Migrant Realities
Study flags how Kerala’s migrant workers remain excluded from govt health schemes
Kochi : Kerala often occupies the top spot in human development indicator rankings and health indices, but in contrast, it’s big migrant worker community, a vital cog in the state’s labour machine, resides in crowded and unsanitary living conditions, reports long working hours and feelings of loneliness and finds itself largely out of the state’s public health programmes, a recent study has found.
In the Courts
SC slaps Rs 5 lakh fine on Delhi PWD for engaging manual sewer cleaners, including a minor, outside its premises
The Supreme Court on Thursday imposed a Rs 5 lakh fine on the Delhi government's Public Works Department (PWD) for engaging manual sewer cleaners, including a minor, right outside the top court in violation of its orders prohibiting the practice. The bench expressed displeasure following reports that labourers without protective gear were made to manually clean drains outside Gate F of the top court.
Women in the Workforce
Labour of care: On the Anshakalin Stri Parichars, women community health workers
Women who facilitate rural health care should get better wages. For decades, the women who serve as Anshakalin Stri Parichars (ASPs) in Maharashtra have been performing some of the hardest, yet least acknowledged, labour in the rural health system. For a wide breadth of responsibility, their monthly wage has stagnated at ₹3,000 since 2016, decades behind inflation. They also lack job security, pensions, safety gear and travel allowance.
More women employed in agriculture, but half of them are unpaid
With men shifting to non-farm jobs, women's employment in agriculture has surged by 135%, and they now account for over 42% of the sector's workforce. Two out of every three working women are now in agriculture. Half of them are unpaid. The number of women as unpaid family workers increased 2.5 times, from 23.6 million in 2017–18 to 59.1 million in 2023–24 (PLFS). Regional inequities: In States like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, over 80% of women workers are in agriculture, and more than half receive no wages.
Shift in dependency as 83% of sole-earning women gig workers married: Study
Nearly 83 per cent of women gig workers — who are the sole earners in a household — are married, and this may reflect a "growing” shift in the household dependency patterns, a recent study by a government-run think tank on female gig workers shows. This is driven by male job losses, migration or pandemic-induced distress, it added.
Labour Demands
Over 5,200 MCD frontline staff go on indefinite strike
Amid a surge in malaria and dengue cases in Delhi, over 5,200 frontline staff of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) went on an indefinite strike on Monday citing “lack of regularisation, unequal pay and no leaves”.
Labor unions sue OMB, OPM for ‘unlawful’ threats of mass layoffs ahead of shutdown
As the federal government hurtled toward a shutdown Tuesday, two labor unions representing federal workers sued the Trump administration over its threats to conduct mass layoffs while the government is closed. The unions allege in the lawsuit that the Office of Management and Budget and its director, Russell Vought, broke the law by directing federal agencies to prepare “reduction in force” plans for a potential shutdown.
Research
Mapping India’s 10 Million Teachers In 6 Charts
India’s teaching workforce grew from 9.48 million in 2022-23 to 10.12 million in 2024-25, driven mainly by upper primary and higher secondary schools. By 2024-25, the higher secondary stage (grades XI-XII) employed the largest share of teachers, followed by upper primary (grades VI-VIII). In 2024-25, out of every 10 teachers in India, nearly four were in private schools.
‘Fully Literate’ on paper, teacherless on the ground---प्रशासनिक अव्यवस्था: “पूर्ण साक्षर राज्य” का तमगे के मध्य पहाड़ी क्षेत्रों में शिक्षा की हालत खस्ता
"पूर्ण साक्षर राज्य" घोषित होने के पश्चात भी ज़िला चम्बा का प्राइमरी स्कूल बना प्रशासनिक उपेक्षा की नज़ीर, ज़िला उपायुक्त से लेकर विधानसभा तक गूंजा मुद्दा, लेकिन आज भी स्कूल में तीन-तीन तबादलों के बाद एक भी अध्यापक ने नहीं संभाला कार्याभार, सभी स्थानांतरण आदेश हुए निरस्त। ज़िला भर में लगभग 30 प्राथमिक स्कूल प्रतिनियुक्ति शिक्षकों के सहारे।
News from States
The Great Apple Rot: The Multi-Crore Highway Crisis
Highway blockades, transport delays, and poor infrastructure are pushing growers into a deep economic crisis; stop-gap arrangements and rail cargos are insufficient to address the crisis.
Apples aren’t Just Wasted; this is an Existential Threat to Kashmir’s Horticulture Industry
The catastrophic crisis requires a multi-pronged approach with urgent compensation, revival of village-level cooperatives for value addition, and genuine inclusion of growers in financial safety nets like the Kisan Credit Card (KCC).
