Policy Changes
After ordeal govt to review SOP on tunnels
The road ministry will review SOPs to prevent mishaps during tunnel construction and maintenance. This includes contract management provisions and a risk matrix based on geological conditions. A safety audit mechanism will be established by a panel of experts. Geological mapping in the Himalayan regions will receive renewed focus.
ESIC nurses irked by new transfer policy, staff crunch
NEW DELHI: Nurses working in hospitals run by Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), an autonomous body under Ministry of Labour and Employment, have several complaints related to their working conditions, starting with a new transfer policy. According to this, nurses working in ESIC hospitals would be mandatorily transferred 9 years after working in a particular region. The nursing fraternity wants request transfers to be given precedence over tenure completion transfers.
Centre to provide 15,000 women self help groups with drones that can be rented out for agricultural purposes
The Union Government will provide 15,000 progressive women self-help groups (SHG) with drones to be rented out to farmers for agricultural purposes. The drone services are envisaged to be used by the farmers for Nano fertilizer and pesticide applications.
Women in the Workforce
Huge jump in rural women employment in India. But not many are celebrating
If rural women are going back to farm work, it’s clear that they are struggling to manage the family budget. Even their spouses aren’t earning enough. In the last five years, there has been an over 70 per cent jump in employment of rural women above the age of 15 in India. In 2022-2023, about 41 per cent of them were employed, up from about 24 per cent in 2017-18, as per the Periodic Labour Force Survey data. The average monthly real wages of self-employed women, most of whom work on farms, was Rs 4,792 in 2022-23, a nearly 4 per cent fall from what they earned in 2017-18 (Rs 4,973), according to the calculations based on PLFS data*.
Why gig work platforms must implement India’s workplace sexual harassment law
The sector has expanded massively to employ as well as serve women but companies have ducked a key legal obligation to ensure safe working conditions for all.
Endangered Workers
As deaths due to work-related factors increase, ILO report calls for countries to strengthen safety net
More than 63% of these deaths are reported from the Asia-Pacific region
Five states account for more than 70% of on-site worker fatalities
Although the number of factory workers being injured has declined, fatal injuries have increased in the last five years. In 2017, as many as 18 per cent of injuries led to deaths. The 2021 figure would mean every day three workers die of injuries at factories. Gujarat recorded 235 such deaths in 2021, Maharashtra had 180, Tamil Nadu 147, Andhra Pradesh 65, and Chhattisgarh 82.
Indian Women in the Auto Sector Among Thousands Losing Fingers at Work Annually: Report
The Safe In India Foundation stated thousands of crushing injuries to workers continue to occur in the auto sector supply chain each year, just in Haryana and Maharashtra. Women workers in Faridabad, Haryana outlined these problems in the auto industry, listing the high risk of injury, high production pressure, failure to be provided with ESIC cards and lower salaries than their male counterparts in a letter addressed to auto sector brands.
News from States
Kerala Rubber Farmers Demand MSP, Announce March to Tyre Manufacturing Companies Against Cartelisation
The rubber farmers will march to MRF and Apollo tyres manufacturing units on December 30, accusing the union government of pursuing pro-corporate policies for falling rubber prices.
Jharkhand businesses challenge 75% local hiring law
Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Jharkhand are preparing to challenge the Jharkhand State Employment for Local Candidates Law of 2021, enforced by the Hemant Soren government. This law requires private companies to ensure that 75 per cent of their unskilled workforce comprises local employees.
Arunachal Government Sacks 256 People in Education Department Over ‘Fraud'
New Delhi: Months after opposition parties accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Arunachal Pradesh of appointing hundreds of employees “illegally” in the education department, the Pema Khandu government has terminated the services of as many as 256 persons this past week. A Times of India report quoting state government officials said, “They have been terminated across the districts of Arunachal Pradesh for allegedly producing forged and fabricated appointment orders to authorities concerned to get the jobs in the last five years.”
Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan report highest urban unemployment in July-September
According to data released by the Periodic Labour Force Survey of the National Sample Survey Office, Himachal Pradesh topped the urban unemployment chart with 33.9%, followed by Rajasthan with 30.20% among the age group of 15 to 29 years during July-September 2023, against the national average of 17.3% of the same age group during the period, reported PTI.
