Farm News
Farmers plan stir rerun: SKM updates demand charter, protests from August
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), representing a coalition of farmers' unions, will restart its agitation to pressure the government into fulfilling its commitments. Its updated demand charter includes a legal guarantee on minimum support prices on all crops to ensure a 50 per cent profit, loan waiver, no privatisation of power, public sector insurance for crops and livestock and scrapping of the “pro-corporate” PM Fasal Bima Yojana.
94% of agricultural & allied output out of MSP net, govt needs to find alternatives, says SBI report
Terming the minimum support price (MSP) as a “political weapon” that obfuscates the issues facing the agriculture sector, the State Bank of India’s (SBI) economic research team has recommended that the government should “vigorously” look for an alternative mechanism that encourages crop diversification and puts the obligation of buying crops at MSP on private parties.
Tapping agriculture’s potential to create more jobs
It requires re-imagining agriculture and a vision of the “farm as a factory” producing crops that are raw material for further value addition. Converting onion and tomato to paste and puree can do what sugar mills and dairies have done -- not just adding value to produce, but also creating jobs in the countryside itself
Research
The Nature of Subcontracting Linkages in India's Informal Economy
In recent research (Kesar 2024), I study the pattern and nature of subcontracting linkages in informal household enterprises in India’s manufacturing sector – how these linkages have evolved, and whether they are of the dynamic kind that can play the expected role of facilitating accumulation, growth, and potential transition of these enterprises.
Livelihoods
Private security is a top job creator in India.
It’s a booming, recession-free business empire. A growing brigade of young Indians is trading military and govt job dreams for a steady paycheck as private guards. For many, it’s better than working for Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon.
In the Courts
Supreme Court ends 15-year wait for job, 11 visually impaired persons to be taken into IT department
The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to appoint 11 visually challenged persons to the income tax department within three months, after they had “run from pillar to post” since 2009 despite clearing the Union Public Service Commission. They are eligible for appointment under the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995.
Analysis
Break the cycle: The revolt of the petty producers
The spontaneous tendency of capitalism is to encroach on the petty production sector, including peasant agriculture and small trade: agribusiness subjugates peasant agriculture, malls displace small shopkeepers, Amazon replaces the neighbourhood grocery shop, big manufacturing supplants artisans, all resulting in the impoverishment of petty producers.
Exploited Workers
92 more Telangana youth identified in Cambodia’s job racket
About 92 people from Telangana, working at a cybercrime call centre, are ‘stuck’ in Cambodia. Only 20 were identified till May-end. “In the list of 92 individuals, shared by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), we have verified 24 so far...said Telangana Cyber Security Bureau director Shikha Goel. After the verification process, the Indian Embassy is expected to step in to rescue the individuals with the help of Cambodian police.
Italian police free 33 Indian workers from 'slave-like' conditions on farms
The freed labourers were reportedly lured to Italy by Indian “brokers” collaborating with traffickers who promised legitimate employment opportunities. Each worker paid over 17,000 euros (around Rs 1,552,933) for travel and fraudulent seasonal work permits. Additionally, many were charged an extra 13,000 euros (around Rs 1,187,529) under the false promise of securing permanent work permits.
Providing Jobs
Haryana’s IT Saksham Yuva Scheme will employ 5,000 youth
In the first phase, the IT Saksham Yuva Scheme 2024 will provide jobs to 5,000 youngsters. Graduates as well as post-graduates with IT backgrounds will undergo a three-month training programme called the Haryana IT Programme. On completion of this specially-designed course, participants will be given jobs across state departments, boards, corporations, or private organisations.
Women in the Workforce
UP has the 2nd most women DMs after Tamil Nadu. A surprise ‘pink power’ poster child
UP has 14 women district magistrates, with Bahraich as the jewel in the crown for its all-female administration. Many are driving woman-centric measures, from pink autos to feeding rooms.
Goa isn’t just a party capital, it is a start-up hub too. And women are driving it
Goa is among India’s top states for female-led startups, with over a third run by women—well above national average of 18%. Ease of doing business & work-life balance are big draws.
Layoffs and Hirings
More than 90,000 IT employees already lost jobs in 2024, many now facing silent layoffs
The tech industry continues to witness significant layoffs in 2024, with a growing trend of silent layoffs now affecting many IT employees. 98,834 tech employees were laid off in the first half of 2024.
