After 4 successive Repo rates this year, the latest hike by RBI by 35 basis points has taken the overall increase in basic bank interest to 225 points which is making the very survival of micro and small scale entrepreneurs difficult by eating away their already thinning margins, K.N. Narasimha Murthy president of KASSIA in a release and urged the Government to extend a helping hand to the MSEs at a time when they are just coming out of the pandemic hit environment.
“The MSMEs are the second largest provider of jobs after agriculture and their manufacturing sector contribution to the GDP is over 30%, and therefore when they feel burdened it is incumbent on the government to provide them some relief,” the KASSIA president said.
With Inflation around 9.1% highest since 2008, higher borrowing interest rate could have an “amplified effect”, especially on the Covid-affected loans. Further the mounting repayment pressures will result in higher NPAs and bad debt in MSE borrowers, thus also adversely the bottom line of the lending banks, he pointed out.
“When such burdens are not followed up by quick and urgent relief measures it is natural for a micro and small scale entrepreneur to think of taking no risks in his business, defer expansion, survive with slow growth, and his confidence will reduce with higher credit stress and lack of willingness towards investment in new ventures. This will lead to increased unemployment, trigger a recession and rise in jobless population,” he said and appealed to the government to come to the rescue of the micro and small scale entrepreneurs who are fighting for their very survival.
Research society of studies of diabetes in India Karnataka branch (3rd largest Diabetologist body in the world. Karnataka branch chapter is in the forefront of academics) are conducting a state-level annual conference of KRSSDI where in close to around 600 Diabetologist doctors across Karnataka will be attending.
This will be an update on the newer forms of treatment in the diabetes and how to tackle it’s complications, plus creating an awareness about lifestyle changes workshop, diabetics foot work shop and many more things will be discussed.
This conference will be inaugurated by honourable health Minister Dr Sudhakar K and Guest of honour Dr Sudarshan Ballal of Manipal Hospital.
ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ NPS ನೌಕರರ ಸಂಘವು ಎನ್ಪಿಎಸ್ ಯೋಜನೆಯಡಿ ಬರುವ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ನೌಕರರನ್ನು ಹಾಗೂ ವಿವಿಧ ನಿಗಮ ಮಂಡಳಿಗಳ / ಸ್ವಯತ್ತ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಗಳ/ಅನುದಾನಿತ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಗಳ NPS ನೌಕರರನ್ನು ಪುತಿನಿಧಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದು, ದಿನಾಂಕ:01.04.2006 ರಿಂದ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಸೇವೆಗೆ ಸೇರಿರುವ ನೌಕರರ ಸಂಧ್ಯಾಕಾಲದ ಬದುಕಿಗೆ ಭದ್ರತೆಯನ್ನು ತಂದುಕೊಡುವ ನಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಈಗಾಗಲೇ ಮರಣ ಹೊಂದಿರುವ NPSಗೆ ಒಳವಡುವ ನೌಕರರ ಅವಲಂಬಿತ ಕುಟುಂಬಗಳಿಗೆ ಮತ್ತು NPS ಯೋಜನೆಯಡಿ ನಿವೃತ್ತಿ ಹೊಂದಿ ಕನಿಷ್ಠ ಪಿಂಚಣಿಯು ಇಲ್ಲದೇ ದಯನೀಯ ಜೀವನ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಿರುವ NPS ನೌಕರರ ಬದುಕಿಗೆ ನ್ಯಾಯ ಒದಗಿಸುವ ಹಂಬಲದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ.
ಸಂಘವು NPS ಯೋಜನೆಯನ್ನು ರದ್ದುಗೊಳಿಸುವಂತೆ ಸರ್ಕಾರವನ್ನು ಒತ್ತಾಯಿಸಿ, ಅನೇಕ ಹೋರಾಟಗಳನ್ನು ದಾಖಲಿಸಿದೆ. ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತ ರಾಜಸ್ಥಾನ, ಛತ್ತೀಸ್ಗಡ, ಜಾರ್ಖಂಡ್ ಮತ್ತು ದಿನಾಂಕ:19.10.2022 ಪಂಜಾಬ್ ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ NPS ಯೋಜನೆಯನ್ನು ರದ್ದುಪಡಿಸಿದ್ದು, ಪಸ್ತುತ ನಮ್ಮ ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ರದ್ದುಗೊಳಿಸುವಂತೆ ಕೋರಿ, ಅನೇಕ ಮನವಿಗಳನ್ನು ನೀಡಿದ್ದಾಗಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರವು ಸಂಘದ ಬೇಡಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ಪರಿಗಣಿಸುವ ನಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸಕರಾತ್ಮವಾಗಿ ಸ್ಪಂದಿಸಿರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ, ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ, ದಿನಾಂಕ:19.12.2022 ರಂದು ಫ್ರೀಡಂ ಪಾರ್ಕ್, ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಅನಿರ್ಧಿಷ್ಟಾವಧಿ ಧರಣಿ ನಡೆಸಲು ತೀರ್ಮಾನಿಸಿರುವುದಾಗಿ ಶಾಂತಾರಾಮ – ರಾಜ್ಯಾಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರು ಪತ್ರಿಕಾ ಗೋಷ್ಠಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ತಿಳಿಸಿದರು
-Magniflex India will run the collection drive in their franchise stores from 10th to 23rd December-
Bengaluru: 12th, Dec-2022: To capture and spread the magic of Christmas, Magniflex India is organizing a collection drive at its franchise outlets in Bangalore, Delhi and Ahmedabad, wherein all the outlets will keep a red Christmas bag, encouraging people to donate toys and cycles (new or unused) for underprivileged children. Each toy will have a personalized message attached to it and on December 23rd Mr. Anand Nichani, MD of Magniflex India, will give all the toys to NGOs that shelter children, and make the day special for them.
