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H R BULLETIN VOLUME 15
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HUMANE-R|VOLUME15
HR BULLETIN
View: The clamour…and silence…over MSP in the Farm Bills Most protests over the Farm Bills – now Act – are associated with the Minimum Support Price (MSP) — the premise being that the Act is the proverbial Trojan horse by which procurement operations by the government will be withdrawn gradually. These protests are perhaps the loudest in northern states, traditionally India’s wheat basket and rice bowl. To allay these concerns, the government immediately announced its rabi MSPs, increasing prices in nominal terms by 6 per cent for six crops, including wheat. But equally deafening is the silence and apparent lack of concern over the MSP in other states. Why haven’t all farmers been as vociferous? It is after all a pan-India price, announced for 23 crops across both seasons. First, some context: the MSP system, in place since the mid-1960s, was part of the country’s drive to reduce dependence on food imports. It was an integral part of a package that included subsidized inputs meant to incentivize farmers to adopt new technologies and enhance farm productivity. And as the name suggests, the MSP was meant to protect farmers against price crashes that could (and do) occur with large harvests. It is in its role as a floor price that a credible MSP — that is, one backed by procurement — matters to farmers. This is because procurement has effectively filled in for missing insurance markets; uptake of crop insurance remains stubbornly low.
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In principle, in deficit states (where demand exceeds local supply), market prices should be higher than the MSP, obviating the need for supporting the market at the level of MSP. However, this differential could be dampened or even eliminated by the distribution of grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). For example, the NFSA allocates over 3 million tons of rice to Bihar. Compare this with a total production of 5 million tons (of which 1 million tons is procured); the NFSA allocation is bound to flood the market and reduce prices (unless there are exports out of the state). As such, the MSP matters more in historically surplus states of Punjab and Haryana, where the government purchases over 80 per cent of wheat and rice output. It is but natural that farmers there are protesting, while protests are muted in states such as Bihar, where the government procures at most a quarter of rice output and no wheat. In practice there is wide variation in the implementation of the MSP, across crops, states and categories of farmers. A 2016 report by the Niti Aayog notes that all surveyed Punjab farmers reported selling at the MSP, while other states often saw only one-third of farmers reporting sales at the MSP, and some, none at all (with sales at the lower open market prices). The report also finds that large farmers are able to sell a greater share of their produce at the MSP as compared to smaller farmers, who often rely on aggregators to sell their output. An announced MSP without credible purchases by state agencies, is not only ineffective but can have unintended deleterious consequences, especially when the market is dominated by a few buyers, as is often the case in agricultural markets. For example, in Bihar when open market prices of tur dal (pigeon pea) were at a peak of over Rs. 200 per kg in 2015-16, and the MSP was at Rs. 45 per kg, traders were successfully able to tacitly collude by anchoring the prices they offered to farmers to levels well below the MSP. Because the state has relatively few market yards within easy distance, farmers, especially those with small marketable surpluses, could not realize the high market prices. Even for rice, a crop for which MSP is backed by procurement, the degree to which farmers receive the MSP depends on whether procurement is through a levy on millers, or through custom milling where the government buys directly from farmers. While the levy system has no mechanism in place to ensure that millers buy grain at the MSP, custom milling has also been resisted as being unprofitable for millers, leading to a strike by millers in Odisha. Thus while the MSP has played a role in mitigating downside risk for farmers, its effectiveness depends on the interplay of NFSA operations, crop choices, the degree of intermediation and competition (amongst buyers) in the market, and MSP implementation. More market-driven outcomes will require investments in infrastructure, so that farmers can expand their options to sell, and to operate in a level playing field. The MSP is not — and nor should it be — a substitute for technology-driven increases in farmer incomes.
Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/viewthe-clamour-and-silence-over-msp-in-the-farm-bills/articleshow/78514294.cms
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'Over 93,500 data science jobs vacant in India' Despite COVID-19, the enthusiasm and optimism around the analytics function in India continues to remain high with India contributing 9.8% of the total global analytics job openings in August 2020 compared to 7.2% in January this year. A study on jobs and hiring trends in analytics and data science domains conducted by Great Learning, one of India’s leading EdTech companies for professional and higher education reveals that over 93,500 data science jobs were vacant in India at the end of August 2020. The study provides a comprehensive view of the data science job landscape in 2020, including the impact that COVID-19 has had on the vacancies in the sector. Insights from the recent Jobs and Hiring Study in Analytics and Data Science domains: • India’s share of data science jobs growing with large IT companies increasing their presence in India • BFSI continues to be the domain with highest job openings • Demand for mid and senior level professionals shows a spike in 2020 Demand despite COVID-19 fury Despite COVID-19, the enthusiasm and optimism around the analytics function in India continues to remain high with India contributing 9.8% of the total global analytics job openings in August 2020 compared to 7.2% in January this year. While the sector did witness a slight decrease in vacancies (from 109,000 vacancies in February to 82,500 vacancies in August 2020), the demand has continued to be fairly consistent across key industry sectors. The factors contributing to the increased demand include a year-on-year increase in funding in Indian analytics startups, investment in the development of enhanced analytics capabilities in India, and a greater proportion of jobs outsourced to firms Hiring by experience levels The study reveals the growing demand for mid and senior level professionals with ove..
Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/news/talent-acquisition/over93500-data-science-jobs-vacant-in-india-27216
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Shortage of human resources in Kerala hampering battle against COVID With the number of cases multiplying by the day, more wards and ICUs are being set up without enough nurses and doctors to take care of the patients Amidst acute shortage of medical and support staff, the faculty in all government medical college hospitals across Kerala have been agitating against the suspension of a COVID nodal officer and two nurses, on charges of lack of inadequate care given to an elderly patient. The medical fraternity maintains that it is the lack of adequate staff and helping hands that has led to such a situation and that the nodal officers cannot be blamed or accused of negligence. The state government has been criticised for demotivating health-care staff who have been working relentlessly through these troubled times, risking exposure and bearing extreme work pressure amidst shortage of hands. While more wards and ICUs are being set up to cater to the COVID cases that are multiplying by the day, nothing is being done to provide enough doctors, nurses and support staff to manage these wards. The existing staff already have their hands more than full. The agitating medical faculty righty feel that this is the time when those in the healthcare should be given extra facilities and benefits, instead of suspending them for negligence amidst such acute shortage of staff . Health Minister KK Shailaj recently mentioned that despite hiring about 2,000 people, including doctors, the state is still in need of thousands of human resources, as the cases are increasing at the rate of 10,000 a day. There is also an acute shortage of ventilators. Recently, the State Government’s decision to deploy doctors of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital at second-line COVID treatment centres was opposed by the Kerala Medical Postgraduate Association. The Association argues that this move will adversely affect the tertiary care given to both COVID and non-COVID patients at the medical col..
Read more at: https://www.hrkatha.com/news/shortage-of-human-resourcesin-kerala-hampering-battle-against-covid/
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TCS announces salary hike for employees The salary increase will be effective from October 1 and will be across all bands of employees. Indian IT major, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has decided to go ahead with the salary hike for all its employees. The salary hike will be effective from October 1 and the quantum of raise is being worked out, the company said.
Soon after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, TCS in April had decided to freeze the salary hike decision as a cautionary move. "The salary increase will be across all bands of employees and it (the quantum) will be similar to what we had done in the past," said Milind Lakkad, the Chief Human Resource Officer at the Tata Group company. With this announcement, TCS has become the first among the Indian IT firms to announce a pay increase. The company also shared that it will continue to invest in organic talent development, with a focus on upskilling and innovative training methods. TCS employees logged in 10.2 MN learning hours in Q2, a 29 percent increase over the prior quarter, the company said. Over 352,000 employees have been trained on multiple new technologies, and over 427,000 have been trained in agile methods. In context to hiring, Milind Lakkad, Global Head, Human Resources, TCS shared in the media that the company has started to onboard freshers and have increased their recruitment globally in Q2 and are in anticipation of the growth trajectory. TCS had onboarded virtually 7,200 trainees in India, around 1,000 in the US, and close to 100 in Europe during the quarter. "The business model is strong enough to withstand any challenges," said Lakk..
Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/news/compensation-benefits/tcsannounces-salary-hike-for-employees-27224
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Adidas appoints Amanda Rajkumar as new HR Chief Adidas has appointed Amanda Rajkumar, an executive from French bank BNP Paribas, as its new Head of Human Resources. Amanda Rajkumar has been appointed to the Adidas Executive Board: Beginning of 2021, the British national and HR professional will join the then six-member Executive Board of the sporting goods company as Executive Board Member responsible for Global Human Resources. Amanda Rajkumar holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Goldsmiths College, London University, and has over 24 years of human resources experience in global organizations. She joins Adidas from BNP Paribas, where over 11 years, she held a number of executive HR leadership positions for different business divisions based out of the UK and the U.S. Most recently she was Head of Human Resources for the Americas region, including responsibility for the Intermediary holding company of BNP Paribas in the Americas. Prior, she worked for JPMorgan for almost a decade in various senior HR management positions. Previous professional positions include the London-based recruitment consultancy JM Management, and she began her professional career in 1993 as a research psychologist. "Amanda’s longstanding expertise in human resources and her profound understanding of people care and inclusion will be an excellent addition to the Executive Board and Adidas," said Thomas Rabe, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Adidas AG.
Read more at: https://www.peoplematters.in/news/c-suite/adidas-appoints-amandarajkumar-as-new-hr-chief-27233
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