1. Yesterday, Kisan Mazdoor Sangarh Samiti, Bhai Dayal Singh who was also block president of the zone Shaheed Blaka Singh has passed away today. Dayal Singh had returned home yesterday from Singhu Border due to a cold that had caused him pneumonia.
2. Today, 3 Farmers passed away. Baba Kashmir Singh s/o Diwan Singh from Village Kuariawali of Fazilka area has passed away today. He was situated at the Tikri border.
3. Another Farmer in Madya Pradesh committed suicide yesterday because the electricity dept has been harassing him. Due to debt and stress, he ended his life.
4. Jashanpreet Singh (18yr Old) s/o Gurmail Singh has passed away at Tikri Border. He was from Bathinda and had arrived today. The cause of death is unknown yet
Rewari, December 31
A group of protesting farmers camping at the Delhi-Jaipur highway for the past 18 days today removed the two-layer barricading at Shahjahanpur (Rajasthan)-Khera (Rewari) border to move to the Capital. The police initially used tear gas shells to stop them but later allowed them to go.
Tension prevailed as the farmers were thereafter stopped by the Rewari police near Bhudla village, 12 km from the border. Hundreds of farmers however stayed back on the Rajasthan side of the Shahjahanpur-Rewari border. The police had to divert traffic on the highway to avoid a jam following the sudden movement of farmers. There were long queues of vehicles on the highway as well as alternative routes, causing inconvenience to the commuters.
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Mukesh Tandon
Sonepat, December 31
The farmers’ protest at Singhu border has got strengthened as not only farmers but also street vendors (who sell vegetables and fruits in streets) from across the country reached the dharna site today to show solidarity with the protesting farmers against the three contentious farm laws.
Shaktiman Ghosh, all-India general secretary, National Hawker Federation from Kolkata, said that they have come here from various parts of the country to extend support to the protesters.
“The farmers have been protesting at the Delhi borders for over a month for repealing the three farm laws. These laws will not only affect the farmers but will also affect the poor vendors who were earning their bread by selling fruits and vegetables in the streets,” he claimed.
Impact of Lockdown Relief Measures on Informal Enterprises and Workers
Much has been said and written about the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the Indian economy, the stimulus packages announced by the Government of India and the sad plight of the migrant workers. This article brings into focus segments of the economy that constitute the bottom of the labour hierarchy, namely microenterprises, construction workers, street vendors and domestic workers. Will the relief measure help refigure their livelihoods after the lockdown is lifted?
The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates informal employment worldwide to consist of 2 billion workers, or 62% of all workers. Informal employment constitutes 90% of workers in low-income countries, 67% in middle-income and 18% in high-income countries. Further, women tend to be more exposed to informality in low- and lower-middle-income countries, which makes them more vulnerable to economic shocks (ILO 2020).