Today, when parents try to shower their children with more goodies than they need, this drive will strive to inculcate the habit of giving gifts, rather than only taking gifts all the time. In a bid to make Christmas special for underprivileged children, this year Magniflex will appeal to its customers and masses to join the collection drive whole heartedly.
GARMENT WORKERS TO CARRY OUT CAMPAIGN AND PROTEST AGAINST THE FAILURE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF KARNATAKA TO PROTECT THEIR INTEREST AND FAILING TO REVISE MINIMUM WAGES AS PER THE ORDER OF THE KARNATAKA HIGH COURT
Garments industry had wage revision in 2014 and even after 8 years since then there has been no wage revision. The law states that the minimum wage of the prescribed industries should be revised every 5 years. But the minimum wage revision in the garments industry is on an average every 9 years. Thus, the wages of garment workers are about 4 thousand less than the wage rates of other scheduled industries in Karnataka. Even in fixing the minimum wages, the government is doing injustice to the garment workers by following this discriminatory policy.
The Garments industry is a major industry in Karnataka employing about 4 lakh workers, 80% of whom are women. These workers face various forms of physical and mental harassment on a daily basis and are paid extremely low wages. Garment workers are paid only the minimum wages fixed by the government. According to the Minimum Wages Act, wages are to be revised every 3 to 5 years. However, in the last 43 years, the Government has taken an average of 9 years to revise the minimum wage for the garments industry, resulting in depriving workers of the minimum wages that is due to them. As a result of this, while the minimum wages of workers fixed for other scheduled industries in Karnataka such as Ceramic Tiles industry is around Rs. 18,176/-, the minimumwages fixed garment workers per month is only Rs. 10,441/-.
The Supreme Court in the case of Reptakos Brett has given the formula to be used for fixing the minimum wages. Based on that, if calculated at today’s rates, the minimum wages should be fixed at Rs. 28,200/-. Garment workers are forced to work today at merely 1/3rd of such amount.
The Supreme Court has held that when workers are forced to work for less than minimum wages, the same amounts to forced labour. When the Government has failed to revise minimum wages, it means that workers are working for less than minimum wages, and this is nothing but forced labour. Why is the Government of Karnataka forcing lakhs of women workers to work as forced labourers?
The Managements of the Garment industries have been vigorously lobbying with the government every time the minimum wage is to be revised. Unfortunately, the Government instead of protecting the interest of the lakhs of workers has been working on behalf of the Managements. While the Management of the Garment Industry makes profits in billions, workers are forced to work for less than the minimum wages, and the Government is supporting such exploitation.
Every time there is a revision of the minimum wage, the garment industry lobbies heavily to ensure that the minimum wage does not go up. The most recent example was in February 2018 when the government issued a draft order fixing the wages of the helper category at 445/- per day. However, this was withdrawn within a month due to the lobbying of the industry. This withdrawal was challenged before the Karnataka High Court and in February, 2020, the High Court ruled in favor of the workers and held that such withdrawal was illegal and directed the Government to complete the process of issuance of a final notification. Today also with Dearness Allowance the workers should have been receiving wages of atleast Rs. 14,000/-. Instead they are paid merely Rs. 10,441/-.
The Garment and Textile Workers Union (GATWU) has been raising its voice since 2007 at the Government level, before the Court and with the International brands about the unjustness of the wages paid to garment workers. Garment workers have been taking forth their struggle for fair wages and dignified working conditions under the leadership of the GATWU.
The Governments and the Management of the Garment industry has created a situation where women workers are forced to struggle even for the fixation of proper minimum wages. Despite the Court directing the Government to ensure the revision of wages, the Government has failed to do so, perpetuating the injustice against garment workers
In this regard, GATWU is launching an agitation demanding for an increase in minimum wages to Garment Workers. As part of this campaign, GATWU will be distributing pamphlets, carrying out a postcard campaign, holding factory level meetings and protests as well as staging a massive protest by workers at Freedom Park.
City Today News 
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