There are a total of 50 lakh registered beedi workers in India today, mainly women. Political leaders talked about empowering the workers through govt schemes & reskilling them.
Led by priests of the Latin Catholic Church, protestors have been camping on site for 136 days now & clashes have so far seen as many as 80 people injured & a police station attacked.
From a record-breaking number of households demanding work under the MGNREGS to the stark decline in consumption and FMCG sales — all signs point to a rural livelihood crisis.
Making earthenware no longer sustainable for Hira & Kaibarta community women in Kamrup’s Tarigaon. They are now selling fish for Rs 15/kg that would earlier fetch Rs 200.
A recent study shows that though the number of Indians, mostly women, employed in the beedi industry has increased nationally, southern states registered a healthy fall.
Speaking to ThePrint’s Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta at Off The Cuff, Kotak Mahindra Bank MD & CEO Uday Kotak said govt could explore direct cash transfers route if needed.
Bihar is blessed with a land more fertile for revolutions than any in India. Why has it fallen so far behind then? Constant obsession with politics is at the root of its destruction.
The plight of beedi workers is brilliantly captured in the song “Beedi jalai le, jigar ae piya”.
Ms. Bakhsh seems to have glossed ober this crucial element in her report.
The plight of beedi workers is brilliantly captured in the song “Beedi jalai le, jigar ae piya”.
Ms. Bakhsh seems to have glossed ober this crucial element in her report.