May Day 2026 highlights how labour rights struggles have shifted from long working hours to psychosocial stress in the gig economy, where workers lack legal recognition and security. Despite changing forms, inequality and exploitation between capital and labour remain largely unchanged. May Day 2026’s ILO theme is “A Healthy Psychosocial Working Environment” a nod to…
The Ken-Betwa Link Project promises water security for millions but is displacing thousands of tribal families in Chhatarpur with inadequate compensation and weak rehabilitation. The protests, including the Chita Andolan, highlight serious concerns about rights, environmental justice, and the true meaning of “voluntary” relocation. An Analysis of Rights, Rehabilitation, and Reality in Chhatarpur In April…
India marks May Day 2026 with strong labour laws on paper, but most workers—especially in the gig economy—remain without real protections. As platform work grows, the gap between rights and reality continues to widen, highlighting deep inequalities in the modern labour system. India marks International Workers’ Day on May 1, 2026, with the usual routine:…
India’s GDP ranking decline in 2026 is mainly due to rupee depreciation and data revisions, even though real economic growth remains strong. However, the real concern is that despite this growth, there has not been significant improvement in nutrition, employment, and overall social development. The Ranking and the Reaction The IMF’s April 2026 World Economic…
India’s gig economy is expanding rapidly, but millions of gig workers remain excluded from basic labour rights and social protections. The article argues that corporate CSR and policy frameworks must urgently evolve to ensure dignity, security, and accountability for this workforce. Introduction Ramesh Kumar wakes up at 5 AM every day. He has no office,…
A footpath cobbler’s quiet skill and dignity reveal a life shaped by hardship, caste identity, and resilience, as he supports his family and prioritizes his children’s education despite earning barely enough to survive. “Cobbler, cobbler, mend my shoe, Give it a stitch, and that will do.” The kindergarten poem lines reverberated in my mind as…
The Uttar Pradesh government, led by Yogi Adityanath, has approved an interim hike in minimum wages effective April 2026, providing relief to industrial workers. The move also clarifies misinformation and prepares for upcoming labor reforms under national labor codes. Lucknow/NOIDA/Ghaziabad – In a significant move aimed at bolstering the financial security of the industrial workforce,…
OceanaGold’s record P569 million social investment in the Philippines links mining profits to community development through a structured CSR model. It raises a key question: can such participatory investments create lasting impact beyond the life of the mine? There have been reports from the gold-copper mines in the mountainous areas of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino…
Women’s empowerment is not just about access but about agency, control, and decision-making. Across rural and urban India, true empowerment remains constrained by deeply rooted structural and social barriers. What if women’s empowerment is not about lifting women up rather about examining what has been holding them down? Who is being empowered? How? Under what…
India’s Jan Vishwas Bill 2026 decriminalises minor offences, replacing jail terms with monetary penalties to reduce compliance burden. It promotes trust-based governance and boosts ease of doing business, especially for MSMEs. A Law That Respects the Citizen India’s legal framework carried the weight of a colonial-era thinking for decades. The assumption was simple, and it…
