IT firms illegally collect employee CSR contributions, says Bellad

Arvind Bellad, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, accused some IT firms of illegally collecting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributions from their employees. He said these funds should come from the companies' profits, not from workers' salaries. During a discussion about the state budget in the Assembly, Mr. Bellad presented evidence from a salary slip of an apprentice at a major IT company. He pointed out that this apprentice had ₹260 deducted for CSR from a monthly salary of ₹16,000. Bellad criticized these companies for taking credit for CSR efforts while relying on employee contributions. He also claimed that many IT firms are hiring workers as apprentices to pay them low wages and get full work output. He noted that these apprentices often do not know they are being hired under these terms during interviews. "This is misleading educated youth," Bellad said, urging the Labour Department to protect these workers. Additionally, Bellad raised concerns about changes made to the Right to Education law. He urged the government to remove a clause that requires students to attend private schools only if there are no government schools nearby. He also suggested including parents in the voting process for the Legislative Council, to better represent student interests. Finally, he called for the introduction of a face recognition attendance system for teachers in government schools, similar to one planned for students.