J&K gears up to meet any eventuality due to floods
Srinagar, June 30 : Timely action by the authorities on Saturday saved south Kashmir's Pampore town from being inundated as the flood situation continued to remain grim in the Kashmir Valley.
Police, roads and buildings department and the border roads organisation personnel plugged a breach in the embankment of River Jhelum in Pampore area saving the town.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N.Vohra chaired a meeting of senior officials here to discuss the relief measures and the situation that has arisen due to the swelling water level in River Jhelum and its tributaries.
The flood control department has already declared an emergency in the Valley as the water level in the river crossed the danger mark at Sangam (Anantnag), Ram Munshibagh (Srinagar) and Asham (Bandipora) areas.
Authorities closed all schools and colleges in the Valley on Saturday.
Flood control rooms and helplines have been set up in all districts of the Valley where the concerned district magistrates are personally supervising the relief and rescue preparedness.
People living in low lying areas and along mountain streams have been advised to remain alert and not to venture near the swollen water bodies.
Volunteers of disaster management and state police are continuously monitoring the situation along the embankments of River Jhelum to ensure that any breach in the embankment is plugged in time.
Many low lying areas in Srinagar, Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and other places are facing problems of water logging and accumulation of rain water in congested residential areas.
The Amarnath Yatra remained suspended for the second consecutive day as authorities did not allow any pilgrim to move from Jammu towards the valley on Saturday.
Pilgrims are safely lodged at the two base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam where authorities have made adequate arrangements for them.
Meanwhile, Sonam Lotus, director of the MET department told IANS that there had been relatively lesser rainfall in the Kashmir Valley during the last 12 hours as compared to the previous corresponding period.
"There would be light rainfall in the state during the next 24 hours (till Sunday) and there is no likelihood of any major flood in the valley.
"At the same time, the possibility of low lying areas getting inundated cannot be ruled out.
"People need not panic, but remain alert," Lotus said.
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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.
