News from States
Bereaved kin of Rajouri labourers given job letters
JAMMU: After a long wait of more than three years, the next of kin of three Rajouri-based labourers were handed over the appointment letters by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha here at Raj Bhawan on Tuesday. The three labourers identified as Mohd Abrar (25), Mohd Imtiyaz (20), and Mohd Abrar (16), were killed during an encounter in Amshipora village of Shopian on July 18, 2020. The trio had gone there to earn their livelihood.
Delhi govt to spend 20 times more on welfare of workers
NEW DELHI: With only a handful of registered workers availing the benefits of various welfare schemes in Delhi government has decided to expand its network and increase its expenditure on providing them financial assistance 20 times more than what it spent last year.
Delhi: Mobile vans to register construction labourers
Delhi government’s labour department will station mobile vans at construction sites to register labourers to provide them with the benefits of welfare schemes run by it.
Haryana CM Khattar announces INR 50,000 grant for industrial workers' daughters to buy electric two-wheelers
Daughters of industrial workers pursuing higher education will be granted Rs 50,000 to purchase electric two-wheelers, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced. Khattar also made announcements regarding scholarships for the children of industrial workers.
In the Courts
Working For Long Period On Contractual Basis Creates No Vested Right For Regularisation: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court recently held that by working for a long period of time on contractual basis, no vested legal right is acquired for regularisation in service. The Apex Court was considering the appeal of persons appointed in Shri Guru Govind Singh Institute of Engineering and Technology on contractual basis since 2011.
Media Workers
J&K: TV Commentator Majid Hyderi Arrested, Parties Condemn Move
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir police on Friday said that they have arrested a journalist and TV commentator Majid Hyderi from his residence in Srinagar in a case related to alleged criminal conspiracy and extortion. Hyderi has previously worked as a city editor with one of the leading dailies Greater Kashmir and often appeared on national broadcasts where he was seen engaging in intense debates on various issues especially regarding the politics of Jammu and Kashmir. His arrest was condemned by the political leadership who termed it as “an act of intimidation and an attack on freedom of expression.”
NY Times Union Bids Farewell to Sports Desk With a Protest
Times staffers in the guild demonstrated outside HQ on a rainy Monday, railing against the paper ditching its sports desk in favor of non-unionized writers at The Athletic. Dozens of Times unionized staffers marked the finale with a rally outside the Times Building, donning red shirts (some with the Times Guildlogo) and accompanied by a full-brass band jockeying their instruments to “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
AI and Jobs
Gen AI to automate routine tasks, says WEF | Least and most affected jobs
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to significantly impact labour markets by enhancing creativity and automating routine tasks for future jobs, according to a white paper released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Monday. The WEF paper revealed that jobs involving routine and repetitive language tasks are most at risk of being disrupted. However, roles that require a high degree of personal interaction or physical movement will likely remain relatively unaffected.
Hyderabad’s AI firms are breaking the gender mould, women lead 1 in every 4 startups
Per World Economic Forum data, worldwide, 22% of AI professionals are women. Hyderabad may soon see women founders for one in every four - 25% - AI startups. Currently, the figure is 22%... these women-led startups have either received good private funding or were picked for incubation under the Telangana Artificial Intelligence Mission.
Skilling
' ₹3 lakhs loan without any guarantee', 'low interest rate': Narendra Modi launches 'PM Vishwakarma' scheme.
Under 'PM Vishwakarma' scheme, the government has focussed on providing special training to the Vishwakarma partners and ₹500 will be provided while the training is underway.
PM Vishwakarma Scheme for Artisans Draws Mixed Responses From OBC Groups
Rs 13,000 crore have been earmarked for the scheme for a period of five years, with government aiming to reach about 30 lakh families of traditional artisans and craftsmen, including weavers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, laundry workers, and barbers. People involved in 18 specific trades will be eligible for loans up to Rs 3 lakh, at 5% interest. Some leaders, according to The Telegraph, believe that this scheme will reinforce caste-based occupations and deny community members real progress. Others, however, saw it as an important welfare measure for ignored communities.
