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The Observer An IIJNM publication
Employees prefer work from home if given a choice between working in office and remotely | P 2
Vol. 21, Issue 7
By Kashish Sharma
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People working from home have to sometimes put up with distractions in adjacent rooms I Courtesy: Rahul Parashar leads to extended working hours and reduced family time, he intold The Observer: “It differs from company to company. We all have a good understanding with our management. There is mutual trust between employees and em-
ployers. Also, the work is systematically monitored. If some day I have to sit a little longer, I won’t mind doing extra work….” Urmila Rao, Anoop’s wife, has a different stance on the situation. “It is always good to have your spouse around; we have more time together now. But the problem is that this type of set-up comes with compromise from both ends. I usually take extra care while working in the kitchen, making minimal sound to provide him with the kind of space he requires to work peacefully. My husband has to sometimes bear with the distractions as it is difficult to make the child understand that his father is up to some serious work,” she said. Work from home has erased distinction between professional and personal lives. It has evoked varied responses from professionals who strive to maintain a work-life balance during the pandemic. Continued on page 3
Banned plastic bags continue adding to trash Reasons: Ban not being enforced, people don’t know By Arshreet Singh
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hopkeepers, vegetable vendors and small restaurants continue to use single-use plastic bags despite a ban on them, adding to Bengaluru’s garbage menace. Plastic bags less than 75 microns of thickness were banned by the Centre in September this year. Under the Prime Minister’s vision, single-use plastic is to be phased out completely by the end of 2022, as per the recently notified Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Amendment Rules, 2021, issued by the Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Plastic bags, however, can be seen everywhere in the city. The Observer saw plastic bags in people’s hands, with vegetable vendors, small general stores, and in garbage heaps on the street.
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Multiplexes pay attention to the safety of moviegoers, ask them to follow the guidelines | P 3
Maintaining the balance has been tough for moms
from home is so flexible. One can choose one’s surroundings, sit in nature, take a walk in between and have a meal with one’s family which is so important,” Anoop informed The Observer. Asked whether work from home
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Thursday, October 21, 2021
WFH blurs distinction between professional and personal lives noop Rao, who works for a US-based bank, starts his work at 5.30 pm. His mind is clear, not clouded with the unpleasant honking of cars. He grabs a cup of coffee and secures a quiet corner in his apartment. He doesn’t have to make his way through traffic jams, nor is he worried about returning late at night. As he works, he can hear his wife humming and his son babbling in the next room. No longer does he feel like he is missing out on family life. “I am saved from the long hours one has to wait in traffic. The commuting cost has been reduced considerably for me. Working
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Plastic bags less than 75 microns thick have been banned by the Centre I Credit: Arshreet Singh Suryanath Kumar, a vegetable plastic by July 2022. The third vendor at KR Market, told The phase will ban all plastic carry Observer:“Only a few customers bags less than 120 microns thick carry their own bags. We have to by December 2022. keep plastic bags, or else they will Enforcement has been lacking in go to the next vendor.” Karnataka. The state had banned The Plastic Waste Management the manufacture, transportation Amendment Rules propose a and distribution of nearly all sinthree-stage ban. The first phase gle-use plastic items back in 2016, aims to ban plastic bags less than irrespective of their thickness. 75 microns thick by September Though plastic bags have been 2021. The second phase will aim banned for five years now, singleto ban ear buds, plastic flags, ice use plastic items can still be seen cream sticks, thermocol, cigarette everywhere. packets, and cutlery made of “I am not scared of the cops. I
have never been fined, and they never check what kind of bag I use,” said a nearby fruit-seller who did not want to be named. Sharno, owner of Cool Junction , a small eatery in Kumbalgodu, said: “I have stopped carrying plastic bags because of the government ban. Now I use only paper bags.” The Observer however noted that the eatery has used plastic bags on multiple occasions in the past. When The Observer called the plastic bag supplier of the eatery, the man who answered the phone said: “We don’t carry plastic bags” and hung up the call. Vivekananda of Akshay Polymers, a plastic bag manufacturer, said: “Our sales have increased after the lockdown.” Asked what kind of plastic bags they provide, he said: “We have everything thicker than 55 to 60 microns as the government has banned 30 microns thick plastic bags.” The central government however, has banned single-use plastic items under 75 microns of thickness. Continued on page 3
News briefs WHO: Pandemic will drag longer than expected WHO has said the Covid-19 pandemic will prolong. Dr Bruce Aylward, senior leader at the WHO, said it meant the Covid crisis could easily drag on deep into 2022. Less than 5 percent of Africa’s population has been vaccinated, compared to 40% in most other continents. It can be attributed to the fact that poorer countries are not getting the vaccines they need, he said.
India crosses 100 cr inoculation mark
India has crossed inoculation of 100 crore vaccine doses, outpacing most countries. The milestone has been achieved almost 10 months after the vaccination drive began on January 16. The government aims to fully vaccinate the entire adult population by December 2021.
IAF aircraft crashes in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind
An aircraft of the Indian Air Force has crashed into Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind. The pilot was injured in the mishap. The IAF Mirage 2000 aircraft experienced a technical malfunction during a training sortie in the central sector. An inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident, IAF tweeted.
Uttarakhand flood toll mounts to 54
Flash floods and landslides in Uttarakhand have claimed lives of 54 people. Nineteen people have suffered injuries and five have been reported missing. Property has also been destroyed due to the unstoppable rain. Forty-six houses have either been damaged partially or completely.
Protest in Pak against oil price increase
A nationwide protest was launched on Wednesday against the Pakistan government over the rise in prices of petroleum products and edibles. As the Pakistan Democratic Movement began the 15-day protest, protesters gathered in front of the Rawalpindi Press Club.
NCB visits Shah Rukh’s house to probe drug case
Narcotics Control Bureau visited ‘Mannat’, actor Shah Rukh Khan’s residence in Bandra, Mumbai, in connection with the cruise drug case investigation.