Election Issues
Lok Sabha polls reopen old wounds from anti-Agnipath protests in Bihar
Youngsters have lost interest in joining the Army after the introduction of the scheme, say coaching centres; activists assert the protests were spontaneous and none were instigated, want the government to withdraw Agnipath as Army service primarily draws youth from poor backgrounds.
A Forest for all
The Forest Rights Act which confers community forest rights, seems to be a crucial issue in many constituencies — most acutely in states like Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha — that are going to the polls in the remaining phases of the elections. A week before the general elections got underway, in the Gadchiroli Lok Sabha constituency, about 1,450 gram sabhas from the thickly-forested constituency unanimously announced their “conditional support” to the Congress candidate, Nam¬dev Kirsan. In a district torn by Maoist insurgency for over three decades, it was the first time that the tribals took an explicit political side.
Bengal: People Unite Against ‘Import’ of Caste Politics by BJP/TMC in Jangal Mahal
Migrant workers who are back home to vote, are playing a significant role in campaigning for Left Front candidates. A significant number of migrant workers, who used to reside thousands of kilometres away from their families, have returned home temporarily for a few days, with many more en route. Most of them are under 40 years old. They have come back to their villages to cast their votes and actively participate in the upcoming election campaign.
Farm News
How Punjab farmers sacrificed high income for a big cause—they gave up Pusa-44 this year
Sangrur: Fifty-eight-year-old Karanpal Singh, a farmer from Punjab’s Barnala, has been planting the Pusa-44 variety of paddy for as long as he can remember. After ruling the fields of Punjab and Haryana for over three decades, this variety was banned by the government of Punjab last year. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann thanked farmers for accepting the ban and staying away from the water-guzzling paddy variety Pusa-44. But convincing them about the larger public good is a work-in-progress.
Marathwada: In Modi govt’s farm income success stories, ‘fake’ pics and ‘invisible’ women
The first part of a series exploring the ground realities in stark contrast with a government institute’s research. “This is not a picture of our farm. It seems to be lush green while our farm is arid, and doesn’t yield this much.” Sitting outside a temple in Marathwada region’s Dharashiv district, Sakharbai Sagur seems shocked to be counted among a government institute’s 75,000 success stories of farmers whose income had doubled between 2016-17 and 2020-21.
Bitter sugarcane workers from drought-stricken Marathwada hold little hope from Lok Sabha poll
Migrant workers are resigned to the reality that the cycle of seasonal migration and temporary financial relief will repeat, undisturbed by political seasons. With the sugarcane harvest season coming to an end, seasonal migrant workers from the drought-hit Marathwada region, who spend months toiling in the sugarcane fields of western Maharashtra and neighbouring Karnataka, are back home, but hold little hope that the outcome of the ongoing Lok Sabha poll will bring any change to their ‘bitter’ plight.
Women in the Workforce
Stranded and unsafe: Women election staff face numerous challenges
A number of women employees who were deployed on election duties in the just-concluded Parliamentary polls had a harrowing time due to gender-insensitive policies of the authorities. While facilities at the polling stations were not women friendly, what caused more agony was the situation at the distribution, reception and counting (DRC) centres where the election material was deposited.
Health problems plague frontline anganwadi workers, study finds
Anganwadi workers face health challenges, including anemia, high BMI, sugar, and cholesterol levels. The study by RN Cooper Hospital revealed these issues, emphasizing the need for regular health check-ups for healthcare workers.
Bengal: Thousands of Mahua Flower, Fruit Collecting Families Face Neglect in JangalMahal
Both the Centre and state, which represent the areas in Lok Sabha and Assembly, have done nothing to lift the marginalised women and their families from distress.
Dying at Work
Rajasthan mine lift collapse: 1 killed, 14 rescued after hours long operation
JAIPUR: At least 15 employees, including vigilance officers and workers, of the Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) a public sector company, were trapped underground at 1,875ft in a mine at Kolihan near Khetri in Neem Ka Thana district late Tuesday night. They were participating in an inspection when the chain of the lift taking them below dropped. The Chief Vigilance Officer of HCL who had arrived for an inspection was killed.
Employment News
Uber’s India driver count tops 1 million
Uber has more than 1 million drivers in India, chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said during the ride-hailing platform’s March-quarter earnings call. India is the third country behind the US and Brazil to reach the 1-million-driver mark.
