Terms won't be released until February or early March.
from Health Care https://ift.tt/2MitubI
via IFTTT
Body 2:
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Food delivery executives in Bengaluru meet Labour Min, seek better work conditions
The workers also submitted a memorandum to Karnataka Labour Minister S Suresh Kumar on Tuesday with a list of demands.
A delegation of food delivery workers in Bengaluru met Karnataka Labour Minister S Suresh Kumar on Tuesday. This is the first such representation to the state government by ‘gig’ economy workers. The workers of the Food Delivery Partners Struggle Committee, along with members of the All India Democratic Youth Organisation (AIDYO), asked Kumar to intervene and ensure better working conditions. In a memorandum which was submitted to the minister, the executives have asked the state government to ensure that minimum pay is set for them and benefits like accidental insurance, Employee State Insurance (ESI), provident fund and paid weekly offs are also given. Speaking to TNM, Vinay Sarathy, vice-president, AIDYO, Bangalore Chapter, said, “The Labour Minister accepted our memorandum and promised us that he will convene a meeting with the Labour Department officials and the ‘Struggle Committee’.” AIDYO had earlier advocated measures similar to the recent legislation passed by the US state of California, which makes it difficult to classify workers as "independent contractors" and guarantee minimum benefits. The meeting with the minister comes after AIDYO and its parent organisation held a workers convention on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, demanding benefits like health insurance and provident fund usually associated with regular employees. Recently these food delivery workers mostly Zomato workers across cities in India in mid-September had protested by logging out of their app over the drastic reduction of pay without any previous notice. Read: Several Zomato delivery execs in Bengaluru suspended after protest on pay structure Also read: Scores of Zomato delivery executives logout, protest against reduction of incentives Delivery executives said that Zomato has reduced their per-delivery-earning, increased the number of orders that will earn them an incentive, and has also increased the kilometres they need to travel to get an additional bonus. This change in the pay structure for those working average 12-plus hours, six days a week, would mean that their monthly incomes will be halved, they said. The workers claim the companies — Zomato, Swiggy, Uber Eats — get away with this by calling these workers “partners” but they are not consulted over work conditions. The meeting with the Law Minister by food delivery partners come at a time when a section of cab drivers who are currently dependent by apps like Ola and Uber are seeking government help to become more independent. Read: Section of Bengaluru Ola, Uber drivers demand fare meters for cabs, protest
from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2MP0OX1
via IFTTT
From college band to carving a niche: Bengaluru band Parvaaz on their journey
After a gap of five years, Parvaaz is releasing its second album on October 18.
If you talk about the independent music scene in India, it’s very likely that the band Parvaaz will figure in the conversation sooner rather than later. The eight-year-old Bengaluru-based band has carved a place for itself not only with its unique sound, but also with lyrics written in Urdu, Kashmiri and Hindi that hold on their own as beautifully written poetic pieces. The founding members of the band – Khalid Ahamad (vocalist/guitarist) and Mir Kashif Iqbal (guitars) – are from Srinagar. The duo met in college in Bengaluru, and were joined by their drummer Sachin Banadur, and bassist Fidel D’Souza in 2011. The four have been together since. “It’s an achievement honestly,” Kashif chuckles, “We have such different ideologies and figuring out how to work with them together is something we continue doing.” At a time when artists drop singles and albums frequently, Parvaaz, whose second album’s digital release is on October 18, has taken five years to put it together after their debut album ‘Baran’ came out in 2014. Parvaaz’s music is an eclectic blend of prog/psychedelic rock with folk and world music, and the band members say that their second album has been a long process in the making. “None of us are professionally trained in music,” begins Khalid. “We are inspired by sounds and soundscapes – they could be from anywhere. That’s how we have worked from the beginning. We all come from different backgrounds, and so everyone has a certain idea of a piece of music. When we play together, there’s a lot of arrangement and rearrangement that happens. So, shaping of a song is a lengthy process for us.” Ask them about their journey, and it turns out that the city of Bengaluru has had a significant role to play. “When we started out, independent music was taking off in Bengaluru and elsewhere. But there weren’t many bands that were singing in their native language,” Kashif recounts. “It helped that we started out here, because Bengaluru is the rock