Companies To Face Action If Staff Offer Namaz In Parks, Say Noida Police
NOIDA: Public spaces such as parks can't be used for religious activities, the Noida police have declared and told multinational companies in Sector-58 to direct their employees not to offer Friday prayers in a community park. The notice also warns the companies that they will be held liable for any violation by their employees.
The companies, which have sought a meeting with senior police officers for clarification, also plan to approach the court against the order, sources told NDTV.
After the notice created a furore in Noida's industrial hub, the police went into damage-control mode and said that the notice isn't religion-specific.
Sources have told NDTV that a few Hindu groups had complained to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Noida claiming that offering namaz in the open "disrupts harmony" in the area. After that 58 police stations were instructed to notify these companies. Last week, at least 12 MNCs, including HCL, got the notice that specifically said "nobody is allowed offer Friday prayers in the park".
"It has been observed that some Muslim employees of your company go to Sector-58 park to offer namaz on Fridays. Please tell them not to do so. And if they still go to the park to offer prayers, then the companies will be held responsible for the violation," the order said.
However, Ajay Pal, SSP Noida, said the notice doesn't target any particular religion.
"Some people had sought permission to offer prayers in a park in Sector-58, but they weren't allowed by the city magistrate. And still a lot of people gathered there. The notice aims to discourage all sorts of religious gatherings," Mr Pal said.
Mualana Nauman, who has been offering namaz in Sector-58 park for the last five years, told NDTV that on December 14, the police told him and others not to offer namaz in Sector-58 park. But Nauman and his friend were arrested four days later even though they had followed the direction, he said.
"My friend Adil Rasheed and I were arrested on December 18 for disrupting peace and harmony, the police told us. We got bail on December 22," he said.
Earlier this year, right-wing organisations had disrupted namaz at several places in Gurgaon. The activists alleged that some people were trying to grab land in a bid to merge it with a mosque.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had also said it wasn't right to pray in open spaces. But clarified he wasn't trying to stop anyone from offering prayers.
"If there is shortage of places for offering namaz, it should be done in personal spaces, inside homes," Mr Khattar added.
courtesy: ndtv.com
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Cong slams Modi govt as 'anti-worker', calls for review of new Labour code
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday accused the Modi government of being "anti-worker" and demanded that the new labour code be reviewed, MGNREGA be revived as well as a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day be established.
On International Labour Day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a swipe at the government and said unemployment in India today is a direct consequence of the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' policies.
"Driven by the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' policy, the Modi government implemented an anti-worker Labour Code. As a result, unrest has erupted everywhere - be it in Noida, at the IOCL facility in Panipat, Adani's factory in Raikheda, NTPC Patratu, or the Samsung factory in Sriperumbudur," Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X.
Instead of ensuring job security, this Code promotes policies such as contract labour and 'Hire & Fire' practices, Kharge said and called for a review of the new Labour Code.
The Modi government has effectively dismantled MGNREGA by forcibly pushing legislation through Parliament, he alleged.
"Mr. Modi has shifted 40% of the wage burden onto the State governments. State governments are unable to bear this financial strain and will eventually be forced to stop providing work," he claimed.
The Modi government has compelled workers into a state of unemployment and pushed them towards 'gig work', Kharge said.
Currently, 69% of the workforce is working for wages below the statutory minimum wage, he said.
The Modi government has engineered a crisis of stagnant wages, Kharge alleged.
"When adjusted for inflation, the wages of the majority of India's workers have grown by less than 1% annually over the last decade (from 2014-15 to 2022-23)," he said.
The Modi government has created a massive unemployment crisis among the educated workforce, specifically, among graduates, Kharge claimed and added that jobs have been eliminated through the sale of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
"The government has refused to fill approximately 30 lakh vacant government positions. Furthermore, the government's policy blunders have led to the decimation of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)," the Congress chief said.
The Congress reiterates its five demands for India's workers including revival of MGNREGA and its expansion to urban areas, Kharge said.
He said a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day should be established, with MNREGA included within its scope.
Kharged demanded that a 'Right to Health' law must be enacted, providing Universal Health Coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh for laborers and workers.
"'Life Insurance and Accident Insurance' coverage must be provided for all unorganized workers. Preventing the contractualization of employment must be made a core priority of the government, and the new Labour Codes must be reviewed," Kharge asserted.
