India has notified the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026, effective immediately, to implement the OSH&WC Code, 2020. The rules are aimed at inter-state migrant workers and mark a sharp break from the 1979 contractor-focused regime, which left self-driven migrants largely invisible. Key changes include recognizing self-moved workers, requiring standardized appointment letters, setting up a digital database, enabling portable ration cards, and introducing journey and displacement allowances tied to worker tracking systems.
Nia one is tackling India’s gig-worker instability by building “studios” in major manufacturing hubs, offering accommodation, meals, grocery and upskilling without deposits. Founded by Sachin Chhabra and Lt Col Pushkar Raj, the model is designed around one goal: help workers reliably save and send ₹8,000 home monthly. Seed-funded by Elevar Equity, it now eyes a Series A and plans an AI financial advisor for migrants.
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A missile strike in the Mideast killed Bangladeshi migrant worker Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun, underscoring the growing danger for millions employed across the Gulf. While these workers keep Gulf economies running, they’re caught between lucrative wages and the escalating risk of conflict, with many unable to return home due to soaring prices and constrained options.
Six years after earlier promises, migrant workers are again facing worsening hardship. Protests have broken out over low wages and poor working conditions as living costs rise faster than government responses. Welfare schemes and housing programs are struggling to deliver on the ground, while uncertainty around new labour codes adds fresh risk. Rural distress is also rising, leaving workers trapped in a cycle of exploitation.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee condemned the killing of a Bengali-speaking migrant worker from Murshidabad after an altercation in Sambalpur, Odisha. She alleged the victim was targeted over language, announced financial aid for his family, and said arrests and police action have been taken following the incident.
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