Urban unemployment drops slightly to 6.7% in Q4 FY24; female labour force participation rises further
Urban unemployment slightly decreased to 6.7% in Q4 FY24 from 6.8% in the same period last year. However, it rose sequentially from 6.5% in the previous quarter, attributed to layoffs in sectors like IT, telecom, and startups. Female unemployment improved slightly, while male unemployment increased. Self-employment rose, but regular wage employment remained low.
In the Courts
Death due to manual scavenging: Delhi HC issues notice to deceased sanitation worker’s wife in plea against enhanced compensation.
The government had challenged a November 23, 2023, order of the single judge bench of the High Court which had allowed the plea of a deceased sanitation worker’s wife seeking enhancement of compensation from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 30 lakh in terms of the Supreme Court’s directions on compensation to the dependents of the victims who lose their lives while manual scavenging. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora issued notice to the deceased worker’s wife, while asking the government to pay the enhanced amount to her.
NGT orders ₹20L compensation for kin of workers who died due to fire in Alipur
The National Green Tribunal has ordered the district administration of Northwest Delhi to pay a compensation of Rs 20 lakh each to the families of workers who died in a fire at an illegal paint factory in Feb. The tribunal bench…ordered the SDM (Alipur) to pay the amount within two months with the right to recover it from the project proponent.
Skilling
Centre aims to train 60,000 workers to power green H2 goal
Government aims to develop 600,000 skilled workers for the National Green Hydrogen Mission by 2030, identified by Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and MNRE. Skilling includes renewable energy generation, hydrogen production, transformation, storage, transport, and end use applications, requiring specific skill sets and a coordinated programme between institutions.
Analysis
India’s labour-intensive manufacturing slump is no small worry
Recent export data, however, suggests that India is de-industrializing rapidly in labour-intensive sectors. The Indian Express this month quoted the Federation of Indian Export Organisations as saying, “An analysis of sector-wise export performance for the last five years reveals the troubling pattern that India is experiencing a decline in global market share across labour-intensive sectors." The trade group said that apparel, knitted garments, marine products, plastics, and gems and jewellery had grown at just 1 % to 2%. In fact, during 2023-24, while goods exports contracted by 3%, exports of textiles, leather, gems and jewellery and marine products declined 9%.
India should raise minimum wages or adopt a living wage approach
The Government of India’s decision to replace the minimum wage in the country with a scientifically calculated living wage by 2025, with expertise from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), is welcome. India’s National Floor Level Minimum Wage (NFLMW) of ₹176 ($2.1) per day, last updated in 2017, is one of the lowest in the Asia-Pacific region, surpassed by China’s $11.9, Vietnam $6.5 and even Bangladesh’s $3.7.
Industrial Action
Strikes and lockouts down 90% in the last decade, show govt data
Air India Express employees called in sick as a mark of protest leading to the cancellation and delay of flights. Before this, employees at Vistara, an airline under the Tata Group, also reported sick leading to more flight cancellations. These incidents notwithstanding, there was a decrease in the number of incidents of employees expressing dissatisfaction with their employers in recent years, according to an analysis of data from the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Industrial disputes dropped 89.3 per cent to 34 in 2022 compared to 318 a decade ago, according to central and state data.
Unions Need to Spend Big to Seize the Day
Even as union density has declined, unions have spent little on organizing while amassing vast war chests. But the UAW and Workers United are showing that spending big on strikes and organizing pays off. In a moment of opportunity for workers and the labor movement, a key strategic question is whether union leaders are prepared to put at risk the more than $32 billion in assets they currently have sitting idle in union treasuries. Will organized labour decide to invest in large-scale organizing campaigns and militant strikes, or continue to invest its resources in Wall Street?
Government transferred 2,000 teachers illegally after announcement of election schedule: APTF
Andhra Pradesh Teachers’ Federation (APTF) former united Vizianagaram district general secretary and Human Rights Forum (HRF) convener of both Vizianagaram and Parvatipuram districts, Bankuru Joginaidu, on Saturday alleged that the State government transferred around 2,000 teachers even after the announcement of election schedule, violating all rules and regulations. In a press release, he said that the teachers were given sealed cover orders, in which they were directed to report on June 4th in the schools where they were transferred. Mr. Joginaidu asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take action on School Education Principal Secretary Praveen Prakash, who had given those orders at the behest of political bosses.