Migrant Realities
36 hours on board an Amrit Bharat train: ‘There is water in the toilet… How can this be a general coach?’
The Indian Express boards the Amrit Bharat from Saharsa in Bihar to Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai, one of a series of 50 affordable express trains that the government plans to run on migrant routes
Employment News
Job creation under ESIC up 5.8 pc in March: Payroll data
Formal job creation under the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) rose 5.79% month-on-month in March 2025, reaching 1.63 million new employees compared to 1.54 million in February, according to provisional payroll data from the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Uber set to double its India Tech Workforce in 3-5 years, says CTO
Uber plans to double its India tech workforce in the next 3-5 years, recognizing the country as a crucial development hub. The company has experienced rapid growth since establishing its Indian hub in 2014, leveraging the availability of high-quality engineering talent.
In the Courts
Delayed Disability Pension Claim Can’t Be Rejected Solely On Ground Of Limitation: Delhi High Court Grants Lumpsum Compensation To Ex- BSF Constable Who Suffered Gunshot Injury
The Delhi High Court has granted lump-sum compensation (in lieu of the disability pension) under Rule 9(3) of the Central Civil Services (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 1972, to an Ex-BSF Constable who suffered permanent loss of vision in the left eye due to a gunshot injury. The High Court further affirmed that a delayed claim for disability pension/ex gratia payment for a disability suffered cannot be rejected solely on the ground of limitation.
HC rules in favour of 7 chowkidars seeking regularisation even after 25 yrs with MCD
The CAT, in its order dated October 1, 2018, had held that the petitioners were “unable to bring out whether any of their juniors have been regularised, ignoring their (petitioners’) turn”, and had thus ruled that they were not entitled to regularisation. “It can hardly be an answer to the petitioners’ claims for regularisation that no one engaged after them had been regularised,” said the court. The judges said the Tribunal, “quite obviously, has not considered the matter in all its seriousness”.
Women in the Workforce
7 BSF women defended 2 posts for 3 days and nights during Sindoor
In a display of courage and resilience, seven young Border Security Force (BSF) women personnel defended two critical border posts along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor sector during Operation Sindoor. For three consecutive days and nights, they engaged in intense firefights with enemy forces, compelling them to retreat and silencing three hostile posts.
AI and Jobs
Youth face long-term employment challenges from AI’s rise
Amid a sharply higher unemployment rate for younger Indians in comparison to the all-India rate; there are reports of AI-linked layoffs. The advent of artificial intelligence has created valid concerns about loss of jobs despite the numerous opportunities that can emerge in certain segments. And while some risks have already materialised even in India – fintech firm PhonePe, for instance, cut its customer service team by 60% in the five years ended 2023-24 due to increased use of AI-driven chatbots – the situation is particularly perilous for the youth.
India needs capital, labour-intensive policies; use of AI can be balanced: CEA
Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran on Thursday said India needs to have policies that rely on capital-led growth as well as labour-intensive manufacturing… “there is a need to strike a balance between deployment of AI and labour with a need to recognise where to stop and not train the AI end-to-end in an industry… we are a country which has to create 8 million livelihoods at the minimum, every year, excluding agriculture.” Govt and private sector policies need to focus on labour-intensive manufacturing as well, he said.
Missing parts in electronics manufacturing: Blue-collar workers, engineers
India's booming electronics manufacturing sector, a Make-in-India success, faces a critical manpower shortage across all levels, especially in the AI-driven smartphone industry. A projected 10 million skill gap looms by FY28, driven by technology adoption and the end of PLI benefits.
News from States
After SC sacked 24,000 school staffers, West Bengal opens job window
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rolled out on Tuesday the roadmap for filling up the 24,203 school positions left empty after the Calcutta HC's and Supreme Court's SSC rulings and also announced the creation of 20,000 extra jobs in schools.
BPSC Recruitment 2025: Bihar Govt Job Opportunity For Graduates, Salary Up To Rs 1,42,400 Per Month
The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has released a recruitment notification for the post of Assistant Section Officer (ASO). A total of 41 posts will be filled through this recruitment drive.
