-Newsclick.in The plight of the migrant worker exploded as a repeating theme in Puja pandals across Kolkata at a time when the central government made its scandalous declaration in Parliament about its “lack of data” about the number of workers who had perished, evading all its responsibility and obligations. Much ink has been spilt over this past week on this sculptural tableau of goddess Durga and her children as a migrant worker...

-The Hindu As per the extant law, bonus dues are barred only in case of employees dismissed for fraud, violent conduct and theft or sabotage. Those indulging in sexual harassment of any form could run the risk of losing out on bonus dues from their employers, thanks to a provision in the Code on Wages that the government is currently framing rules for. Among other things, the Code on Wages lays down norms...

-The Indian Express Bihar produces a quarter of India's corn, but few politicians are talking about a crop that generates over Rs 7,500 crore annual income for its farmers. Begusarai, Khagaria: “Makka hai das rupiah aur bhusa chaudah (maize is selling for Rs 10 and wheat straw for Rs 14)”. This statement by Chandrasekhar Kumar, a 15-bigha (13 acres) farmer from Sapaha village in Gogri block of Khagaria district, sums up the...

-Down to Earth Manpower minimised, water used in the process recycled; environmentalists hail the model, but implementation under cloud Idol immersion in Kolkata has turned a new leaf in the wake of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic through the ‘wash-and-melt’ model. Tridhara Akalbodhon, a club in south Kolkata, used water jets to melt its durga idols instead of immerising them. Environmentalists, too, have hailed the model as environment-friendly. The idols were positioned through...

-Down to Earth Creation of unregulated private points of sale will only ensure that the produce continues to be sold as before — at below MSP and without any government support More than 86 per cent farmers in India own or cultivate on less than two acres of land and have little surplus to sell. They are the victims of middlemen (arthiya) at the mandis (local exchange markets) and are forced, by...