capital of the country. The response we got as a band that was singing in an unfamiliar language here encouraged us to keep making music,” Kashif adds. “As did the culture of people going out to listen to music as a social activity, and even the rock and independent music festivals that started happening in the country,” chimes in Fidel. While the band members have been spending quite some time together of late with their new album coming out, they like to unwind just like anyone else when they are not making music. “We order pizza, go for dinner with friends and family, finish household chores," says Fidel. "And try to balance life and work (music),” he adds. With such fond memories associated with the city, the clampdown on live music in Bengaluru over the last few months does bother the band. “It has affected us because where do you play when there no place or platform to perform, what do you do? But I think the younger bands are more affected, especially if they are only playing in the city,” Khalid says. Kashif points that if live music performances are not just about the venues or the artists making money for that evening. “It’s a big loss to the society in general, not just music fans. People who come out for a night out after a long week take back a lot with them when they attend a live gig, or listen to music. Music is food for the soul,” he says earnestly. “But I hope it becomes better in future… we’ll find more ways to do concerts. Musicians will find a way,” he assures. Music has also been a refuge for the Kashif and Khalid in the last few weeks given the communication blockade in Kashmir over the last many weeks. “We’ve finally been able to get in touch with our families,” they say. “But music is a place where we go to find peace. We write songs and create music in an isolated manner. So, there’s isn’t a direct reference or influence on our songs, but it’s there in the back of our minds always.” There’s a lot that Parvaaz has achieved in their career – critical acclaim and awards for their music and previous album and EPs, making the cover of Rolling Stone magazine’s May 2018 issue as “India’s Most Exciting Band”, going on national tour in 2016, and even opening for English rock band Alt-J during the Emerge Festival in 2015. But there’s still a long way to go, they say. “We want to spread our music as far and wide as we can, even go international. The goals are high, the rest is up to god,” says Khalid. “We also want people to truly experience our second album ‘Kun’. There’s a lot of hard work and thought that has gone into it… It’s a record of our last five years,” Kashif adds. Describing ‘Kun’, which means existence, as a theme-based album, the band urges people to listen to it as a whole. “As our drummer Sachin would say – just turn off shuffle and listen to the album from start to finish. Take it as an experience,” Kashif says.
Body 2:
from Karnataka https://ift.tt/32o7MIU
via IFTTT
Karnataka MP from Cong quits Rajya Sabha, set to join BJP
Former IPS officer Ramamurthy is also the Chairman of the CMR group which runs several educational institutions.
In another jolt to the Congress, KC Ramamurthy, the party’s Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka and former IPS officer is all set to join rival party BJP ahead of the Assembly byepolls. Ramamurthy confirmed the development to TNM. According to reports, his resignation from the Upper house of the Parliament has been accepted by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu who is the presiding officer of the Rajya Sabha. Ramamurthy, however, declined to comment on the exact reason which led to his decision. When asked if he is aspiring to contest in the upcoming Assembly bye-polls, he said, “That is a decision to be taken by the state BJP unit and the CM. But I don’t think so.” Recently, in the Rajya Sabha, he had asked the Centre to set up a coastguard academy in Mangaluru. Ramamurthy has been a Rajya Sabha MP for the grand old party since June 2009. He had also been a member of the Standing Committee of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Law and Justice. He had retired from the IPS voluntarily in 2007 when he was serving as the Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic & Security). Other than politics, he is also the Chairman of the CMR Jnanadhara Trust and has been previously associated with the Bangalore University as its registrar. The CMR Jnanadhara Trust runs a University that has engineering and degree colleges, schools and also a Montessori. Ramamurthy was an aspirant for Lok Sabha elections during the 2014 polls and was also rumoured to be joining the JD(S) after he failed to secure a ticket. According to a 2010 Deccan Herald report ,he was accused of cheating and fabricating documents in connection with a Rs 300 crore land grabbing case. He'd been booked for Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 474 (using forged document as real).
Body 2:
from Karnataka https://ift.tt/35Ei7Tm
via IFTTT
Explained: Why HAL employees are on an indefinite strike
Most HAL employees from across the country are taking part in the strike, which entered its third day on Wednesday.
