-The Indian Express These vulnerabilities of the Informal sector became even more prominent as the entire country went into a state of suspension due to the lockdown enforced as a state response to the pandemic. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech referred to the implementation of the four labour codes, closing the process that started 20 years ago. She also mentioned a handsome Rs 15,700 crore for MSMEs, more than...
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Recognising housework: Is paying the only way? -Soumya Kapoor Mehta and Sona Mitra
-Hindustan Times While it is a welcome attempt to provide worth to housework, steps to reduce and redistribute such work are perhaps more important than asking for women’s unpaid work to be monetised, even notionally. They are important to ensure women’s rights and a sense of social justice. In January, the Supreme Court directed an insurance company to pay a higher claim amount by taking into account the unpaid work performed by...
More »Budget 2021 fails to give priority to boosting jobs -Ashwini Deshpande
-The Indian Express The budget should have shown how serious it was about inclusive growth by announcing direct cash support to informal workers, circular migrants, agricultural labour, in addition to steady in-kind food transfers from the overflowing coffers of the FCI by making PDS universal. India’s annual budget, announced amidst much anticipation, focused on health as one of its key pillars. The fact that health and “inclusive growth” found their way into...
More »One out of five in Informal sector are out of work post lockdown -Prashant K Nanda
-Livemint.com More than two-thirds (69%) of those employed in February had lost work during the lockdown, the survey said Almost one out of every five workers in the Informal sector are either out of labour market or remain unemployed, said a new survey by the Azim Premji University for the post-lockdown October-December period found. The survey showed that while 3% were unemployed and 4% more were out of the labour market in the...
More »Imbalances in India’s cereal economy need more than a short-term fix -Jean Dreze
-The Indian Express The need of the hour is to expand distribution under the PDS. Failing that, the country is heading towards another round of wasteful stock accumulation even as poor people struggle to feed their families. The paradox of “hunger amidst plenty” has haunted India for a long time and shows no sign of going away. On the contrary, it reached a new plane in 2020. On the one hand, the...
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