Endangered Workers
When missiles fall in the Gulf, why Kerala holds its breath
The US-Israel offensive on Iran is not distant geopolitics for Kerala; it hits home — economically, socially and psychologically. Kerala’s post-1970s social transformation is inseparable from Gulf migration. Lakhs of Malayalis work across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. They are employed in construction, oil and gas, healthcare, retail, logistics, hospitality and domestic services. Remittances sent back home have underwritten household consumption, private education, real estate growth and banking deposits across districts from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram. When tensions escalate in West Asia, that entire architecture feels fragile.
Israel vs Iran युद्ध के बीच यूपी सरकार अलर्ट, इजराइल में काम कर रहे श्रमिकों के लिए हेल्पलाइन नंबर जारी
पश्चिम एशिया में तनाव के बीच, उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार इजराइल में कार्यरत 6,004 श्रमिकों की सुरक्षा को लेकर सतर्क है। ये श्रमिक 2024 में NSDC और PIBA द्वारा चुने गए थे और सामान्य रूप से काम कर रहे हैं। सरकार उनकी कुशलक्षेम पर लगातार निगरानी रख रही है।
Govt. moves to help stranded Telugus in Bahrain, other Gulf nations
During a Zoom conference convened by Minister for NRI Empowerment Kondapalli Srinivas and APNRTS, more than 250 coordinators from conflict-affected Middle East and Gulf countries participated and briefed officials on the ground situation. APNRTS president Ravi Kumar Vemuru told The Hindu on Tuesday that Telugus in Bahrain were facing relatively greater distress compared to those in other Gulf countries. “In Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait, the situation is stable. However, in Bahrain, some buildings have reportedly been hit, prompting evacuations. Government shelters lack adequate food, and local NRT volunteers are stepping in to provide meals,” he said.
Exporting Workers
Israel set to allow 50,000 more Indian workers by 2030
India and Israel have agreed to welcome up to 50,000 more Indian workers in the coming five years. This decision was made during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The agreement aims to facilitate the safe movement of workers in construction and caregiving sectors.
Two Indian men were the victims of a racial attack in Israel, attack planned on WhatsApp
Two Indian men were the victims of a racial attack in Israel on Tuesday. A video released by Israeli broadcaster KAN shows a group of attackers beating the two men in a public park. The incident took place in Ashkelon, an Israeli city 50 kilometres from Tel Aviv and close to Gaza. The Hebrew captions on the video describe the attack as "premeditated" and motivated by "racism and malice".
Dying at Work
Tragedy in Kakinada: 21 killed as massive explosion rips through Andhra Pradesh fireworks factory
Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha said the explosion occurred around 2 pm at Surya Fireworks, where 35–40 people were mixing explosive materials to make firecrackers. Rescue officials said most of the victims were women. At least six others are stated to have suffered serious burn injuries.
Women bear the brunt in Nagpur factory blast: 18 killed, 24 injured, most victims female
The blast occurred around 7 am in the packing section of SBL Energy Limited at Raulgaon in Katol taluka, where around 43 workers were present at the time, according to officials and workers at the site. The explosion struck a packing unit staffed almost entirely by women workers. Officials fear the death toll might rise.
After Blast At Maharashtra Explosives Factory Kills 18, Cops Arrest Nine Directors of Company
The case has been registered by the Kalmeshwar police against 21 directors and shareholders of the SBL Energy Limited under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Safety last: On explosives units' safety record
India’s high-risk industries typically have a poor safety record. They operate in the margins, employ poorly paid unskilled workers, are characterised by unsafe working practices, and function under poor regulatory oversight. The explosive handling industry is a glaring example of such a high-risk industry.
Govt Vacancies
What Dharwad protests tell us about Karnataka’s huge hiring crisis
On February 25 scores of young people poured onto the streets of Dharwad, demanding that vacant government posts be filled without further delay. Caught between administrative delays, legal disputes, and relentless political point-scoring, Karnataka is sitting on a staggering 2,84,881 vacant government posts. When vacancies in corporations, universities, and contractual positions are factored in, the total swells to 4,00,978 unfilled posts. Physical education teacher posts have seen no recruitment in 15 years. The forest department has not hired in five years; agriculture in eight; horticulture in seven; police sub-inspectors in five; sub-registrars in 10; and the excise department in nine years. The numbers tell the story plainly — of the roughly 2,58,000 sanctioned posts in 2024, not a single one was filled through recruitment.
