-The Hindu Local governments remain hamstrung and ineffective — mere agents to do the bidding of higher level governments Democratic decentralisation is barely alive in India. Over 25 years after the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments (they mandated the establishment of panchayats and municipalities as elected local governments) devolved a range of powers and responsibilities and made them accountable to the people for their implementation, very little and actual progress has been...

-The Hindu There is now an opportunity to temper the rancour in Tamil Nadu over ‘migrants taking over’ jobs meant for locals, thanks to the data on migration — inward and outward — from Census 2011. Chennai: Controversies witnessed in recent months over the recruitment of non-Tamils in government jobs in Tamil Nadu have triggered a perceptible rise in voices against migrants taking up jobs in the State. The slogans demanding ‘protection’ of...

-The Hindu Business Line The apple season in Himachal Pradesh spells good earnings for workers from India and Nepal It is apple season in Himachal Pradesh — the time of the year when thousands of migrant labourers from Nepal, Bihar, Jharkhand, UP and Uttarakhand travel long distances to reach the apple belt of the State, hoping to earn hefty wages. From plucking, loading, grading, labelling and packaging apples, these workers fan out, from...

-The Hindu The automobile industry is in the grip of an unprecedented crisis. The downturn in the economy has led to a dip in production and huge job losses across the country. July was a difficult month for 28-year-old Rohit Rana. Since 2012, Rana had been employed in a diesel machine shop at Maruti Suzuki’s Gurugram plant in Haryana. As the eldest of three siblings, it became Rana’s responsibility to take care...

-The Hindu House passes a resolution opposing NRC in Assam In an unprecedented show of unity, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Friday passed a resolution opposing the National Register of Citizens ( NRC) in Assam. The resolution also categorically ruled out the possibility of any such exercise in the State. The development comes within a week of release of the final list of NRC, in which over 19 lakh people have been...