News from States
Top forest officer suspended for naming lion pair Akbar and Sita
Tripura govt suspended the state's principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife and ecotourism) Prabin Lal Agrawal on Saturday amidst a controversy surrounding the naming of a zoo lion and lioness as Akbar and Sita, respectively. The suspension followed a complaint from VHP to Calcutta high court, alleging that the names hurt religious sentiments…
Rajasthan Education Minister faces heat over Dalit teacher’s suspension
The teacher, Hemlata Bairwa, was charged with hurting religious sentiments by refusing to worship Goddess Saraswati at the Republic Day function at her school in Baran district. She put up pictures of Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar and Savitri Bai Phule at the school function instead of a painting of the goddess. Dalit groups here have registered strong protest and sought Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma’s intervention in the matter.
Watch: Metro officials sack supervisor following netizen outrage after farmer is denied entry to metro
An incident at Bengaluru Rajajinagar Metro station sparked outrage as a farmer was denied entry due to his attire. The footage of the incident went viral and citizens condemned the officials for the lack of empathy shown by the security staff. Many called for strict disciplinary actions against the staff. The video says BMRCL terminated the supervisor's employment.
UP police constable recruitment exam cancelled amid paper leak allegations
The UP Police constable recruitment exam was on Saturday cancelled by the Uttar Pradesh government. Re-examination will be held within six months, said chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
Govt Job Craze or Joblessness? Over 50 lakh applicants vie for 60,000 constable posts in Uttar Pradesh
Andhra govt enhances pension for landless poor in Amaravati
The Andhra Pradesh government enhanced the monthly pension to the landless poor in the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) region from the existing Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000. A Government Order (GO) was issued on Wednesday, February 28, to this effect.
Women in the Workforce
At Home and Outside, Women Are Constantly Made to Do Unpaid Work
Using a survey of over 2,500 women, followed by focus group discussions and individual interviews, a study found that unpaid work is a huge burden on women workers – affecting their health and their ability to secure their rights.
34% of women leave jobs in India over work-life balance, study finds
The study also showed that the hiring managers are far more likely to consider a female applicant’s marital status and age when considering her for a role, compared to a male applicant.
Companies Look to Fix Gender Gap in AI Workforce
Company like MS, Hexaware, Accenture, TechM and Capgemini take steps to attract more women. Initiatives to build this pipeline include upskilling, mentorship programmes, gamification challenges, structured internships, as well as stronger campus engagement to build future female AI practitioners.
The Gig Economy
Rating Nahi Haq Chahiye
Watch comedian Kunal Kamra’s pulsating music video on the issues gig workers in our cities confront every day.
South Asian unions convene to support platform workers
Over 40 delegates belonging to app-based transport worker unions across South Asia and other international organisations had critical discussions surrounding the organisational hurdles confronting platform workers, in Colombo last week. Chief among these concerns were issues of exploitation and the absence of social protection in unregulated working environments.
Farm News
Leave WTO over MSP issue, farmers tell govt
Farmers, already protesting to press the government to meet a number of their demands, want India to put pressure on developed countries at the WTO’s next meeting to keep agriculture out of its ambit. They are peeved by its limits on crop price guarantees allowed for individual nations
The New Land Reform of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh has taken a significant decision to give formal ownership titles to the holders (mainly Dalit farmers) of lands assigned to them decades ago. Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy handed over the ownership titles to more than 20.24 lakh farmers for an area of 35.45 lakh acres at a rally at Nuzvid in Eluru district on 17 November 2023. A major chunk of this included handing over title deeds to 15.12 lakh farmers who had held 27.41 lakh acres of assigned land for more than 20 years. The number of those who would be benefitting is stupendous and the scale of this kind of land reform is the first of its kind in the state.
Farmers at Shambhu Border Say, 'We Now Feel Like Outsiders in Our Own Country'
“My knees are damaged, this farmer’s legs hurt, this other farmer here can barely walk! None of us are sitting here because we are happy to, you know?” Not only have the powers that be made the Punjab-Haryana border un-crossable for protesting farmers trying to reach Delhi, they have also made it well-nigh impossible for ordinary citizens to visit the Shambhu toll plaza and express solidarity with their annadatas camped there.
Farmer organisations united in objective, divided in path
The history of farmer organisations, dating back to the post-Green Revolution era, reflects a persistent struggle against the low minimum support price, high electricity tariff, lack of irrigation network, and high cost and non-availability of fertilisers. Many of these organisations were formed in the 1960s and 1970s after the Green Revolution took roots and agricultural production increased along with input costs.
Tailpiece
DDA razes house of man who led rat-hole miners to rescue 41 from Uttarakhand tunnel
The government agency carried out the demolition drive in Sri Ram Colony in Northeast Delhi’s Khajuri Khas area where Vaqeel Hasan lived with his family. According to DDA, the land on which Hasan's house stood was “part of planned development land" while the police said structures built illegally were demolished.
Labour Demands
Restoration of Old Pension Scheme: Govt. employees to go on indefinite strike from May
Strike ballots were held in Railways, various departments and PSUs under the Centre with unions claiming to have received nearly 100% support of employees.
Exploited Workers
Bengal's Jute Mills Run on the Labour of 'Zero Number' Workers
With 75 out of 104 of India's jute mills located in the state, Bengal is still the hub of the Indian jute industry, valued at Rs 10,000 crore. Mill owners are keen on recruiting mostly temporary workers. Such workers are known as “zero number” workers – their employment identity number is effectively zero because they are not registered with the mill. Such workers are often sent to mills by agencies, which are controlled by layers of politics.
Benefits for Workers
Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation rejected one in three settlement claims in 2022-’23: Report
The rejection rate of final settlement claims has risen from 13% in 2017-’18 to 34% in 2022-’23, according to a report by ‘The Indian Express’.