-The Hindu They had sought inter alia universal social security cover for both organised and unorganised sectors Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said some of the demands raised by the various central trade unions, for which they organised a nationwide general strike for two days in February, were in advanced stage of consideration of the government. Those demands include universal social security cover for workers in both organised and unorganised sectors and...
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Bangladesh textile factories shut amid unrest
-BBC Many Bangladeshi textile factories near the capital, Dhaka, have shut because of unrest sparked by the collapse of a factory building last month, the country's textile association has said. Owners made the decision on safety grounds after many workers went on a rampage, the group's president said. Retailers in Europe meanwhile said they would sign an accord to improve safety conditions in factories in Bangladesh. At least 1,127 people were killed when the...
More »Rising farm wages will lift all boats-Neelakshi Mann and Jairam Ramesh
-The Hindu Investment in a scheme that guarantees rural employment with minimum wages should be seen as complementary and not alternative to development activities A recent paper by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) has argued that the "push" factors of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) are not as important as the economic growth "pull" factors, for increasing agricultural wages. The paper has received wide media...
More »Change in welfare plan funding pattern
-The Times of India The Centre will stop direct transfer of funds to districts or societies operating in states, and will instead provide the money to the state exchequer, having concluded that the existing system was the reason for multi-crore scams like the one in the National Rural Health Mission. The new system to put funds in the consolidated fund of states is apparently aimed at putting central funds under the scanner...
More »CAG, food security and good sense -Tejinder Narang
-The Hindu Business Line A new CAG report offers valuable insights into the likely implications of implementing the proposed food security law. The National Food Security Bill (NFSB) couldn't be passed in the Parliament session that ended last week, despite a spirited promotional pitch by its proponents - including Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen. Last week also saw the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) table its report on "Performance Audit of...
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