Protecting the vulnerable : Providing social

welfare to the informal sector worker

Team Details.

Chhaya Bharadwaj, Bageshree Sharma, S.M.Harinandan, Prakhar pandey,

Utkarsh tiwari (Lloyd Law College, Greater Noida)

VOLUNTARY ENFORCEMENT POLICY : a DOOR TO DOOR INITIATIVE.

98.63

13.89

117.21

17.88

178.5

51.62

197.87

61.94

Rural(1999-00) Urban(1999-00) Rural(2004-05) Urban_2004-05)

Informal sector workers by sector and sex between 1999-2000 and 2004-05 (in million)

FEMALE

MALE

Features of Informal Sector in India

90% of India’s workforce belongs to informal sector and 98% does not have any social security protection.

The conflict between their substantial contribution in the GDP of the nation and the lack of their legal status is a negative feature.

They constitute the most exploited section of the Indian Society in socio-economic terms.

Agricultural Workers

Street Vendors

Household Workers

Fishery Workers

Self-employed

Mining Hotels Transportation

Construction

What Constitutes in Informal Sector ?

The Unorganized Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008, defines unorganized sector as “an enterprise owned by the individuals or self employed workers and engaged in production or sale of goods or providing any kind of service whatsoever, and where the enterprise employs workers, its number is less than ten.” Though the act failed to meet the requirements of social security, it still holds a legal validity. But in general we know Informal Sector as enlisted below.

PROVIDING SOCIAL SECURITY

WHAT IS VEA? EDUCATIONAL

INSTITUTE/COLLEGE/ UNIVERSITY

N.G.O’S

VOLUNTEERS

RETIRED PROFESSIONALS

REGULATORY AUTHORITY

VEA

Why a college or university should be a VEA?

•India’s population is so large that estimation, and reaching out to the large number of the informal sector is very difficult. The Human Resources of the college and universities in the country will be best utilised.

•The VEA is aimed at not only at providing social security to the informal sector but also developing the human rights, social security and other issues in the youth of the country.

• Nation’s Youth and the most active human resources are involved in the Higher learning institutes. This is the best way to best utilise out national resources.

• This VEA would work when this program is made a apart of the curriculum of the Educational Institutes. The Government must strive to make it a compulsory education, learning and social security program

Mandatory Academic

Curriculum

Optimum Utilization of nation’s Human Resource

The Large Population of the Nation

All round Development

The student shall get

scholarships on these

credits

MAIN FEATURES OF THE VEA ADOPT THE SECTOR :- The main feature of the policy states the adoption program by the university or the educational institute in a given area. The volunteers from the educational Institutes shall operate from DOOR TO DOOR.

STUDENTS PARTCIPATE :- The adoption program has an objective that the students pursuing the professional courses in the nation, should work for the betterment of the nation. The law students give legal aid, the medical students give medical aid. This little contribution will make a big difference.

A C O M P U L S O RY A C A D E M I C C U R R I C U L U M :- The government in association with the ministry of Education can transform the academic curriculum and bring about VEA as a determinant and developing factor in the youth of today. This compulsion will soon become a passion.

A C O L L E C T I V E E F F O R T :- The VEA is not exclusive to the higher educational institutes but attracts the NGO’s, volunteers, retired professionals, etc. Every can not be taken care of by these educational institutes.

S O C I A L S E C U R I T Y N U M B E R :- The attractive feature of this police is the grant of a SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER to the informal sector. That every informal worker of the area has a social security number to derive benefits from the government schemes will be the responsibility of the VEA.

WORKING & STRUCTURE OF VEA

FINANCIAL DIVISION OF VEA

What is it ?

Functions

-Registration of all the informal sector workers

in the area.

-Providing them with a social security number

[SSN} and a social security card.

-Helping them derive benefits out of the

government schemes and making them aware

about their rights.

-Cooperative banking system at a local level, to

instill in them a sense of Saving

-The cooperative banking scheme can be a self

help scheme, which will grant them loans in

emergencies.

It is a semi- government division that shall consist

of the government officials and the volunteers.

WORKING & STRUCTURE OF VEA

The Professional School

EDUCATIONAL DIVISION

OF VEA

The Elementary school

-CONSIST OF : The students

from the educational

institute

- SCHEDULE : It shall be a 5

day school for the children

and those adults who want

to learn the basics of the

education.

-CONSIST OF : The students as

well as professionals for the

skill and professional training.

-SCHEDULE : It Should be a

diploma or a certificate

program that will enhance the

qualifications of the informal

workers and help them seek

formal jobs.

-STIPENDS : The government

should launch the courses with

a monthly stipends.

WORKING & STRUCTURE OF VEA

MEDICAL DIVISION OF VEA

What is it ?

Functions A DOOR TO DOOR operation for the health, and

nutrition of the informal sectors in the given area.

Free Health Check up and free of costs medicines.

Arranging for health and nutrition camps

Special health care services for pregnant women,

children below 3 yrs of age and old age people.

Development of child care and day care centers for

the working women in this sector

Saving the sector from malnutrition.

The Students from the Medical courses of the

educational institutes

Retired Medical officers and other professionals

WORKING & STRUCTURE OF VEA

LEGAL DIVISON OF VEA

A DOOR TO DOOR initiative to know the legal

problems of the sector.

To generate awareness about their legal rights.

Free legal aid to the informal sector

Prevention of their exploitation.

The Law Students from the educational institutes

The lawyers, advocates, legal experts,

professionals.

Functions

What is it ?

THE POSSIBLE CHALLENGES TO VEA

Not every college or university has resources for all the four

divisions of VEA

Funds

Reach ability to the workers

Hesitation amongst the informal sector.

Knowing that every educational institute would not have the

resources to fulfill all the divisions of the VEA, the plan includes the

option of adding up NGOs and professional volunteers.

Also, government funds, charitable trusts and funds from private

sector can be the source of funding. It is for the benefit of the

informal sector, and the VEA will face problem to make them a part

of the social reform scheme. Only patience will help.

REFERENCES

http://www.halfmantr.com/display-national-issues/1046-informal-

sector-in-india.

ILOSTAT DATA BASE www.ilo.org

A.K. Naik, “Measuring the Informal Economy in Developing

Countries.”, JNU, New Delhi, sept, 2009.

Ramesh Kaith, “Measuring the informal Economy : Case study in

India.