Economy

The auditorium was packed with women dressed in their best, clutching umbrellas. The week-long rainy weather and the challenge of getting to the venue, St Joseph’s College of Commerce, during the evening rush hour did not deter members of the Domestic Workers’ Rights Union from gathering there on July 26th to hold a public hearing to air grievances and demand their rights. One by one, domestic workers walked onto the stage to give testimony and speak about their challenges while officer bearers of the union provided the context. The women raised several issues, including wage theft, false criminalisation and police…

At the recently held BBMP – Work Orders, Budgets and Processes Datajam, a group of citizen volunteers analysed the data available in the public domain, here are their observations and suggestions on BBMP’s cess collection. To:Sri. Nagaraj SherigarBBMP Additional Commissioner (Finance) Dear Sir, We are a group of citizen volunteers who would like to share our observations and suggestions on BBMP’s cess collection. Observations: We attempted to find out how much cess and surcharge was being collected each year by BBMP based on the agency’s cess receipts and where it was spent. The team found that although typically cess forms…

The Karnataka state budget, with a total outlay of Rs 3.27 lakh crore, presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on July 7th, was expected to deliver on the five guarantees.  But Bengalureans were also looking forward to what the city's share would be in the budget and if it would be any different from allocations made by previous governments. The new government has often emphasised its commitment to improving the city’s infrastructure. The recent launch of ‘Brand Bengaluru’, a portal to seek suggestions from residents for the city’s development, can be considered a step in that direction. As was expected, the state…

For the past three years, Anjana’s family of seven has had only one earning member. Anjana and her father, both workers at India United No. 5, a National Textile Corporation (NTC) mill in Mumbai, have been without work ever since the mills closed down during the COVID pandemic. Her brother works at a vegetable store. Expectedly, the income is not sufficient to run the household. “I dropped out after class 9 and started working at the mill in 2019 because the family needed more income. Once COVID happened, the mill closed down. We got full salaries for two to three…

Mariamma, a 71-year-old weaver of bamboo baskets, sits on the footpath of K R Road, applying ointment to the wounds on her hands, hoping someone would buy the baskets she had woven four days ago. Weaving baskets has been Mariamma’s livelihood for the past 58 years. “I started weaving baskets at the age of 11 when I was a newlywed,” says Mariamma. “I have been doing it alone since 1984 after my husband passed away. Although this is our traditional occupation, we cannot afford to do this anymore, hence I did not let my children take up this profession.” This…

Bengaluru has been ranked the least liveable city, among Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Ahmedabad, in the 2022 Global Liveability Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). While the parameters of such surveys are contested, living conditions in Bengaluru slums certainly comes close to such characterisation. For example, the high price of liquified petroleum gas (LPG), a key household need, provided by Indian oil companies, has impacted people living in slums. The reality on the ground As one moves through the neighbourhood of Rajendra Nagar slum, large vessels are seen outside people’s houses. On asking the residents of the purpose of…

Translated by Geetha Ganesh கோவிட்-19 தொற்றுநோய் சென்னையில் பலரின் வாழ்வாதாரத்தை சிதைத்தது. கோவிட்-19 பொருளாதாரத் தாக்கத்தைத் தணிக்க, மத்திய காலக் கொள்கை பரிந்துரைகளை வழங்க, டாக்டர் சி ரங்கராஜன் குழுவை மாநில அரசு அமைத்தது. குழுவின் பரிந்துரைகளில் ஒன்று நகர்ப்புற ஏழைகளுக்கு தினசரி ஊதிய திட்டத்தை உருவாக்குவதாகும். இதைக் கருத்தில் கொண்டு தமிழ்நாடு அரசு சென்னை மற்றும் பிற மாநகராட்சிகளில் நகர்ப்புற வேலைவாய்ப்புத் திட்டத்தை (TNUES) அறிமுகப்படுத்தியது. இத்திட்டம் மகாத்மா காந்தி தேசிய ஊரக வேலை உறுதிச் சட்டத்தை (MGNREGA) பிரதிபலிக்கிறது மற்றும் ஒரு வருடத்தில் 100 நாட்களுக்கு உத்தரவாதமான வேலைவாய்ப்பை வழங்கும் வகையில் வடிவமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. சென்னை மாநகராட்சியின் பணிகள் துறையின் நிர்வாக பொறியாளர் (EE) கூறுகையில், “தற்போது சென்னையில் இரண்டு மண்டலங்களில் இந்த திட்டம் சோதனை அடிப்படையில் செயல்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. மண்டலம் 4 மற்றும் 6 ஆகியவை நகரத்தின் மற்ற பகுதிகளுக்கு விரிவாக்கம் செய்யப்படுவதற்கு முன் இந்த திட்டத்தை சோதிக்க…

Amidst much anticipation, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) presented its budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 on March 2nd. The total projected budget for this fiscal year stands at Rs 11, 163 crores. The budget's main focus is on construction and maintenance of road infrastructure, as has been the trend in the past years as well. This is mainly because of the sub-par quality of construction requires repeated expenditure on operation and maintenance.  It was announced that the total receipts of BBMP during 2023-24 will be Rs 7,070.11 crore, while the total Centre-State grants will be Rs 4,093.86 crore.…

On Monday, March 20, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister, Dr Palanivel Thiaga Rajan presented the budget for 2023-24 in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. The budget has a slew of announcements in store for Chennai, with the focus firmly on infrastructure, health, skill development and river restoration.  Reduction in revenue deficit and an improvement in the Tax-GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) ratio were some key highlights of the budget. Improvement in these parameters is vital for the state to be able to implement its welfare schemes, many of which are being piloted in Chennai before their expansion across the state. Budget places…

The hybrid work model, a combination of work from home and from office, has had a major impact on house rents in Bengaluru. Lakhs of IT professionals and their families, who had shifted out of the city during the pandemic and were working remotely from their respective hometowns, are now back and looking for affordable homes on rent. High demand for rented accommodation Homeowners, sensing an opportunity to recoup what they had lost during the pandemic, have jacked up their rents to unprecedented levels. Gated communities and standalone buildings across Bengaluru are seeing overwhelming demand for rented accommodation, especially home…