Migrant Realities
Uttarakhand’s Ghost Villages: The Hidden Migration Crisis
VIDEO: Over 1,700 ghost villages now lie empty across the Himalayan state, homes locked, fields barren, and communities lost.
Bihar’s post-Covid startup zones were a lifeline for migrants. But now they’re running out of steam
The Chanpatia Startup Zone was set up in 2020 in West Champaran district, about an hour from the district headquarters in Bettiah, after a Bihar government skill-mapping survey found that most returning migrant workers had worked in textile and garment factories across Punjab, Maharashtra, Delhi and Gujarat. Once hailed as a model for rural revival, the Chanapatia startup dream is unravelling because of dried-up orders and a funding crunch. Another cluster in Muzaffarpur offers some hope.
Research
A short history of MNREGA: 20 years in 10 charts
India’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), enacted in 2005, has completed 20 years. In this post, Jean Drèze and Rahul R initiate some reflection on the programme’s achievements, failures, and future. In 10 charts based on official statistics, they present an overview of major MNREGA trends, pertaining for instance to employment generation, the participation of marginalised groups, real wages, administrative expenditure, and the comparative experiences of different states.
How MNREGA reduced women’s labour force participation
Because MNREGA’s guarantee1 applies at the household level, it directly influences family decisions about who works. In rural India, women often serve as “added workers”, stepping into paid work only when male earnings falter (Dean and Jayachandran 2019). I tested whether MNREGA’s guaranteed wages reduced the need for this insurance role, potentially pulling women out of the labour market.
Employment News
Non IT sectors stole the show in July hiring trend
Non-information technology (IT) sectors like hospitality, insurance, education, accounting, and architecture amongst others have shown big momentum in hiring while software services and telecom entered the negative zone in July this year over the same month last year, according to a Naukri.com research based on data from over 100,000 clients. July was also when Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) shook the IT industry job market by announcing layoffs of over 12,000 employees, raising concerns that hiring in this sector could be under severe stress.
Rural job demand falls sharply as monsoon pulls workers back to farms
New Delhi: Demand for rural jobs under India’s flagship public employment programme fell to a 10-month low in July as the onset of the monsoon season pulled millions of workers back to the fields, suggesting both seasonal shifts and early signs of rural economic resilience.
News from States
Farming under the shadow of guns in Manipur’s ‘buffer zone’
Residents of villages situated in and around Manipur’s ‘buffer zone’, a strip of militarised farmland separating the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley from the surrounding hills inhabited by Kuki-Zo people, have faced difficulties in cultivating their fields after the ethnic conflict broke out between the two communities in May 2023, leading to severe losses. The farmers are seeking adequate protection, support, and compensation.
Centre's Auditor CAG Flags Underuse of Construction Workers Welfare Funds In Delhi
According to the performance audit tabled in the Delhi Assembly, the national capital renewed only 7.3% of construction worker registrations between 2019 and 2023.
Uncertainty looms over resumption of MGNREGS in Bengal as Centre yet to approve labour budget
With the August 1 deadline set by the Calcutta High Court for restarting Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MG-NREGS) in West Bengal already passed, the job program’s resumption remains uncertain as the Centre is yet to clear the state’s labour budget for financial year 2025–26, The Indian Express has learnt.
Women in the Workforce
Excluded by address: migrant women, transgender persons decry DTC’s Saheli Cards
Delhi Govt reins in the AAP scheme of free bus travel for all women, limits free DTC bus travel only to women and transgender persons who can prove Delhi residency. But for working women across the National Capital Region the older scheme was a lifeline that helped them save thousands in monthly transport costs.
Analysis
Modi’s ‘Make in India’—a case study in what happens when strategy is replaced by storytelling
From day one, Make in India was driven by optics than economics. There were global summits, slick visuals, and media blitzes. But the real machinery never showed up. As per the first revised estimates, far from growing, the share of manufacturing has slid below 13 per cent in 2023-24. Even more starkly, sector jobs have plummeted — from 5.1 crore in 2016-17 to just 2.7 crore in 2020-21.
AI and Jobs
The Jobs Most At Risk of Being Replaced By AI (According To Microsoft)
VIDEO: The Jobs Most At Risk of Being Replaced By AI (According To Microsoft) What Jobs Are Most (And Least) At Risk of Being Replaced By AI? According to data from Microsoft's CoPilot AI agent, these jobs are most likely to be replaced or augmented by AI. Is this an indicator of career risk that AI could replace you in the future?
In the Courts
Disability no licence to fire govt employees: SC
The employer’s discretion ends where the employee’s dignity begins, the Supreme Court held while ruling that public sector employers cannot mechanically retire employees who acquire disabilities during service without first exploring meaningful alternatives for their redeployment.
45-yr age limit will not apply for job on compassionate grounds: HC
Nagpur: Eligible candidates on the waiting list for compassionate appointment cannot have their names removed from the list, even if their age crosses the 45 years age limit, the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court has ruled in an important decision. The court also clarified that if the applicant's turn for appointment comes up in the list, the appointment must be given.
Migrant Tragedies
Uttarkashi cloudburst: Workers from Nepal, other places in Dharali for apple harvesting missing
DEHRADUN: The disaster in Dharali struck during peak apple harvesting time when seasonal labourers from Nepal and other parts of Uttarakhand had arrived in the village to work in its orchards. Apple cultivation is the main livelihood for most villagers in the region.
Mortal remains of six workers killed in AP quarry collapse brought to Odisha
Of the six deceased, four hailed from Ganjam - two each from Digapahandi and Dharakote blocks. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each for the kin of the deceased workers.
Policy Changes
Ready to pay ‘heavy price’ for India’s farmers, says Modi, day after Trump levies additional 25% tariff
New Delhi: A day after the Trump administration imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on India as penalty for New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would not let the interests of Indian farmers, fisherman and dairy farmers be compromised even if he had to pay a “heavy price” for it. "For us, the interest of our farmers is our top priority," he said.
Labour in Parliament
17 crore jobs created under Modi rule in 10 years: Mansukh Mandaviya to Parliament
The Modi government created 17 crore jobs in ten years. This is a significant increase from the UPA's 3 crore jobs. The government provided 11 lakh jobs in the last 16 months. PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana will create over 4 crore jobs with a Rs 2 lakh crore outlay. The scheme incentivises job creation, focusing on first-timers and employers, the minister said, answering an oral or starred question in Lok Sabha
PM Internship Scheme: Share of female applicants surges to 41% in second pilot of govt’s flagship internship scheme from 31%
The gender imbalance with the ratio of male to female interns of 72:28 was one of the key concerns flagged by Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance to the government, as per a report of the Committee tabled in Lok Sabha on Monday.
Travails of Fisherfolk
Bangladesh arrests 48 Indian fishermen impounds 3 boats
Administration informs Central government about the incident; member of West Bengal’s fishermen association slams those arrested saying they entered Bangladeshi waters despite “knowing the consequences”.
Reports
Unsafe Machines, No Training: A New Report Reveals Neglect of Worker Safety in Auto Sector
Despite being central to India’s manufacturing ambitions, the automotive industry has emerged as one of the country’s most hazardous workplaces, according to the report.