South Asia Citizens Web

Second Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, 13-14 February 2014, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico. around 130 governments, UN agencies and civil society organisations are gathering in Nayarit where the Mexican government is hosting a conference on the Humanitarian Consequence of Nuclear Weapons. We urge you to ensure that the Indian government actively supports the Mexico conference and joins the call to ban nuclear weapons.

Sama-Resource Group for Women and Health and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan has been raising issues and concerns related to assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) and surrogacy for the past many years. This is to bring to your notice a case of medical negligence resulting in the death of a 26 years old Yuma Sherpa, following an egg donation procedure at New India Clinic, Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi.

Contractual production has been increasing steadily in even the most organised sectors, in the most modern industries as well as in the public sector which boasts of being a ’model employer’. Since the sixties the government policy has been definitely favourable to the growth of this archaic system. Contract labour which accounts for a significant proportion of the total labour force in the large-scale industries is also the most disgruntled and the most militant. The contract labour force often consists predominantly of depressed sections of society and populist movements in the region often find good support here. In 1982 there were over 11,600 contract labourers working in the Rourkela steel plant in different jobs such as loading and unloading, metallurgical maintenance, cleaning of machinery and miscellaneous other low grade tasks. This sample study of 155 workers not only draws attention to the poor conditions of work but also to some of the contradictions which trade unions face in making demands appropriate to contract labour.

The AAP govt in Delhi seems to have turned its back on its promise of abolition of the contract labour system

"Sochi 2014 clean we are ready to start" Zapiro’s Cartoon in Mail & Guardian (South Africa) - 7 February 2014