The gates of all facilities at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bengaluru were shut for the third day in a row on Wednesday by workers demanding fair wages. The workers of the aerospace public sector undertaking are determined to continue the strike until their demands are met. "We will continue our agitation the government intervenes or our demands are accepted,” said Suryadevara Chandra Sekhar, the General Secretary of the Hindustan Aeronautics Employees Association (HAEA). Around 12 km away, authorities who addressed a press conference on Tuesday at HAL's corporate office and said that the two-year delay in revising salaries could not be attributed to the HAL management. “The HAL management made a fair and reasonable offer, which was rejected by the workers," VM Chamola, the HAL’s Director of Human Resources, said. There have been eleven rounds of negotiations between the All India HAL Trade Unions Coordination Committee (AIHTUCC) and the HAL management over the percentage of revision of wages, among other demands. HAL workers protest for fair wages This issue, which dates back to 2017, has now reached an impasse with most of the 20,000-strong workforce of HAL in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Koraput, Korwa, Kanpur and Lucknow and Nashik, on strike. Only HAL’s skeletal staff, essential to the organisation’s functioning, are currently working, according to the protesters. This is the biggest agitation in the company’s 79-year history, the workers said. There was a similar struggle for wage parity in 1981 which disrupted production in HAL facilities. HAL’s management said that the reason for the delay in negotiations — since 2017 — is due to the workers’ multiple demands. “The first delay was over the periodicity of the revision of wages. We wanted it to be revised once every 10 years and the workers wanted it to be every five years. Eventually, after a few meetings, they (workers) agreed for the periodicity to be 10 years," VM Chamola, the HR director, told TNM. HAL officials CB Ananthakrishnan and VM Chamola addressing a press conference on October 15, 2019 Workers’ wages were revised in 2007 and 2012, while officers’ wages were revised in 2007 for a period of 10 years. According to HAL’s management, the wages of workers have been revised twice in the last ten years. However, workers contest this and say that a single wage revision was done in two parts — in 2007 and 2012. Periodicity was later decided upon for a period of 10 years, but the percentage increase in the basic salary and perks became the main flashpoint as workers and officers in executive positions were given different rates of increase. Most of HAL’s employees are non-executive workers, and include technicians, inspectors, tool designers, tool planning who build aircraft parts. As part of the protracted negotiation HAL had with the workers, the last offer made by HAL was a gross salary hike of 9-24% with an average hike of 15-16%. The gross salary is the monthly salary considered before deductions. The percentage of hike in gross salary is decided either based on seniority or time spent in the organisation. Dissension between officers and workers HAL consists of both workers and executives, who allegedly get different percentages of raises. Workers have contested the management’s claim regarding a hike of 9-24% and demanded that they receive a similar hike as officers in the organisation. According to the workers, executives are given a 15% hike in basic pay and 35% increase in perks, and want the same percentages as well. Workers contended that HAL’s financial situation is good, an observation they made based on the company's annual report presented by the management to its shareholders in April. In 2019, HAL recorded a turnover of Rs 19,400 crore and a profit of Rs 2,282 crore (after tax). It was also a record turnover for the aerospace major. For the future? HAL has said that their financial condition is stable, but added that they are negotiating with the workers to ensure the growth of the company in the next ten years. “The financial condition of the company is healthy but it is based on contracts signed for products in the past, which are being delivered now," said CB Ananthakrishnan, Director of Finance at HAL. According to him, the company needs to be cautious about labour costs. “The orders (currently being negotiated by HAL) would be sufficient for the company's growth for the next three years. We need to get more orders to ensure that the workers are not kept idle. We need to be careful of labour cost while maintaining growth," he added. Workers reject management offer However, workers refused to accept the offer the management made on Sunday, which was its final offer after the last round of negotiations. “The management's offer will result in reduction of wages for a section of employees who have worked for as long as 15-20 years in the organisation. This is unacceptable," says Suryadevara. The workers released data claiming that under the management’s revision rates, employees would see their salary and perks reduce. Workers of HAL's aerospace division stage protest in Bengaluru HAL hasn’t answered this claim in detail so far, and has maintained that the revision of wages would not result in a reduction of perks for employees. The protesting workers intend to continue their agitation. "We are ready to sit across the table and negotiate again but there is no question of reducing our demands," said Suryadevara. This year, the PSU became the subject of a political tug-of-war between the Congress and the BJP over the alleged Rafale fighter aircraft scam. In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ensured that the offset contract for the French jets was given to Anil Ambani's Reliance instead of HAL. HAL produces and services fighter aircraft, jet engines and helicopters. The management stated that the company is currently negotiating orders for 83 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas fighters and 15 Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) with plans to develop light combat helicopters and their variants, and light utility helicopters. HAL's plans The company did not comment on whether they were referring to the economic slowdown in the country while referring to their business but they announced plans to reduce the workforce in the future. "At present, the labour cost is around 24% of the company's revenue. We will try and bring this down to 20% by optimising our workforce," CB Ananthakrishnan said. The management hinted that it would increase the number of employees hired on a contract basis to achieve this. But the management's first task will be to convince its workers to return to their jobs by negotiating an acceptable revision of wages. "Ultimately, the workers are a part of our organisation and we do not consider them adversaries. We are confident that we will be able to resolve this issue without the intervention of the government", Ananthakrishnan added.
