South Asia Citizens Web

May 11, 2020: WAF (Karachi) rejects the willful and arbitrary process by which the Cabinet has formed the National Commission for Minorities (NCM). Such unilateral decisions undermine parliamentary process and weaken democratic consensus without serving the purpose of protecting minorities. By ignoring and sidelining the recommendations of the Suddle Commission - a body mandated in the landmark and progressive judgement by Justice Tassaduq Jillani (2014) - the government reveals its contempt for court decisions and disinclination towards a fair and inclusive process and indeed, adhering to the Paris Principles (1992) as noted in the Jillani judgement.

The Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Federations/Associations vehemently denounces the blanket exemptions given to all establishments from the employers’ obligation under all substantive labour laws for a period of three years by the state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. In UP already the Ordinance in this regard has been promulgated and same is going to be done in Madhya Pradesh also as asserted by the Chief Minister there. Media report has also indicated that similar move of liberating the employers from all labour laws is going to be initiated in Gujarat also for a period of 1200 days, i.e., more than three years.

Some 7,000 migrant labourers from distant Jharkhand, Bihar and other northern states have been working at the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant near the southern tip of India. The L&T, a big and powerful builder, has employed these unskilled workers as its contracted labourers. Some of them have been employed by other local sub-contractors also.

In the early 1990s Russia used to have a strong sense of belonging in Europe. This began to change: the post-Soviet shock therapy reforms were a punishing transition to a free-market society, when a kilogram of sausage cost about the same as a monthly pension and many families experienced malnutrition and hunger. The sudden shift to a more “westernised” way of running the economy left many impoverished, which was eventually capitalised on – after the oligarchic power wars – by a new political leader who embraced a conservative, nationalist rhetoric: Vladimir Putin. Today, Russian television presenters feed us stories about a European continent in decay, where “aggressive migrants” run amok, where social services take children away from their parents for being “slapped”, where “sexual minorities” destroy traditional families.

Leaders of seven political parties have in a letter addressed to the President of India today raised concerns over the security, welfare, livelihood and future of crores of Indian working class and working people