Farm News
Over 1 lakh farmers voluntarily gave up their PM-Kisan benefits last year
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan lead the chart of 1.16 lakh farmers who have voluntarily given up the benefits of the annual Rs 6,000 Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme across the country from June 2023 to May 2024, according to data available with the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
Employment News
2K freshers await onboarding as Infosys delays joining date
He received an offer letter in December 2022 saying he could join Infosys Mysore campus from February 2023.Over 2,000 campus recruits are waiting to be onboarded, according to Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES). It has urged the Ministry of Labour and Employment to investigate Infosys for repeatedly delaying the onboarding.
Global Capability Centres go Big on Hiring Gig Employees
India's multinational hubs are increasingly turning to hiring contingent workers to meet immediate talent needs while remaining cautious about permanent recruitment due to a bearish global outlook. There has been a significant rise in demand for gig employees in the last six months, with an expected increase of up to 70,000 gig workers in the next six months. This trend allows companies to create a balanced workforce that is agile and cost-effective, with access to specialized skills.
Job cuts in Tata Steel's U.K. operations inevitable, says CEO Narendran
Fear of job losses has attracted criticism of the workers' unions.
Exporting Workers
Miss family, but want to earn enough for them, say first batch of Indian workers in Israel
Around 2,600 construction workers from India have been in Israel since April as part of a government-to-government agreement between the two nations.
Jobs in Israel: Over 2,200 Telangana workers apply, 900 selected
The state government organised this recruitment drive with help from the National Skill Development Corporation International (NSDCI).
India issues new advisory against fake job rackets in Myanmar, flags another ‘dangerous’ area
The Indian government has issued a fresh advisory warning Indian nationals against falling prey to fake job rackets in Myanmar, highlighting a newly identified dangerous area. The advisory was shared on social media by the Indian Embassy in Yangon on Monday (June 3 2024), urging caution against job offers in the Pha Lu area, south of Myawaddy town. This region has recently emerged as a hotspot where most Indian victims are being trafficked, often via Thailand.
In the Courts
HC quashes socioeconomic criteria in Haryana govt jobs
The Punjab and Haryana High Court Friday held as unconstitutional the socioeconomic criteria prescribed by the Haryana government to grant additional marks to certain classes of candidates in state government jobs and set it aside.
Haryana to move SC after HC quashes its criterion for govt jobs
Rohtak : A day after the Punjab & Haryana high court quashed the socioeconomic criteria proposed by Haryana to grant additional marks to certain social classes in government jobs, chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Saturday said his government will move the Supreme Court against the verdict.
Migrant Tragedies
A year on pain and horror of Balasore tragedy linger
Dilip Pattanayak shudders every time he has a flashback of the tragedy, his body shakes violently just as it did on the fateful evening of June 2 last year, when he was tossed around in a sleeper coach of the Coromandel Express. A year on, the 59-year-old and hundreds like him still struggle to come to terms with that tragedy, described as India’s worst railway disaster in three decades.
Wage Revision
A Guide to Minimum Wage in India in 2024
It must be noted that India’s minimum wage and salary structure differs based on the following factors: state, area within the state based on development level (zone), industry, occupation, and skill-level. This offers foreign investors a range of options when choosing where to locate their set up.
Research
The Governance of Internal Migration: Learning from the Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Policy Responses of Indian States
Open access research article. In this study, we delve into the governance of internal migration in India, with a focus on the pandemic period. Utilizing the IMPEX, we analyze state policies before and after the pandemic, shedding light on the vulnerabilities of low-income migrants.
31% of employees in India experienced ageism at work: Randstad
A new study on ageism at workplacehas found that about 31% of employees in India experienced a bias or discrimination at work because of their age.
Election Issues
In a stunning upset Odisha CM ousted by former daily wager
BJP candidate Laxman Bag’s victory over incumbent CM Naveen Patnaik delivered a powerful statement on the ineffectiveness of the BJD’s welfare programmes.
BJP’s underwhelming performance carries message from working class, several academics and workers
Vinod Kumar, a security guard at a park maintained by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), had his mobile phone pressed to his ear on Tuesday to listen to the election result updates. As clarity began to emerge, he smiled and said the BJP needed to learn some lessons. “I work for eight hours. My contractor gets Rs 17,000 every month from the DDA for paying me salary. He pays me Rs 9,000. This is going on in every DDA park in Delhi. The contractors are exploiting us and the Narendra Modi government is promoting contractual appointments,” Kumar said.
Why BJP lost vote share in Rural India
The NDA's loss has been I.N.D.I.A's gain. In the current Lok Sabha 2024 election, the NDA lost 44 rural seats as compared to 2019, while the I.N.D.I.A bloc gained 77. In the Hindi heartland, which includes its former stronghold Uttar Pradesh, it lost 53 seats, while the I.N.D.I.A bloc gained 61. Along with high inflation, rural distress was exacerbated by lower rural wages, rising household debt, and rural unemployment which translated to increased migration to urban cities over the past several years.
Social media savvy Maha onion farmers tip scales against NDA
Maharashtra farmers, led by figures like Sharad Joshi and Bharat Dighole, navigate challenges in onion trade amidst government policy shifts. The use of social media platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook has revolutionized farmer mobilization efforts, impacting political landscapes and market dynamics.
Maharashtra On the Ground - Impact of export ban on onion farmers
Watch what farmers affected by onion export ban think about the current electoral landscape in Maharashtra.
‘Ask us what we need and want’
In Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, iron-ore mines in forested areas have destroyed the habitats and culture of the tribal population. For years, this region has also witnessed a strife between the state security forces and CPI (Maoists). This year, about 1,450 gram sabhas in the tribal belt lent conditional support to the Congress candidate in the General Elections 2024. Here’s why… (Post script: He polled 53 per cent of the votes.)
In Varanasi district: MNREGA is absent
This constituency has elected Narendra Modi twice. But the lack of state-funded work under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) has left voters impoverished and disillusioned. MNREGA guarantees employment of 100 days to rural unskilled labour. A common complaint across villages here in Varanasi district is that only 20-25 days’ work is available annually since “the last two pradhani ”, referring to the last two terms of the sarpanch , or roughly 10 years.
How women party workers are reshaping Indian politics
Participation of women at polling booths and as campaign workers, coupled with welfare schemes and reservation, marks a gender shift in the Indian political landscape.