Layoffs and Hirings
Indian startups laid off over 4,500 employees since July
Indian startups have cut more than 4,500 jobs since July last year, according to data from executive search firm Longhouse Consulting. A sudden ban on online real-money gaming forced several startups to shut overnight, contributing to the surge in layoffs. However, industry experts say the trend goes beyond regulatory shocks. Selective capital flow into startups and investor pressure to achieve profitability have made leaner teams the norm, with companies prioritizing only roles critical to growth.
AI and Jobs
Tech Firms Aren’t Just Encouraging Their Workers to Use AI. They’re Enforcing It.
AI use is no longer optional if you work in tech. While many sectors are still experimenting with artificial intelligence, the tech industry has moved to the next phase: tracking their workers’ use of AI tools—and enforcing it if they have to. From small startups to giants including Amazon.com AMZN 0.19%increase; green up pointing triangle, Alphabet’s GOOGL 0.50%increase; green up pointing triangle Google and Meta Platforms META -1.75%decrease; red down pointing triangle, tech companies are measuring it with an eye on productivity gains and in certain cases factoring it into performance reviews.
Salary Growth
From sweepers to engineers: Telangana’s salaries consume 45% of revenue
Telangana’s wage and pension expenditure has surged dramatically over the past decade, now touching nearly Rs 6,000 crore every month—almost four times the outgo at the time of state formation in 2014. Successive pay revisions, often aligned with election cycles, have steadily raised fixed costs and created one of the heaviest salary burdens among Indian states. Senior sanitation workers now earn up to Rs 2 lakh, while top engineers draw Rs7 lakh.
Livelihoods
U.P. temple road project puts livelihoods in peril
As many as 187 buildings along the 650 metre Dal Mandi stretch have been identified for demolition as part of a ₹224 crore project to ease pilgrim access to the temple under the larger Kashi Vishwanath Corridor plan in Uttar Pradesh. Officials estimate that more than 1,000 shops operate from these structures, endangering the livelihood of thousands of traders.
Caste in Employment
Built in Kerala, broken in Bihar
A caste conflict in Bihar was triggered by a wage dispute over a work that was done in Kerala. Allegations were made by both sides, which resulted in two FIRs being filed, one invoking the SC/ST Act. The dispute centred around Hemkant’s sister’s home built in Kerala between 2015 and 2017. Kailash says he was never paid in full for it, and though he had raised the issue in the panchayat, the remaining payment was never made. So, when he saw Hemkant’s sister and husband in the village, he simply asked for his long-pending dues. The next day, the Brahmins attacked his home and several others in Paswan tola, he alleges. The police at the Kusheshwar Asthan station filed an FIR against 70 Brahmins and 150 unidentified people under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Bonded Labour
28 bonded labourers rescued after raid on brick kilns in in UP
Twenty-eight bonded labourers, including 13 children as young as six, were rescued from a brick kiln in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat on Tuesday night district following a joint operation by the local administration and police. The labourers, belonging to seven families, were kept at KGF Krishna Brick Field in Nethla village, located a short distance from Delhi, where they were forced to work for over 12 hours a day without wages.
Climate Change and Workers
Climate stress, market gap weaken traditional bamboo craft
In artisan hamlets of Jharkhand, ageing artisans sustain a traditional bamboo craft as youth migrate and demand drops. Climate stress is weakening bamboo regeneration, forcing longer collection distances, over-harvesting, and falling incomes. Artisans earn far less than market prices making fair pricing, bamboo management, better tools, and policy support critical to sustain the craft.
In the Courts
Karnataka HC upholds child care leave for exam prep
The case involved Kavita V, an employee at the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), who sought leave from December 2025 to May 2026 to help her son prepare for two phases of CBSE exam. While C-DAC initially granted her only 18 days covering the first exam phase, the Central Administrative Tribunal allowed her leave until 20 May. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and C-DAC challenged this decision, but the High Court dismissed their petition.