Karnataka unveils skill development policy 2025-32
The Karnataka cabinet has approved the much-anticipated State Skill Development Policy 2025-32, setting aside an estimated Rs 4,432.5 crore over seven years. The move aims to integrate fragmented skilling initiatives across departments under one unified vision and address the rising demand for a skilled workforce at the state, national, and global levels.
Odisha Cabinet approves 10-hour shifts; allows night shifts for women
The Odisha government on Monday (September 29, 2025) increased the daily working hours to 10 hours, subject to a 48-hour weekly cap. It also allowed women in private establishments to work night shifts subject to their written consent. The Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, approved an amendment to the Factories Act, 1948, aimed at promoting industrial investment and creating more employment opportunities.
Layoffs and Hirings
Why has Accenture laid off 11,000 in 3 months?
The Dublin-based multinational professional services company seems to be embracing AI big time and may continue to cut more jobs in the near future
Tailpiece
Homebound: That Covid story continues, in the friend who lived
A day after its release last week, Siddiqui went to watch Homebound, the film based on his life that is India’s entry to the Oscars. He and his four friends caught the film on Saturday at a theatre in Dubai, where the 27-year-old now works. Three years after the story of Amrit’s death, and Saiyub’s efforts to keep him alive, went viral, Saiyub left home again to find work. Since 2023, he has been employed as a labourer at house construction sites in Dubai.
IT Workers
Citigroup shifts 1,000 tech jobs to India amid global overhaul
Citigroup Inc. has moved close to 1,000 technology jobs to India after trimming its workforce in China, people familiar with the matter have reportedly revealed. Citigroup had announced in June that it would cut around 3,500 technology roles in China. Industry watchers say more global banks could increase reliance on India following the US government’s recent move to impose $100,000 fees on new H-1B visa applications, raising the cost of overseas hiring.
'Would you work 996?' Hustle culture trend gains ground in Silicon Valley
Working 9 to 5 is a way to make a living. But in Silicon Valley, amid the competitive artificial intelligence craze, grinding “996” is the way to get ahead. Or at least to signal to those around you that you’re taking work seriously.
The number combo refers to a work schedule — 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week — that has its origins in China’s hard-charging tech scene. In 2021, a Chinese high court barred employers from compelling employees to work 72-hour weeks. But that hasn’t stopped California tech workers from fixating on the approach — and posting about it nonstop in recent weeks on X and LinkedIn.
Google fires over 200 AI contract workers for demanding better pay, job security: Report
Google has reportedly fired more than 200 AI workers who were demanding higher compensation and better working conditions. The workers were engaged by Google to rate its AI tools like Gemini and AI Overviews, according to a report by Wired. These workers evaluate, edit, rewrite and fine-tune Gemini chatbot’s responses to make them sound more “human,” and natural.
Policy Changes
Wage-linked H-1B proposed rule: A controversial shift in the US lottery system
The Trump administration has unveiled a proposed immigration regulation that would fundamentally alter the way H-1B visas are allocated. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intends to weigh the lottery based on salary levels tied to the Department of Labour's (DOL) four-tier wage system.
Distressed Workers
Suicides by daily-wage earners up 45% in 5 years, says NCRB report
Daily wage earners continued to be the biggest chunk of those dying by suicides in the country in 2023 as they faced the precarious reality of low-paid and insecure work, with little or no safety net. Such suicides constituted more than one-fourth of total incidents of taking one’s own life in the country in 2023. Since 2019, suicides among daily wage workers have risen 45 per cent, reaching 47,170 in 2023.
Maharashtra, Karnataka report most number of farmer suicides
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has said in its latest report that 10,786 farmers and agricultural workers committed suicide in 2023, and the biggest proportion of them were from Maharashtra (38.5%), followed by Karnataka (22.5%). Removing import restrictions, succumbing to ‘tariff terrorism’ will worsen the situation, warns Kisan Sabha.
Get Real India: a farmer in Maharashtra commits suicide in front of revenue officials. Why?
VIDEO: This Get Real India report covers the tragic death of a 45-year-old farmer in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar district. The farmer ended his life by jumping into a well in front of revenue officials who were surveying his land on Tuesday. The incident occurred after excavations for a road construction project allegedly caused rainwater to flood his field, destroying his crops and blocking access to his land.
Poverty biggest trigger for suicides, lack of education a catalyst – report | India News – The Times of India
There are wide regional variations when it comes to suicides. While Kerala tops the list at 30.6 per lakh population, Bihar has the lowest suicide rate in the country at 0.7.But one factor stands out sharply: income. A vast majority of victims came from households earning less than Rs 1 lakh a year, showing how poverty and financial insecurity push people to the edge. The less educated are also more vulnerable. More than four in five victims had not studied beyond higher secondary school.