-The Hindu   Even decades after independence, the introduction of a ‘secret ballot' for labourers to recognise trade unions remains elusive The National Democratic Alliance government, on June 5 and June 17, notified the proposed amendments to the Factories Act, 1948 and the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. Given that the process of amendments began in 2008 and went through a number of expert committees, one would have expected the amendments to be carefully...

-One World South Asia/ Women's Feature Service This is a success story. The backdrop: a small, dusty village in Madhya Pradesh; the protagonists: oppressed dalit women, who managed to shed their inhibitions and overcome centuries old caste and class baggage to save their children from the curse of hunger and severe malnutrition. Mundalana village in Sonkatch block of Dewas district is home to 800 dalits, out of a total population of 2,600. Owing...

India has witnessed many fiery debates on poverty estimates. Equally contentious has been the issue of inequality. Now a new report on exclusion offers a fresh perspective on poverty, inequality and social justice. (See below a summary of the report) Based on data and knowledge resources available in the public domain, India Exclusion Report 2013-14 highlights the systematic discrimination faced by women, Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Muslims, persons with...

-The Times of India   JAIPUR: Babu Bhai, a sahariya adivasi in his 50s, spent 24 years of his life as a Bonded labourer at Umrao Singh's farm at Chainpura in Kishanganj, Baran district. His father had died when he took a loan of Rs 3,000 and that led to his Bondage with no reprieve. When his brother died, Umrao Singh did not let him attend his brother's funeral as he had...

There has been a phenomenal rise in the percentage of elderly who are abused by their own family members, and although most of the victims are aware of police helplines, they seldom adopt such solutions. What can be the explanation behind such social behaviour? Based on a survey conducted in 12 cities across 8 states with a sample size of 1,200 elders covering both metro (Tier I) and non- metro (Tier...