-Scroll.in The migrant exodus will undoubtedly hurt the economy. But that is no excuse for forced labour. The Indian government’s policies towards its vulnerable migrant worker population were already a mess. This week, Karnataka made it worse. The Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state decided to cancel trains that would allow working-class people from other states to return to their homes five weeks after a national lockdown to combat Covid-19 left them stranded, often without...

-The Hindu Garments unit’s management denies charges as baseless, cites non-discriminatory hiring policy Gurugram: Several Muslim workers at Richa & Co., a garments unit based in the Udyog Vihar Phase-III area of Gurugram, have alleged that they were turned away from the company’s gate on Thursday citing their religion and told to wait till “there were orders from the higher-ups”. The company, however, denied the allegations made by the workers, saying it...

-The Hindu Business Line Trade body says government should focus on boosting oilseeds output for self-sufficiency Bengaluru: As demand takes a beating and imports slump amidst a bearish price trend, the edible oil sector feels the Centre should launch the national mission on edible oilseeds to boost domestic production and achieve self-sufficiency. India depends on imports to meet about 70 per cent of its edible oil requirement, estimated at around 23 million tonnes....

-The Hindu Business Line The vague legal definition of ‘worker’ sabotages inclusive and eligible delivery of welfare to all workers during the pandemic The Covid-19 health emergency has disrupted trade, mobility and livelihood in unimaginable ways. The magnitude of the crisis grows manifold when social and economic shutdowns accompany it, and the uncertainties of livelihood, wage loss and lay-offs might last longer than expected as Covid-19 has hit almost all sectors. To...

-PTI/ The Hindu Business Line Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector is on the verge of collapse, and urged major industries to release the outstanding dues to such companies within a month. He said that the position of MSMEs was the “worst” as they were now engaged in a “battle for their survival”. The Minister also noted that the pendency of dues owed...