPCGIEA are to jointly host the AIIEA conference.

Internationally acclaimed playwright, actor and director Padmabhushan Habib Tanvir will be heading the reception committee as its chairman. The committee has six vice chairmen, one convenor, three joint convenors and a treasurer, who represent various sections of the working class and employees. The formation of the reception committee, with such an eminent personality as Habib Tanvir as its guide, was greeted with loud and prolonged applause.

On this occasion, CZIEA leaders narrated the big struggles launched by the AIIEA in defence of the Indian insurance industry in particular and of the Indian economy in general. They also detailed how the AIIEA always fought against communalism and rushed help to the Gujarat carnage victims, just as it had rushed relief to the Gujarat quake victims or the victims of natural disasters in other parts of the country earlier. They expressed their firm conviction that the working masses of Raipur, and of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in general, would not leave any stone unturned in order to make the 19th AIIEA conference a memorable success.

Speaking on behalf of the people of Raipur, Lalit Surjan expressed hope that the coming AIIEA conference would give a new impetus to the struggles of the tribal and other exploited masses of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. He assured that the Raipur people would extend all possible support towards the success of the conference.

With the formation of the reception committee, preparations for hosting the conference have started in full swing.