-The Hindu Several workers returning to Gurugram and Delhi from their home towns after the lockdown discover their employers have already filled their positions Vijay Mishra, a chhole-poori vendor on Jharsa Road in Gurugram, is the odd man out among a row of fruit sellers. The 38-year-old makes ₹200-₹300 daily, not even half of what he used to earn at his job in Maruti Suzuki India Limited before the lockdown. Like thousands of...

-Press release by Working Peoples' Charter dated 21st September, 2020 Amidst the micro and macro-economic crisis of the last 5 years, the union government has aggressively pushed the agenda of labour law reforms -- purportedly to simplify India’s ‘complex’ labour legislations, improve the business environment, and augment growth and employment. These changes, driven primarily by the business fraternity, have been aimed at improving India’s ranking in the ‘Ease of Doing Business’...

-Financial Express The latest figure shows that the joblessness in the rural areas is now lower than the pre-pandemic levels. The unemployment rate in rural India significantly fell to 5.21 per cent in the last week, according to CMIE’s weekly employment data. The latest figure shows that the joblessness in the rural areas is now lower than the pre-pandemic levels. Though the rising number of jobs plays a major role in reducing...

-The Tribune The job guarantee scheme kept the rural sector afloat during the pandemic-induced lockdown. The number of people employed under MGNREGA in Punjab has gone up considerably. AMID the Covid crisis, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has sustained thousands of villagers who had been rendered jobless across Punjab. These also include the youth who returned to villages after they lost their jobs in towns and cities. After the...

-The Hindu As infections surge in Odisha, many guest workers are relieved to have stayed on Like several other migrant workers from Odisha, Sumant Naik made innumerable calls throughout May to enquire about a train back home from Perundurai in Erode; he also weighed the costs of returning by bus. Despite several calls, the journey back did not materialise. Now two months later, as the pandemic induced lockdown has eased in Tamil Nadu,...