All of us love clean and green environment, but sadly, we don't want to do anything to protect our environment. We pollute our environment and have made this earth unfit for life. Basically, there are three types of pollution-air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution. Apart from these, radioactive pollution and soil pollution are also posing serious threat to mankind. Pollution causes adverse effect to the environment and creates numerous diseases.

The most common type of pollution is air pollution. Gases like Carbon dioxide, Sulfur dioxide, Carbon Monoxide and suspended particles cause air pollution. Carbon dioxide is a Green House gas, which increases the temperature of the atmosphere due to which million of tonnes of ice shelves are breaking at the poles. As a result the sea level is rising and the coastal regions are submerging. Air pollution causes diseases related to respiratory system. Carbon Monoxide, which is also known as silent killer, combines with the hemoglobin of the blood and prevents it from absorbing Oxygen. As a result the person dies of suffocation. The Oxides of Sulfur and Nitrogen cause acid rain, thereby causing harm to monuments and crops.

Water pollution is caused mainly by the industries, which drain their toxic wastes into the rivers. The poisonous pollutants are killing many aquatic and marine animals and are also making the river water unfit for drinking purpose. Yamuna in Delhi has become sluggish mass of flowing garbage. Tanning, leather industries, farmlands, sewers and any type of occupation that one can think of, are contributing to this type of pollution.

Noise pollution, which was not taken seriously till recently, has become a serious threat and sound above 90 decibels for a long time can even cause nervous breakdown and may result in death. In India, this type of pollution is not taken seriously even today and the instruction of the Honorable Court is usually flouted openly.

Soil pollution is caused by the pesticides, insecticides, insanitary habits etc. These pollutants enter our body through food chain causing numerous health problems. Another type of pollution, which is extremely hazardous, is radioactive pollution. The radioactive pollutants cause genetic changes in our body and lead to painful death.

No doubt, the problems are many and complex, but the global consciousness on the issue of environment has been on rise. The children at present are more aware of this problem and are spreading awareness in the society. A lot is still required to be done. This gigantic problem needs sincere individual efforts. It is not only the problem of the Government but of every individual citizen. It should be a universal struggle for survival; else we would also sooner or later become an extinct species.

Over 25 per cent of the world’s workers are Indian. And 300 million young people are set to enter the labor force by 2025. With an average age of 29, India’s population is in the middle of a demographic boom. By 2020, when the global economy is expected to run short of 56 million young people, India, with a youth surplus of 47 million, could fill the gap. It is in this context that labor reforms are often cited as the way to unlock double-digit growth in India.

Why reforms? Because India still does not use its vast labor force productively or judiciously. In 2014, India’s labor force was estimated to be about 490 million, or 40 per cent of the population, but 93 per cent of this force was in the unorganized sector, ranging from vegetable vending to diamond trading.

Average daily wage rates are quite low, in rural and urban areas. The average daily wage rate in September 2014 for ploughing was just Rs.267.70 for men and Rs.187.17 for women. Any sowing work done by children would earn a further Rs.124.17 per day. A fisherman earns between Rs.268 and Rs.311 a day, depending on his catch, while animal husbandry workers earn around Rs.150.

Electricians and construction workers average around Rs.367.16 and Rs.274.06, respectively, while non-agricultural laborers average Rs.237.20.

Benefits are equally minimal. Women, in particular, have difficulty participating in the industrial labor force. The Maternity Benefit Act (1961) is largely underutilized. In 2012, just 2,441 women claimed maternity benefits across 84,956 factories. Only 3,289 factories provide creches, with 58 in Gujarat and 2,389 in Tamil Nadu.

India’s labor law regime has always been at loggerheads with industrial development and the ease of doing business. Over the past year, the government has attempted to reconcile this by amending the Apprentice Act (1961), making it more responsive to industry and youth, and substituting complex inspection regimes with technology friendly portals.

Labor reforms must be linked to the ease of doing business, creating a habitat where jobs can be fostered. Reforms must be linked to worker benefits, while simultaneously easing the compliance burden on small and medium enterprises. The labor law must be rationalized by defining minimum wages and linking them to inflation. Minimum wages ought to be revised annually, with penalties for their violation dramatically raised.

According to the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), we need 120 million skilled people in the non-farm sector. Amendments to the Apprenticeship Act are welcome. With no labour laws applying to apprentices, care must be taken to ensure that they are not transformed into contract labour.

Female employees of government schemes like Indira Kranti Patham or Anganwadi Worker remain out of the purview of laws. Scheme-based workers should be treated as regular employees and offered decent wages and social security. Equally, contract labourers must be protected. They should be covered by the Workmen’s Compensation Act (1923) for accidents, with inflation-linked wages and limited social security benefits from the Employees State Insurance Act (1948) and Maternity Benefits Act (1961) extended to them.

source: the hindu