App-based gig workers in Karnataka state will shortly gain new employment rights and access to certain social security benefits after the state governor formally gave assent to an ordinance, or law, aimed at ensuring the welfare of platform-based workers.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 11 June 2025
Although India banned bonded labour almost 50 years ago, the practice still persists throughout the country, prompting calls for the union and state governments to drastically step up their efforts to eradicate it.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 11 June 2025
Migrant workers in India face significant risks to their health and safety, but a new community-based training programme by British Safety Council and labour rights organisation Work Fair and Free seeks to educate them on how to protect themselves and their co-workers from accidents and illness at work.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 11 June 2025
With rising temperatures threatening both productivity and worker safety in many sectors of Indian industry, the central government’s Ministry of Labour and Employment has issued an urgent advisory note instructing all States and Union Territories (UTs) to take measures to protect workers and labourers in a range of sectors from the health impacts of extreme heat.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 13 May 2025
Health and safety audits provide vital insights into the most effective ways of improving an organisation’s safety performance. However, to get the most from the audit process, it is vital a company is open about its safety performance and systems, and happy to hear ideas for improvement, explains Suresh Tanwar, senior head of audit and consultancy at British Safety Council India LLP.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 13 May 2025
The proportion of India’s population covered under some form of cash paying social security protection has almost doubled in just three years, according to a new International Labour Organization (ILO) report.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 08 April 2025
Temperatures in India in February 2025 were the hottest since records began over a century ago, prompting warnings the country needs to urgently step up efforts to protect both workers and the general population from the health risks posed by extreme heat and humidity.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 08 April 2025
India is implementing a variety of clean energy measures to hit its target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2070, including plans to rapidly scale up the generation of nuclear power. However, climate experts say significant finance will be required from developed countries to phase out coal power, accelerate renewables deployment and expand the national electricity grid.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 08 April 2025
Calls from high profile leaders of both Indian and global information technology companies for Indian and international workers to work longer hours to boost economic output and speed up the development of AI technology have led to warnings about the threat to workers’ health and work-life balance.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 10 March 2025
The Union Government’s announcement that almost 10 million gig workers in India are to be immediately granted basic health insurance and allowed to register online to access social security benefits has been heralded as a “game changer” in extending employment and social security rights to workers in the unorganised sector.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 10 March 2025
