Human Development And Social Security In India

The ultimate objective of all economic efforts is human development which encompasses quality of life, the level of well-being and access to basic social services. The pattern of economic development in India since Independence in 1947 has left in its trail a variety of inequalities which have caused socio-politico tensions. While the economy has performed well in terms of growth rate of gross domestic product (GDP), its performance in terms of human development indicators has been unsatisfactory. The social security situation in India is characterised by ambiguity in policy and responsibility. There is a variety of schemes but these have been framed at various points of time and, therefore, do not conform to any overall design reflecting a comprehensive and consistent policy or direction. A comprehensive concept of living standards includes the satisfaction of basic needs like food, clothing and shelter as well as normal satisfactions of family life, enjoyment of physical and mental health, opportunities for the expression of skills and recreational abilities, and active and pleasurable social participation. This book contains 9 well-researched papers -- authored by scholars in the field -- which provide deep insights into various dimensions of human development and social security in India. Besides, the social security vision of the Second National Commission on Labour is reproduced in an Appendix to the book.

Contributed articles presented at a seminar in 1999.

The Indian experience with reforms in the last two decades reveals that while there have been achievements on the economic growth front, inequalities have increased and exclusion continues. This volume emphasizes the need for economic reforms with equitable development. It focuses on key inter-related elements of inclusive growth: agriculture, poverty, food security and employment, social sector, and regional disparities; examining the performance, issues, and challenges. The author argues for pro-poor and people- centric policies. He suggests that growth and equity objectives should be pursued simultaneously.

With six essays exploring different aspects of economic growth, poverty, inequality and social security, this book offers a critical perspective on India's development experience since independence. Incisive and empirically rich, the book opens up new vistas in development discourse and informs current policy debates.

In der vorliegenden Studie wird eine umfassende vergleichende Analyse der Sozialpolitik mit Fokus auf die Soziale Sicherheit in Indien und China vorgelegt. Für dieses Vorhaben wird die politische Performanz Indiens und China im Politikfeld der Sozialen Sicherheit verglichen, um in einem nächsten Schritt die gefundenen empirischen Ergebnisse anhand der gängigen theoretischen Ansätze zu erklären. Die geleistete empirisch und theoretisch vergleichende Studie zwischen einer Demokratie und einer Autokratie eröffnet einen neuen Blick auf die Faktoren der Sozialpolitik in unterschiedlichen politischen, wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Kontexten.

Questioning whether certain sections of Indian society suffer from multiple deprivations, the Indian Human Development Report 2011 evaluates whether the social indicators of the excluded groups are converging or diverging with the rest of the population. The Report addresses three critical issues: (i) Do different social groups like the SCs, STs, and Muslims get excluded from the development process? (ii) Has India experienced inclusive growth in the true sense? (iii) How are flagship programmes/schemes of the government dealing with some of these concerns? Rich in data and analyses, this Report examines: human development index and profile for India and its states; economic attainment of the population, especially in terms of the two major sources of income-employment and assets; availability, access, and absorption of food and state of hunger and malnutrition; health indicators vis-a-vis inputs, processes, and outcomes; achievements and challenges in education; state of support infrastructure such as roads, electricity, housing, and telephony; and challenges facing vulnerable sections of India's population-child labourers, the elderly, and the disabled.

Human development demands that all social groups have equal access to the services provided by the State and have equal opportunity for upward economic and social mobility. It is also necessary to ensure that there is no discrimination against any section of the society. India's constitution contains various provisions for the development of marginalized groups. Their individual and collective growth, however, cannot be ensured without improving their surroundings and providing basic necessities of life. The major challenges of human development in India are: the measurement and aggregation of human development * the manifestation of poverty in all dimensions of life * the drop out rate and stagnation in primary education * a greater demand for higher education than what is currently available * decontextualization of the present system of education * persistent regional disparities and social inequalities * unregulated human activity and the unsustainable use of environmental resources * the gross under valuation of women's economic contribution. The book, consisting of 24 scholarly articles, provides valuable material on various dimensions of human development in India. It also makes practicable recommendations in this context.

Equality and Sustainable Human Development is the need of our under Globalisation. This volume is useful to Social Sciences, Commerce and General Readers in Particular.

This book offers a comparative analysis of social protection policies in five countries of South Asia — India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh — where economic transformation impelled by globalisation and liberalisation has, on the one hand, caused an unprecedented expansion of the informal sector, and heightened the vulnerabilities of its workers on the other. It examines the multiple vulnerabilities of workers who continue to work and live in abysmal conditions, with persistent cutbacks in social security budgets by governments, and evaluates the implementation and efficacy of current policies. The volume introduces the problem through an overview of South Asian economies by charting out the contrasting parallels between growth paths and the extent of poverty among workers in the informal sector. Further, it assesses the projected cost of basic social protection in these economies in the context of different (possible) growth scenarios. The second part of the book discusses the experiences from various countries by highlighting work force composition, ratio of workers in the informal sector to total work force, challenges and concerns, available policies and programmes, and finally, the outreach of these programmes. The concluding section argues for the need for social protection in South Asia by exposing the limitations of existing policies, and proposes a future course of action in order that social protection may serve as a tool in the transformation of social policy. This will be useful to scholars, students and researchers of development studies, economics, politics and labour law. It would also interest those in voluntary sector organisations, nongovernmental organisations, policy makers, journalists and think tanks.