Government turns focus on skilling for small businesses
The skill development and entrepreneurship ministry has turned its focus on enhancing employability and productivity of small, informal enterprises by incentivising skills training for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and providing tailor-made courses to meet the demand for skilled workers from small enterprises.
Layoffs and Hirings
As hiring slows and companies tighten belts, inhouse recruiters face heat
Last week, Google let go of hundreds from its once nearly 3,000-strong recruiting team in its latest round of layoffs, saying it was "meaningfully slowing the pace of overall hiring" and "made the hard decision to reduce the size of (our) recruiting team".
Pending Wages
UP: Six Years On, Central Govt Deprives Madrasa Teachers of Salaries
Lucknow: This year's Teachers' Day was completely shorn of colour for many madrasa state teachers. Salary blues continue to haunt them. They have not been paid their salaries for the past six years, making life miserable. Two square meals have become a problem for a large number of them. Starvation and lack of treatment have claimed the lives of dozens of teachers; several switched professions.
Workers in Muzaffarpur endure penury as wages are delayed under the MGNREGA scheme
There are approximately 25,000 MGNREGA workers in the district with their wages pending despite having completed the work assigned to them.
Dying at Work
Loss, denial, mourning: inside Bengal’s village of explosives.
A village in West Bengal, India, has been in mourning multiple times due to explosions at illegal firecracker factories that have killed many people. Rahima Bibi sits on the road with three other women, draped in a faded red-and-yellow sari, and a shroud of silence… The silence is unbroken even when they are asked the directions to the home of Jerat Sheikh, who was killed with eight others at an illegal “firecracker factory” two weeks ago.
Tailpiece
US Auto Workers Remain on Strike, Demanding Better Pay
About 12,700 UAW workers were on strike at three factories, one each owned by Ford, Stellantis, and GM, in the most significant U.S. industrial labor action in decades. It was the first time the UAW union had gone on strike simultaneously against all three automakers. The union and the companies appear far apart in settling on a new pact, with the automakers offering raises of about 20% over a 4½-year contract proposal, including an immediate 10% raise. The unions are demanding a 40% increase.
Travails of Fisherfolk
Public outcry cancels Adani port hearing near Chennai
A public hearing scheduled on 5 September 2023 for consultations with local communities over the Adani Group’s proposed expansion of Kattupalli Port just north of Chennai has been indefinitely postponed amid widespread vocal opposition. Opposition to the project, whose cost has been pegged at over Rs 53,000 crore (US $640 million), has been driven by fishing and farming communities whose livelihoods are threatened by the project's impacts.
Research
Jobless Bharat: 42.3% Of Under 25 Youths Are Unemployed Per State of Working India 2023 Report
The recently released ‘State of Working India 2023’ by Azim Premji University’s Center for Sustainable Employment is revelatory. Per the report, 42.3 percent of graduate youths under 25 years old are unemployed. The statistics for the same age group with higher secondary qualifications are significantly better at 21.4 percent. The graph shows a trend toward a lower unemployment rate with lower qualifications. The unemployment rate, though lower post covid, is still a major concern, with 15% of graduates across all age groups remaining unemployed.
Saas, bahu aur naukri: The inter-generational effect on gender norms
An unemployed mother-in-law can bring down the employability of a married woman and vice-versa, according to the ‘State of Working India 2023’ report by Azim Premji University. Proving that there is an inter-generational effect on gender norms, the report says that a married woman living in a household with an unemployed mother-in-law is less likely to be employed — 20% less likelihood in urban areas, and 30% in rural areas. This is in comparison to households without a mother-in-law.
Wage Revision
Narendra Modi government delays revision in national floor level minimum wages
The Centre has been sitting on the biennial revision of the recommendatory national floor level minimum wages (NFLMW) since 2017 at a time researchers have flagged a rise in the vulnerability of low-wage workers. The labour ministry last revised the NFLMW in July 2017 and set it at Rs 176 per day. A labour economist, who did not wish to be identified, said the non-revision of the NFLMW has a negative impact on the wage of the workers engaged in bidi production, plantation, agarbatti production and similar sectors that mostly employ women.