‘Decent Work Deficit’
ILO’s report at the 89th session of the Organization in Geneva – "Reducing the Decent Work Deficit" is an attempt to address the concerns of workers as a package. The areas of concern has been:

The Employment Gap:- As per current estimates, about 160 million are openly unemployed in the world. The figure reaches about a billion if the number underemployed are taken into account. Of every 100 workers world wide,6 are fully unemployed, 16 are unable to earn enough to be over the most minimal poverty line of $ 1 per person per day.

The Rights gap:- Denial of freedom of association, incidence of forced and child labour (an estimated number of 250 million children are working world wide) and discrimination in the work place.

The Social Protection Gap:- Only 20 percent of world’s workers have adequate social protection. 3000 people die daily as a result of work related accidents or disease and a considerable work days lost due to work related depression.

The Social Dialogue Gap:- Unevenly spread across the world, agricultural workers, domestic workers, employees in small and micro-enterprises, public sector workers and migrant workers often face obstacles and barriers in representation and social dialogue.

A very large proportion of the work force are working at low productivity and poor quality.Many of them have irregular and at times no work at all.

The report calls for concerted efforts to bridging the gaps in employment, rights social protection and social dialogue.

A point of relevance has been the prevalence of the massive informal economy in developing countries like India and others which requires organization says Mr. Gerry Rodgers, a member of the ILO cabinet. The decent work agenda is being formulated as a development agenda calling for setting differential and flexible goals for high income and low income economies.

Budget of poverty & poverty of budget
Planning and budgetary process are considered to be instruments towards eradication of poverty, by providing the minimum basic needs of literacy, health and housing, employment and social justice to all the people. If production growth and creation of wealth are accomplished without equitable of distribution of benefits, it will not only widen the gap between the rich and the poor, but it will make the lives of the poor more miserable with galloping price-rise and fall in living standards. The budget for poverty alleviation is itself in a poor state of health, limping and disabled. The budget for removal of poverty will be effective only after removal of poverty of the budget itself. (Article no.6/By Era Sezhiyan The Hindu. MAR 23, 2001pg.3)

Food Crisis
A crisis prevails in the food economy, though this one is different from those born of shortages that have periodically afflicted the country over the past half-century. The crisis now is over 45 million tones of cereals lying with Government agencies even as under-nutrition is common phenomena among large sections of the population. What makes matters worse this year is that the food mountain continues to rise even as people in certain parts of the country – in Rajasthan, Madhaya Pradesh, Gujarat and Orissa – suffer from in adequate access to food due to a string of droughts which have reduced the availability of work in villages. In recent weeks, a number of suggestions have been made by Government organisation and committees as well as by non-government organizations on how to deal with what surely must be a crime of plenty surviving in a sea of poverty. Yet, the administrative agencies at the Centre and in the States as well as the political class remain impervious to this crisis. Article no.13/ The Hindu May 22,01pg.No.10

Fear of the poor
In February last year, the Government of India adopted the National Population Policy 2000. This policy is weak on many counts: population is not integrated with health, it has population stabilisation rather than the health and well-being of population as a goal and so on………. Article no.14/ THE HINDU May 23,01pg.No.12 By Mohan Rao

Public Distribution System food grains to cost less
The Ministry of Food and Civil Supplies proposes to reduce the central issue price of food grains distributed under the Public Distribution System (PDS) and the Food-For-Work Scheme to increase the off take and reduce stocks in preparation for the kharif season. Food grain stocks in the central pool as on April 1 were about 447 lakh tones against a buffer norm of 158 lakh tones on that date. Article no.15/ THE HINDU June 7,01pg.No.1 By Gargi Parsai

From food-for-work to fight-for-work
When eight person are queuing up for every job under drought relief, the average labourer gets, about three days of employment a month. Article no.16/ By Jean Dreze THE HINDU June 14,01pg.No.12