Operational overhaul at CNN to result in 100 job cuts
In an endeavour to focus more on video operations and to get into digital subscriptions, CNN is letting go about 100 employees from its 3,500-strong workforce. The US-based media firm intends to merge its news-gathering team and digital news team. It will also introduce pay-walled content.
Jobseekers
25,000 job seekers end up in stampede-like situation at Air India Airport Services’ recruitment drive in Mumbai
Air India’s massive recruitment drive led to a stampede-like situation in Mumbai on Tuesday. More than 25,000 job seekers flocked to Mumbai’s Kalina area for a walk-in interview at Air India Airport Services Ltd, which advertised 2,216 vacancies for handyman positions that involve diverse repair and maintenance duties.
Employment News
Covid-era employment surge baffles economists
Mumbai/New Delhi : A recent dataset on employment has thrown a curveball at economists tracking India’s economy, with several of them trying to wrap their heads around how the country managed to add a large number of jobs over the past few years despite the covid-19 shock. India is estimated to have created 108.9 million jobs between fiscal years 2019-20 and 2023-24, significantly higher than the 76.8 million jobs added between FY06 and FY20, as per provisional data released by the RBI on July 8.
'Those spreading fake narratives are silenced': PM Modi says 8 crore jobs created in last 3-4 years
PM Modi said that the RBI's employment report counters the opposition's claims of widespread unemployment.
Ten Major Indian News Channels Covered Unemployment Only 113 Times Over Five Months
Our lab found that among the 113 stories featuring unemployment – which has clearly become a prominent concern for voters – just 43 focussed on the issue. Insights from the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS)’s work, other research sources as well as media coverage underscore how important it is for the mainstream media to prioritise the issue of employment generation if India is to foster inclusive growth.
Dying at Work
Missing for 46 hours, Kerala sanitation worker found dead in canal
The body of a sanitation worker who went missing on July 13 while cleaning a canal in Thiruvananthapuram, was found in a different canal on Monday morning. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed condolences.
Caste in Employment
Dalit labourer beaten up, forced to drink urine in MP
BHOPAL: A 32 year old Dalit man has alleged that he was beaten and forced to drink urine after a disagreement over wages with the man whose farm he worked on. The MP police filed a counter complaint against him alleging that he had sexually harassed a co-worker's wife.
Working Conditions
THE REAL RAILWAY MEN
As a debate rages on about the working conditions of railway loco drivers, here is a peek into their lives. Unlike most other people, especially those in government jobs, loco pilots do not get fixed days off. Be it a festival or a national holiday, several of them would need to report to work regardless. "Forget festivals, we sometimes do not get leave even if a close relative dies.”
Laws for Workers
Gig Workers Bill may hurt ease of doing biz: Startups to Karnataka govt
A group comprising many top tech startups and unicorns have raised several “serious concerns” over a platform-based gig workers Bill proposed by the Karnataka government. They told the state government that the Bill in its current form would hurt the ease of doing business, hamper operations and increase the regulatory and compliance burden on the nascent gig and start up economy, according to sources.
Karnataka halts jobs-for-locals Bill as industry raises uproar
As a draft Bill cleared by the Karnataka Cabinet mandating reservation for locals garnered adverse reactions from industry heads and trade bodies in the State, the government late on Wednesday announced that it had been “temporarily withheld” and a decision would be taken later after a review.
The Testing Industry
Slowdown at Kota factory as coaching institutes mushroom closer home
According to estimates by people familiar with the churn, there has been a 30-40 per cent drop in enrolments compared to last year. Teachers at various institutes point to several reasons for this decline, including the emergence of new centres closer to students' homes, helping reduce the "psychological pressure" of relocating to Kota. "Parents are opting to keep their children closer to home amid concerns over student suicides in Kota."
Pre-election Sops
Haryana announces 10 pc quota for Agniveers in police, mining guard jobs
Chandigarh: Just ahead of the Assembly polls in Haryana, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announced that the state government would provide 10 per cent horizontal reservation to Agniveers in direct recruitment to posts of constable, mining guard, forest guard and jail warden recruited by the state.