Livelihoods
When jobs grow on coconut trees
Changadi Koottam is an association of coconut harvesters in Kerala’s Kasaragod district that comes to the rescue of farmers who need their coconuts harvested before they spoil. On a cool morning 80 coconut harvesters on bikes and in cars zoomed into the fields of four farmers who needed coconuts harvested from a 1000 trees. They wore uniforms and carried tree-climbing equipment. They split into groups and began climbing the coconut trees.
WTO: Fighting for rights of small fishermen, says FM Nirmala Sitharaman
At a time when the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) ongoing biennial meet is trying to build a consensus on subsidies that allegedly result in overcapacity and excessive fishing, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said India was fighting for the rights of small fishing folk. India is of the opinion that developing countries should be allowed to continue fishing subsidies for people to ply their trade within exclusive economic zones (EEZs), up to 200 nautical miles, beyond the territorial waters.
In the Courts
Denying Compassionate Appointment To Dependant 'Married Daughters' Violative Of Articles 14, 15 & 16(2) Of Constitution: Orissa High Court
The Orissa High Court has reiterated that married daughters cannot be denied benefits under the Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme for appointment on compassionate grounds, after death of their fathers while in service.
Cannot deny full maternity leave, even if not on contract: Calcutta High Court
Calcutta High Court rules that employers cannot deny women employees their right to childbirth and maternity leave. It directs RBI to compensate an executive intern and emphasizes the importance of social justice and the well-being of both mother and child.
Women in the Workforce
How 'drone didis' are piloting farming & social change in rural India
Yadav, 35, is among hundreds of women trained to fly fertiliser-spraying aircraft under government-backed "drone didis" programme. The scheme aims to help modernise Indian farming by reducing labour costs…
Crushed hopes of women workers in the auto sector
NEETU Devi lost her hand a year and a half ago in a factory accident…Today she is in the Labour Court, fighting for reparation from the company. She now waters plants, mans the gates and does similar menial jobs for the factory owners. Safe In India (SII) Foundation’s fifth annual report, CRUSHED, highlights a worrying trend. More and more migrant women are joining the supply chain of the auto components sector, and suffering injuries on the job.
A Stitch In Time Saves Nothing For Women In Garment Factories
Bengaluru Is the hub of Karnataka’s thriving garment industry. Yet, the hands stitching Its success, nearly half a million women, struggle with low wages, verbal & physical abuse, and a non-existent work-life balance. A new study points to gendered labour and burnout of women workers
Migrant Tragedies
Kerala Man Killed In Israel Leaves Behind Pregnant Wife, Daughter, 5
Pat Nibin Maxwell was killed in a missile strike near an orchard in north Israel's Margaliot this week. Two others, also from Kerala, were injured in the attack. Paul Melvin and Bush Joseph George, both from Idukki, are under treatment at an Israel hospital.
Who was Mohammed Asfan, Hyderabad man forced to fight Ukraine war killed in Russia?
In November last year, Mohammed Asfan, a resident of Hyderabad, and two other youths from Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir reached Russia as they were promised jobs as helpers in Russian government offices by the agents. The last time Mohammed Asfan had spoken to his family was on December 31, 2023.
Policy Changes
In major victory for labourers, Rajasthan extends urban jobs scheme to new municipal bodies.
Villagers lost employment opportunities after the conversion of village panchayats into urban local bodies. Now the BJP government in Rajasthan has agreed to launch the urban employment guarantee scheme in 42 newly created Municipal Councils, after a month-long agitation at Bhim in Rajsamand district.
7L contract staff left fuming as govt reduces leaves from 30 to 18 days
Raipur: A gazette notification amending the ChhattisgarhCivil Services (Contract Appointment) Leave Rules 2012 has met with strong opposition from approximately seven lakh contract/daily wage employees serving in various govt departments across Chhattisgarh. These employees have voiced their dissent against the reduction of their leaves from 30 days to 18 days through the amendment notified by the General Administration Department.
Election Issues
Congress manifesto to push for 'right to apprenticeship'
Congress will make it mandatory for private and govt companies to accept as an apprentice any candidate seeking a temporary stint with them, which will include a provision of stipend. Eligibility criteria for "right to apprenticeship" will be an age bar of 25 years, with a bachelors or postgraduate degree.
Media Workers
A decade under Modi: Terror laws against journalists, creeping digital censorship
How the media fared under the Narendra Modi government can be gleaned from three metrics: the media’s access to the government; the levels of safety and freedom for journalists; and how policy decisions affect the media in India.
Farm News
Muzzling Voices, Government Withholds 100 Social Media Accounts Ahead of Next Delhi Chalo Call
Jalandhar: A day before the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) Non-Political and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM)’s ‘Delhi Chalo’ call, the Union government on Tuesday (March 4) night withheld around 100 X (formerly Twitter) accounts belonging to farmer union leaders and people promoting the farmers’ cause. It is for the third time that the Union government has withheld social media accounts ever since the protest started on February 13.
Reviving a traditional method to farm in a desert | Jaisalmer's khadeens
VIDEO: In the Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, farmers have used traditional knowledge to harvest the limited rainwater with an indigenous system called ‘khadeen.’ Khadeens are water harvesting structures that double up as farmlands. The ancient practice has helped farmers to irrigate their fields and also conserve water for drinking.
Dying at Work
22 Contractual Workers Died Last Week in Workplace Accidents Across States
On construction sites, in mines, or while cleaning sewage, several worker deaths could have been avoided had safety measures been in place.
NMDC probes mishap that killed 4 workers at its Chhattisgarh site
The collapse of rock formations at NMDC's Kirandul complex led to four contractual workers losing their lives while two others received injuries. 'NMDC is conducting a thorough investigation into the incident,' the firm said.
3 people die of asphyxiation while cleaning manhole in Telangana
A 40-year-old worker who first entered the manhole at Kulsumpura in the city collapsed and two others who tried to rescue him also fell unconscious, police said.
Laws for Workers
Karnataka Assembly passes Bill that provides welfare schemes for motor transport workers, drivers, cleaners, and conductors
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed the Karnataka Motor Transport and Other Allied Workers’ Social Security and Welfare Bill, 2024, for providing social security and other benefits of motor vehicle drivers, conductors, cleaners, supervisors, station staff, line checking staff, booking clerks, cash clerks, depot clerks, time-keepers, watchman/attenders, and other unorganised workers engaged in motor transport.
Workplace Accountability
Runaway freight train: Station master, three others terminated
The Indian Railways has terminated the services of four employees in connection with an incident in which an unattended freight train travelled 84km, with no one at the controls, from Jammu and Punjab last month, officials aware of the developments said on Sunday.