-Economic and Political Weekly Farmers' unions and political parties have been demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan minimum support price (cost plus 50%) to address agrarian crisis and farmers' distress. But they have not raised demands for the implementation of the recommendations of the National Commission on Farmers, which have the potential to provide lasting solutions. Ranjit Singh Ghuman (ghumanrs@yahoo.co.uk) is a Nehru SAIL Chair Professor, Centre for Research in Rural and...
More »SEARCH RESULT
A bank account for Mary -Jayshree Venkatesan
-The Hindu The PMJDY celebrates success on its website, but thousands of Marys remain outside the banking system. This won’t change unless the scheme alters both design and implementation A few months ago, when the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) was still being spoken of as a success for the largest number of accounts opened in a day, earning the government a Guinness world record, I visited the branch of a...
More »National policy on domestic helps in the works
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The days of domestic helps, mostly women, toiling away for a pittance may soon be over with the government giving final touches to a national policy which will prescribe a minimum salary along with other benefits like compulsory paid leave every year and maternity leave. According to sources, the minimum salary could be pegged at Rs 9,000 per month while 15 days of paid leave a...
More »Unorganized sector may get complete medical care under ESI scheme -Mahendra Singh
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Rickshaw pullers, autorickshaw drivers, Anganwadi and Asha workers and other such vulnerable groups may get complete medical care (from primary to tertiary) under the umbrella of employee's state insurance (ESI) scheme. They may also be entitled for a range of cash benefits during exigencies arising out of their jobs such as death, injury, disablement, maternity and unemployment as guaranteed to workers in organized sector under the...
More »Of Poverty, Inequality and gigantic denials -Abhijit Mukhopadhyay
-Bargad.org A good amount of data from Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 are out – though the caste data are yet to be divulged to the public. And expectedly there is a demand to make the caste data public as soon as possible. However, currently that is not the point of public discussion. Rather, the survey data show in no uncertain terms the abject poverty and inequality which are...
More »