With 80 per cent of the world’s people lacking adequate social protection and global inequalities growing, top United Nations officials are calling for a new era of social justice that offers basic services, decently paid jobs, and safeguards for the poor, vulnerable and marginalized. “Social justice is more than an ethical imperative; it is a foundation for national stability and global prosperity,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a message ahead of...

AEPC is keen on tapping the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. "We have written to the planning commission and the proposal is also with the textiles ministry," AEPC chairman Premal Udani said. Training in apparel making could be made part of  NREGS for which the industry could contribute Rs 50 per worker per day, initially. Once the worker is employed the industry would give an amount equivalent to the government's contribution...

In a significant expansion of its health insurance scheme for the poor, the government has decided to bring workers under its flagship job guarantee programme as well as a host of workers from the unorganised sector, including rickshaw pullers and Domestic Workers. The labour ministry has decided to include workers who have worked under the National Rural Employment Guarantee programme for a minimum of 15 days under the ambit of the...

There’s both good news and bad news on the food front.   The good news is that wheat, maize and pulses production during the current year will be the highest that India has seen. Wheat production was expected to be high, thanks to the twin advantages of a high procurement price —- higher than international prices —- and favourable weather conditions. But pulses production too has zoomed, because of the soaring prices in the...

The United Nations began laying the groundwork today for a global “social protection floor” that would guarantee food security, health services for all and old-age pensions, with a senior official stressing that all that is lacking is the political will for an initiative needing minimum investment. “Social security is a human right. We’ve forgotten that for a very long time, but roughly only 20 per cent of the global population has...