Labour in Parliament
As told to Parliament (December 5, 2023): 2,216 million persondays under MGNREGS generated this year
There are a total of 143.7 million active beneficiaries of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) at present, Giriraj Singh, Union minister of rural development, told the Lok Sabha. MGNREGA is a demand-driven scheme and a total of 2,216 million persondays have been generated this year through November 30, 2023, the minister said. This is more than the number of persondays generated in the same period in the last financial year (2,087.4 million) through November 30, 2022, Singh said.
Crop insurance scheme under PMFBY
The number of farmers’ applications under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana grew by 33.4 per cent and 41 per cent year-on-year in 2022-23 and 2021-22, respectively, Narendra Singh Tomar, Union minister of agriculture and farmers welfare, told the Lok Sabha. There is also a significant growth of 28.9 per cent in the number of farmer applications and 24 per cent in the area insured under the scheme in the Kharif 2023 season (through November 2023) as compared to Kharif 2022, Tomar added.
Climate Change and Workers
Zanskar’s yak herders are feeling the heat
With temperatures climbing in Ladakh, yak herders in the Zanskar valley are finding it difficult and unprofitable to maintain their herd. “The population of yaks is decreasing,” says Padma Thumo. A yak herder for more than 30 years, she adds, “very few yaks can be seen in the lower plateau [around 3,000 metres] nowadays.”
Profiles
Gabbar Singh Negi: lessons in leadership from the Silkyara tunnel crisis in Uttarkashi
The ordeal of 41 labourers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi due to an unexpected collapse, served as a testament to the power of human resilience and the importance of strong leadership in times of crisis. Negi’s ability to remain calm and make quick decisions under immense pressure was crucial for maintaining order and ensuring the safety of the workers. He immediately established a sense of order, organising the workers into teams to maintain sanitation, ration supplies, and communicate with their families. His clear communication and regular updates kept the workers informed and engaged, preventing panic and despair from taking hold.
English Vinglish rural UP style from a doughty dehati madam
Yashodha Lodhi (29) is a YouTuber with nearly 2.9 lakh subscribers and 2.6 crore views. Her USP? Teaching spoken English. Lodhi, a resident of Sirathu, Kaushambi ticks no boxes metropolitan types would assume needs ticking to teach English.
Rajas of rat mining, heroes of Himalayas have no insurance, safety gear or social dignity
Rat miners help lay underground sewers and gas & water pipelines in places where machines cannot go. In the construction ecosystem, they're at the bottom of the pyramid.
Analysis
Beyond Silkyara smiles, gloomy state of workers
The policy environment is callous towards workers. This is scandalous since India now has the tools to provide universal social security to all workers. When it comes to labour laws, state after state is privileging deregulation in the hope of attracting investment without adequate consideration of critical issues of worker safety.
Distressed Workers
One third of all 2022 suicides were of daily wage earners, farmers says NCRB report.
As many as 154 farmers and daily-wage labourers die by suicide in India daily, mainly due to “family problems” and “illness”, said the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2022 annual report. In 2021, the number stood at 144. A majority of farmer suicides was reported in Maharashtra, followed by Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. The demographics show that persons involved in the farming sector and daily-wage labourers constitute 6.6 per cent and 26.4 per cent of the total suicides, respectively.
Post Poll Analysis
Why BJP defied predictions to win Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s agricultural revolution
MP’s agricultural success may elicit comparisons with the transformation wrought in post-Independence Punjab by former CM Partap Singh Kairon. Unlike him, though, Chouhan has failed to diversify beyond agriculture and bring about greater industrialisation
Promise of higher MSP, that’s easier said than done
The euphoria of the BJP poll victories in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, and the Congress' triumph in Telangana, mask a looming challenge: fulfilling the promise of substantial increases in the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat and paddy.
Flagship welfare schemes help BJP register victory
After coming to power Chouhan added ₹4,000 to the Centre’s ₹6,000 under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi as additional state funding, it was raised to ₹6,000 annually from this year… The Ladli Behna scheme, with more than 13 million beneficiaries, was credited the most by BJP leaders on Sunday for the election victory. Women get ₹1,250 a month under the Ladli Behna scheme and the CM has promised to increase it to ₹3,000. /
Express View: In Mizoram, ringing in the new
In an interview with this newspaper, the party’s CM face, Lalduhoma, underlined that the ZPM would bring in “systemic change” through “administrative, economic and land reforms”. It has promised MSPs for ginger, turmeric, chilli and broom grass.