Body 2:
from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2qkUBun
via IFTTT
Anti-terrorist squad to be set up in Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister
The announcement comes after the NIA highlighted the presence of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in several states, including Karnataka.
Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that a special anti-terrorist squad (ATS) will be set up specifically for Bengaluru to counter terror activities. The ATS will work in tandem with Bengaluru police and will be similar to units set up in in other metro cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai to curb criminal and terror activities in the city. "There was a plan to have an ATS specifically for Bengaluru due to its size and population. We want experienced and good officials and we will provide all the latest technology for them. We have taken note of previous incidents", Basavaraj Bommai told reporters on Tuesday. The announcement comes after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) highlighted the presence of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in several states, including Karnataka, on Monday. Speaking at the NIA's National Conference of chiefs of the Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) and Special Task Forces (STF), NIA's Director General YC Modi said, "In NIA's pan-India probe, we got to know that JMB is not only active in Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand but also they are spreading their activities in other states such as Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra. A list of 125 suspected JMB members has already been circulated to the concerned states." Earlier in September, the NIA said that a group of JMB terrorists had taken shelter at various hideouts in southern India which included places on the outskirts of Bengaluru to further the activities of the terror group after the 2014 Burdwan blast. The NIA had mentioned they had received information about hideouts in Attibele, Kadugodi, K.R. Puram, Chikkbanavara and Shikaripalya, Electronic City in Bengaluru.
Body 2:
from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2ONzGdD
via IFTTT
Director of Bengaluru-based Mantri Developers stopped from flying out to Singapore
A lookout notice has been issued against the top executives of Mantri Developers, which is being investigated over an alleged cheating case among others.
Police in Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport detained Snehal Mantri, Director of Bengaluru-based real estate major Mantri Developers as she was attempting to fly out to Singapore on Tuesday. She was later released but not allowed to leave the country. Snehal is also the wife of Sushil who is the Managing Director. Mantri Developers is being probed by Bengaluru police over an alleged cheating case among others. The detention was made based on a ‘lookout notice’ that had been issued by the Union Home Ministry following a request by Bengaluru’s Cubbon Park Police Station. This after some of the complainants in the cheating case had apprehensions of the couple fleeing the country. While Snehal was not allowed to leave the country, Cubbon Park police was informed of her detention at the Delhi airport. However, as Cubbon Park police said they don't need to take her into custody, she was released from detention. “In total, we have eight FIRs registered against Mantri. We don’t feel the need to arrest them now. So far they are cooperating with the investigations. All these eight cases are involving the Mantri Webcity project in Hennur. Police in Delhi had contacted us asking if we wanted her custody,” B Iyanna Reddy, Inspector of Cubbon Park Police Station told TNM. Other than the FIRs, there are multiple civil cases in various Bengaluru courts including the Karnataka High Court. Read: Several Bengaluru home buyers left in the lurch after delay in Mantri project TNM has earlier reported how many customers of this Webcity project felt cheated and had started defaulting on their home loans due to non-delivery of the project. This as many of the buyers struggled to pay the EMIs apart from having to pay rent for their current residence. In 2014, Mantri Developers had published advertisements of a scheme where buyers had the option of paying a down payment of 20% with the remaining 80% paid through a bank loan serviced by EMIs. What lured the buyers was that Mantri promised to pay back the EMIs for the first three years before the possession of the flat as part of the agreement after receiving 20% of the cost upfront from the buyers. Moreover, buyers also had the option of choosing to sell their property at the end of three years and get double the amount invested. As promised by Mantri, the first group of apartments were set to be delivered by mid-2015, but much to their distress, buyers allege that even till now there has been little progress in the work. TNM could not reach Snehal Mantri for a comment. Speaking to TNM earlier in March, Snehal had admitted that there was a delay. “It is nothing like that the project is not getting completed. It has got a little delayed as you know everybody in the industry has got delayed due to various factors. So now we are handing over in phases, which we have already committed. And it is nothing that the delay has gone beyond. But definitely, as per RERA, we will adhere to the dates as per RERA that we have already committed. This is the only project that has got delayed, tomorrow onwards you will see that the project is going in full swing,” she had then said. However, many customers told TNM that there was no affirmative action on ground.
Body 2:
from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2OOOwjQ
via IFTTT
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)