Neighbourhood school to end inequality
Growing segmentation of society because of dual schooling system catering differently to the needs of the rich and the poor has become a cause of serious concern for education planners, educationists and social activists here. Experts feel that the system hardly allows equalisation of educational opportunities and something needs to be done to provide the same quality of education to all students up to the age of 14 years. Art no.7/ The Hindu . April 4,01pg9

Adoption scam
The Central Adoption Resource Agency under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment allayed apprehensions that have arisen following the recent adoption scam in Andhra Pradesh that Indian children given in inter-country adoption may be exploited for immoral purposes and that they may be sold illegally for huge sums to foreigners. Article no.11/ THE HINDU MAY 4, pg3

Quake-orphaned children:
The devastating earthquake that rocked Kuch and other parts of Gujarat on January 26 has orphaned 317 children while 676 others lost either of their parents. Some 100 children were found to have been disabled. The Government also proposes to set up a Rs. 15 crore fund for welfare orphans, widows and the aged , which would be managed by reputed NGOs and U.N. agencies, besides the State and the Central governments. Article no.12/ By Manas Dasgupta THE HINDU MAY 18, pg11

Improving Women’s health in India
India has made considerable progress in social and economic development in recent decades, as improvements in indicators such as life expectancy, infant mortality, and literacy demonstrate. However, improvements in women’s health, particularly in north, have lagged behind gains in other areas. India is one of the few countries where males significantly outnumber females, and its maternal mortality rates in rural areas are among the world’s highest, Infectious diseases, malnutrition, and maternal and prenatal causes account for most of the disease burden. Females experience more episodes of illness than males are more likely to receive medical treatment before the illness is advanced. Because the nutritional status of women and girls is compromised by unequal access to food, by heavy work demands, and by special nutritional needs ( such as for iron ), females are particularly anemia. Women, especially poor woman, are often trapped in a cycle of ill health exacerbated by child bearing and hard physical labor. Article no.18/ THE HINDU, APRIL 2,2001 pg5

Bias against girl child still prevalent:
Women’s problems do not pertain to women alone of entire society. Empowering women by working to solve their problems is empowering the society, Ms. Mridula Sinha, Chairperson of Central Welfare Social Board, has said. Art no.20/ THE HINDU APRIL6, 2001 pg3

Married woman not part of parent’s family:
In a major ruling, that may have far reaching socio-economic consequences, the Indian Supreme Court has held that a married woman, even if divorced and staying with her parents, can not be counted as a member of her parent’s family. Art. 25/THE HINDU APRIL 29, 2001 pg. No. 13 –PTI

Awareness for female foeticide
The Indian Supreme Court today directed the Centre and States to implement the Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (regulation and prevention of misuse) Act, 1999 and also to create awareness against the practice of pre-natal determination of sex and female foeticide through the print and electronic media. Art. 26/ ‘Bangladesh showing the way.’ THE HINDU May 5, 2001 pg. No. 11

Muslim Women, like other women, have been suffering for long for lack of empowerment in a male-dominated society. Pakistan and Bangladesh, once part of India, have been no different in this respect. The women there suffered as much as in India for lack of rights. However, some charges were, enacted in the Muslim personal law in Pakistan in 1961 during Ayub Khan’s regime under intense pressure from women’s organisations. Art. 27/THE HINDU May 14, 2001 pg. No. 13 By Asghar Ali Engnieer

More alimony for women
The Government will introduce a Bill in Parliament to amend certain legal provisions to enable women and other dependents to seek higher maintenance. At present, the maximum maintenance permissible under Criminal Procedure Code is Rs.500. The request for grant of interim maintenance under the Criminal Procedure Code as well as other laws would have to be disposed of within 60 days.