Bihar Teacher Recruitment: 80,000 Posts To Be Filled In TRE-4, Exams Before August 10
Bihar Education Minister Sunil Kumar has directed the BPSC to conduct the Teacher Recruitment Examination Phase 4 (TRE 4) before August 10, 2025
The Gig Economy
Urban Company Gig Worker Makes Rs 26,271 a Month on Average: CEO Abhiraj Singh Bhal
Home services platform Urban Company's gig workers earned an average net monthly income of Rs 26,271 between April and December 2024, the initial public offering-bound unicorn's chief executive Abhiraj Singh Bhal said at an event in Bengaluru. “If a partner works full-time, about 160 hours a month, their earnings shoot up to nearly Rs 49,318, all net,” Bhal said, pointing to a massive screen breaking down the figures. “This kind of dignified, scalable earning is not possible for a plumber or a cleaner working in the unorganised sector.”
Telangana gig workers' union flags 'low wages, exploitation' at Zepto in letter to labour dept; Zepto reacts
The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers' Union has accused Zepto In a letter to officials and Zepto’s CEO, the union claimed workers are denied basic labour protections despite their key role in deliveries. Zepto has rejected the allegations.
Endangered Workers
How Satellite Images Contradict Himanta Biswa Sarma's Claims on Rat-Hole Mining
Nine workers were trapped and killed in a rat-hole coal mine in January. There are 80 rat-hole mines in a radius of 2.7 kilometres around the accident site. The earliest of these have been operational since at least 2016, and all of them are illegal.
Layoffs and Hirings
Tech lay-offs’ cascading effect on India’s economy
Any meltdown in the global tech industry will be fatal for the economy as tech professionals are driving the country’s home, car, and lifestyle markets with their fat pay-checks, caution experts. About 90 out of 100 senior tech professionals earning between ₹45 lakh and ₹70 lakh per annum today carry “a solid fear of losing jobs on their faces,’’ observed an IT sector recruiter who had interviewed them for various positions in the last one month.
Subscription-based grocery provider Otipy shuts shop; impacts 300 employees
Otipy has ceased operations, impacting 300 employees and gig workers amid withheld salaries and delayed payments. This comes amid a slump in grocery subscription services, thanks to the surge of quick commerce platforms. The rise of 10-minute delivery models has also eaten into sales at traditional kirana stores.
Fewer jobs at Tata Motors, smaller hikes for top deck
For the first time in five years, automotive manufacturer Tata Motors saw its workforce shrink in a fiscal year, when its employee base fell 3% in FY25 compared to the previous fiscal. Total employee count of the country's third-largest automaker, excluding employees of its UK-based subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover, fell from 60,113 employees, including workers, in FY24 to 58,442 employees in FY25, the first fall since 2019-20. In FY24, Tata Motors had increased its workforce by 6%.
Jobseekers
P Chidambaram writes: Why no jobs for most youth?
...The regrettable but inescapable conclusions are, firstly, that the applicants for jobs do not have the education or the skills to fill the jobs. And, secondly, that the jobs on offer are not attractive because of the structure of the enterprise or the emoluments.
India Out of Work: Unemployed Youth Become ‘Discouraged Workers’
About 28 million unemployed educated youth in India are looking for jobs. And about 100 million, mostly women, have stopped looking for jobs. The employment rate, or the share of the working-age and youth population finding work, is falling in India. Our own study, based on an Indian government agency data, however, shows, that this is not the case. However, that is because of its definitions of what is ‘work’ and what is ‘employment’ not being internationally compliant! Work without remuneration (or unpaid family labour, UFL) is called work by ILO, but the Indian government treats it as employment. Whichever way one treats it, UFL is the worst form of work.
Election Issues
BJP woos Bihari migrant voters across country with 'Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat' campaign
With the Bihar assembly election approaching, the BJP is actively engaging with migrant workers from Bihar across the country through its 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' campaign. The party is mapping Bihari voters in 150 districts, aiming to mobilize support by encouraging them to influence their families back home.