Policy analysis

Nepal’s brick industry – valued at several million dollars and employing approximately 300,000 workers – thrives during its limited work season.

In 2023 alone, roughly 260,000 women worldwide died during or shortly after childbirth, with 22 per cent (about 58,000 maternal deaths) occurring in the Asia-Pacific – many of which were preventable with timely midwife-led care.

The report says that in India, sectors such as manufacturing, customer service, clerical roles, and routine administration are projected to witness the steepest job declines.

The risk of second-order effects from existing tariffs is also rising. A US-India trade deal, if secured, would reduce these risks, Fitch says.

Sri Lanka’s Government has a “historic opportunity” to end decades of impunity and deliver justice for victims of past violations, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) has said, urging sweeping reforms to address crimes committed during and after the country’s civil war.

For Pakistan, the challenge now is twofold: to address the immediate humanitarian needs of thousands of displaced people, and to commit to the long-term infrastructure, environmental and policy changes needed to withstand the storms of a warming world.

According to the study, which surveyed 2,000 workers from 290 units, 93 per cent of workers’ ESI contributions are not deducted, 92 per cent are excluded from PF benefits, and 90 per cent are not issued salary receipts.

Nayak argues the response is problematic on multiple fronts. Section 32, he says, is a weak, omnibus penal clause covering breach of official duty but does not specifically address wrongful inclusion of ineligible voters.