Skip to main content

Gujarat's 73% industries 'not paying' wages, govt must compensate 75% earnings

By A Representative
Estimating that Gujarat's 73% of industrial units have not paid wages during the lockdown period, which began on March 24, three senior social activists, economist Hemantkumar Shah, environmentalist Mahesh Pandya and farmers' leader Sagar Rabari in a letter to the Gujarat government have said that the state government should pay 75% of their wages for three months, from April to June.
At the same time, the letter, written on behalf of the civil rights organization, Gujarat Social Watch, says that unorganized sections of society, including petty traders, construction workers, agricultural workers, and others, be paid Rs 3,000 for three months in order to help their families as monetary help.
Proposing a large number of measures to former IAS bureaucrat Hasmukh Adhia, who has been appointed as head of the committee to revive the state's economy, the eight-age letter said the government must abolish tax of those whose incomes are more than Rs 15,000, and increase the tax of those whose income is more than Rs 50,000 per month from 5 to 10%.
Other proposals include 25% rise in the stamp duty on the sale deed of real state property costing Rs 25 lakh or more; increase in duty on petrol and diesel; increase in property tax of those owning housing space of more than 200 metres; distribution of income from religious places to farmers' welfare, and so on.

Comments

TRENDING

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Beyond data: The economist who refused to remain in the ivory tower

By Vikas Meshram   There are few people who are born into privilege yet choose to dedicate their lives to the cause of the poor. Jean Drèze is one such individual. Born on January 22, 1959, in Leuven, Belgium, into the family of a distinguished economist, Drèze has become one of the most influential voices in the study of poverty, inequality, and social policy in India. Having lived in India since 1979, he adopted Indian citizenship in 2002 and has since played a pivotal role in shaping some of the country's most important welfare initiatives.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah  Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".