-The Hindu “Unions should press for things like public health, nutrition, in addition to [addressing] issue of secularity” Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Saturday exhorted trade unions to expand their role to address injustice in general, covering aspects like inequalities in income, healthcare, education and nutrition. Speaking at the 90 anniversary celebration of the Reserve Bank Employees Association, he said unions could take their role further as their identity cut across religious sects,...

-The Business Standard Nobel laureate says rural areas worst affected, with wages in Chinese villages having risen 6-7 times faster Nobel laureate Amartya Sen today said that wages in India had failed to keep pace with the overall GNP growth over the last decades. Sen pointed out, although India has seen a lot of economic growth over the past 20 years, wages, especially that of rural labour, have fallen behind. Comparing wage rise...

-The Hindu Oppression and discrimination suffered by the low caste groups and Dalits at the hands of the dominant caste groups in Haryana and Rajasthan is reproduced within the families bringing in wives from other parts of India. The brides are “needed” solely for their ability to perform free reproductive and productive labour. They are also preferred over local women as the loosening of natal family connections renders them vulnerable to domination...

-Outlook Trade Unions have raised red flag against the retirement fund body EPFO's suo moto decision to make submission of Aadhaar mandatory for its over 50 million existing subscribers and new members. Questioning the decision of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), the trade union leaders said that it would be impossible for the members to provide Aadhaar numbers as the scheme was not operational in many parts of the country. Also...

-Frontline Maharashtra’s sugarcane farmers are a worried lot as the State government backs out from the sugar pricing process.  Sangli & Kolhapur: KOLHAPUR and Sangli districts in Maharashtra form the heartland of Indian sugar industry. This time of year is generally the busiest, with itinerant labourers cutting sugarcane and loading it on to tractors that roar off to the more than 20 sugar factories in the two districts. In November and December,...