Udupi to seal down its borders for 14-days starting July 16, to control COVID-19 spread
Udupi: Udupi MLA K Raghupathi Bhat, on Tuesday informed that all the borders of the district will be sealed down for 14 days starting Thursday 16 July, in a bid to stop the spread of Coronavirus in the District.
After the Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday gave a free hand to the Deputy Commissioners to take a call on implementing lockdown or other measures to cap the spread in their respective districts, a meeting was held in Udupi on Tuesday, chaired by Deputy Commissioner G Jagadeesh and a decision was taken to seal all the borders of the district for 14 days, the MLA noted.
Free movement for the outgoing and incoming vehicles in the district will be allowed till Wednesday 8:00 pm following which the borders will be sealed.
During the meeting, allowing the emergency vehicles to enter and exit the borders was also discussed. It was also decided that if the number of COVID-19 cases surges even after a 14-day border seal down, the administration will consider complete lockdown in the district to cap the spread of the deadly virus.
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Telangana survey flags 89,000 child labourers, highlights caste disparities in employment
Hyderabad: A caste-based survey conducted by the Telangana government for 2024–25 has identified around 89,000 children engaged in labour across the state, with a large share belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.
The findings are part of the Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey, which covered about 3.5 crore people across 242 caste groups. According to the report, nearly one per cent of individuals below 18 years are involved in daily wage work. While the percentage appears small, officials noted that the absolute number reflects a serious concern.
The survey found that 11 per cent of identified child labourers belong to the ST Lambadi community, while 14 per cent are from the SC Madiga community. The highest incidence was reported among the ST Kolam group, where 7.2 per cent of minors are engaged in daily wage labour.
The data also revealed wider socio-economic disparities. Nearly half of the Scheduled Caste population is dependent on daily wage work, while only around 5 per cent are employed in the private sector, compared to about 30 per cent among General Castes.
State Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the findings show that SC and ST communities remain three times more backward than General Castes, while Backward Classes are about 2.7 times more disadvantaged.
The report further noted that, on average, 31.3 per cent of people in the 25–65 age group depend on daily wage work. Among communities, the BC-A Odde group recorded the highest share at 55 per cent. In contrast, only 2.6 per cent of OC Brahmins rely on such work.
Several SC and ST communities, including Kolam, Beda, Madiga, Koya, Gond, Yerukulas and Mala Sale, were found to have among the highest proportions of daily wage earners. On the other hand, most General Caste communities and some Backward Class groups such as Goldsmiths and BC-C Christians showed lower dependence on daily wage employment.
The survey also pointed to inequalities in access to formal employment. Communities such as OC Rajus, OC Brahmins and Kapus were found to have a higher presence in private sector jobs, with up to 27 per cent of their population employed in such roles.
