-The Hindu The implications for Workers are also manifold in terms of productivity, training, and overall well-being. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the subsequent Work-from-home imperatives and lockdowns have led to significant economic disruptions around the world. As several millions of Workers across diverse sectors are asked to self-quarantine, an understanding of the impact of this shift and mitigation strategies becomes critical. The insights from prior studies on the...

-The Hindu The government must ensure that the spectre of SARS-CoV-2 is not replaced by the spectre of hunger The Central government has asked States to seal borders to prevent lakhs of Workers, who have been rendered jobless overnight with no guarantee of wages and shelter, from reaching their villages. The Workers are to be herded into quarantine zones. These atrocious actions amount to a mass criminalisation of the labour force of...

-NDTV Spraying chemicals on migrant Workers to sanitize them as in Uttar Pradesh. Locking them up in a shed as in Bihar. Opening temporary jails for them as in Haryana. Herding them into ill-equipped quarantine centers across national highways. A Home Ministry circular invoking the penal provisions of the National Disaster Management Act to imprison such defaulters. India has shamed itself in its utterly inhuman treatment of migrant Workers - jobless,...

-PTI/ The Hindu “While the ITBA platform is not available to the officers for discharging statutory functions, it is still possible to follow up the pending collection matters by contacting large taxpayers telephonically/electronically,” IT Commissioner said. A three-month extension in deadlines for tax payment and filing of returns notwithstanding, the Income-Tax Department has asked field formations to contact large taxpayers over phone or email to follow up on pending collections. Rakesh Gupta, Commissioner...

-Business Standard Dreze was part of academicians and activists who recently wrote to the Centre about the situation of the migrant Workers Jean Dreze, a renowned Belgian-born Indian economist, says migrant Workers are not feeling safe and that is why they are desperate to go back home. He tells Indivjal Dhasmana the Centre’s new order that labour should stay where it is will be difficult to implement. Dreze was part of academicians...