Surat’s identity as India’s Diamond City and one of its cleanest cities rests on millions of migrant workers who built its industries, contributed to its transformation and continue to face economic insecurity, inadequate labour protections and uncertain futures. Ask most people what Surat is known for, and they will say diamonds, or silk, or perhaps…
When more than 3,800 children are rescued from labour, the number is both a measure of enforcement and a reminder of the problem that still exists beneath the surface. A recent Press Information Bureau (PIB) release says the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), in collaboration with State governments and Union Territory administrations, rescued over 3,800…
Neha Dixit’s The Many Lives of Syeda X is the most important Indian nonfiction debut in years. It is also the kind of book that makes you feel a little guilty for not having noticed sooner. There is a woman who shells your almonds. She trims the loose threads off your jeans, sews the panels…
Climate change is not something that will happen someday. It is happening now. It is changing the way people live in India. The temperature is getting higher, the air is getting thicker because of the humidity, and the heat is staying longer every year. This is a problem for a lot of people, especially those…
Every food delivery, every cab ride, every quick commerce order placed in India is fulfilled by a worker who has no minimum wage guarantee, no health insurance, and no pension. That is not an oversight. It is how India’s platform economy was designed to function. That is now changing. The government has set June 22,…
Every democracy has its steady hands and its showmen. Some folks make sure the government just Works; others are happy to grab the spotlight, dressing up the daily business with big words. But, once in a while, you meet a third kind someone who quietly bridges the gap between what’s written in law and what’s…
Shanta Toofani (1929-2011) was an unusual social worker, activist and educator. She completed her schooling at the age of 34, while running a household single-handedly and bringing up seven children. Having educated herself despite all odds, she was committed to educating others, with fierce love. For several decades this tiny woman stood tall, teaching children…
As India’s app economy races ahead, millions of delivery workers, drivers, and service providers are asking a basic question: if the digital economy runs on their labour, why are they denied the rights of workers? “Convenience for the customer is built on insecurity for the worker.” At 10:45 on a winter night in Chennai, Aravind’s…
Ramesh, a 28-year-old delivery worker from Delhi working for a food delivery platform, spends nearly 12 hours a day on the road, yet his income remains uncertain from month to month. His story reflects the reality of millions of workers in India at a time when the Economic Survey 2025–26 estimates that the country has…
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…
