About 25 percent of the NYC manhole covers are made in India, where manufacturing them is 20 to 60 percent cheaper than it would be in the US. Other than saving money, it’s far from an ideal situation. Following publication of a NY Times article in 2007 showing Indian iron workers, barefoot and mostly goggle-less handling molten metal, the city vowed to contract only with businesses adhering to safety practices. Meanwhile, Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, king of the sweatshops, is among the top ten richest people in the world.
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