Art. 29/THE HINDU May 23, 2001 pg. No.1

IMA plans religious leaders meet to fight female foeticide
After years of slackness, the Government of India appears to be getting into the act now following a directive from the Supreme Court to "implement with all vigour and zeal the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation, Prevention and Misuse) Act, 1994 (PNDT Act)" and submit its action taken report by July 31. The apex court, vide its order dated May 4, 2001, pulled up the State Governments and the Centre for failing to check female foeticide and ordered them to create public awareness over the next 60 days against the practice of pre-natal determination of sex and female foeticide. The wide publicity directed has to be undertaken for generating awareness about the existence and legal perspectives of the PNDT Act. Art. 30/THE HINDU June 22, 2001 pg. No.11 By Soma Basu

Global progress ‘uneven’: World Bank
The World Bank has called for urgent global action to help more countries reach international development goals saying that while there has been significant improvement in development data, many nation will still fall sort of targets for reducing poverty, achieving primary education and other development projects. Article no.2/By Sridhar Krishnaswami T.H April 30, 01pg 13

Ecological aggression unfair:
The head of the United Nations Environment Programme feels "the ecological aggression of developed countries against developing countries" is unfair. Dr. Klaus Toepfer, speaking exclusively to The Hindu at the end of the three-day forum meeting of the World Commission on dams said this was so because the consumption patterns of the developed world had not changed. He was speaking in the context of global climate change and decreasing bio-diversity. Art no.1/ By Kalpana Sharma THE HINDU MAR4,01 pg.9

Need for eco-friendly environment
The need to find ways and means of maintaining an eco-friendly environment and tackle the problem of solid wastes was emphasised by the Andhra Pradesh Industries Minister, Mr. K. Vidyadhar Rao. He pointed out that already a Green Business Centre was being set up to give advise on pollution free technology. Also Andhra Pradesh was the first to plan an eco-friendly "Green Park". Citing measures being taken by the State Government for promoting an eco-friendly environment, he said urbanisation and industrialisation had brought in their wake problems of environmental imbalance and ecological disturbance. Water air and noise pollution levels had been registering a steep increase. Global warming, discharge of industrial effluents and indiscriminate use of plastic were some of the challenges facing society today. Art no.2/ By Our Staff Reporter THE HINDU MAR15,01 pg.5

The agenda for education
Education is a fundamental human right. It is the key to sustainable development and peace and stability within and among countries, and thus an indispensable means for effective participation in the societies and economics of twenty-first century, which are witnessing rapid globalization. Achieving Education For All goals should be postponed no longer. The basic learning needs of all can and must be met urgently. Article no2/ THE HINDU MAR 5, 2001 pg 5

Contempt law and human rights
In contempt proceedings there are two contending claims on the societal interests in the administration of justice. Sundaram or any other person becomes a contemnor whenever he raises the issue of administration of justice. This may be with reference to the conduct of an individual judge or with reference to the manner in which proceeding was conducted. The court also claims that in the interests of administration of justice it is using contempt powers but in reality very often it is used as a shield to defend itself. In this competing claims between the citizen and courts the citizen always loses. The derisive discourse in the proceeding leaves one with the feeling that the institution is staffed with persons who are breast-fed in authoritarian tradition and therefore do not want to read down the powers of contempt to bring it in tune with fundamental rights, values incorporated into the Constitution and in accordance with human rights as they evolved from the declaration onwards. Article no.3/By K. G. Kannabiran THE HINDU MAR10, 2001 pg14

Call to form vigilance panels on bonded labour
The member of National human rights Commission (NHRC),Dr. K. Ramaswamy (Retd), has said that adequate legal follow-up action is not being taken when bonded labourers are being freed by the administration. The employers of bonded labourers should not get any chance to move courts for their money, he said. Article no.6/By Our Staff Reporter T.H April 13, 01pg 5

Environmental Activism and the Indian Supreme Court.
The environmental activism of the Supreme Court of India has come for high praise from the Asian Development Bank which has nevertheless come down heavily on corruption, that remains the main impediment in enforcing statutes issued by the judiciary. "India’s Supreme Court is an outstanding example of constructive engagement on environmental questions" as reported in the latest issue of Asian environment outlook. "in some cases environment agencies or line ministries maintain inspectors and guard forces that complement and sometimes overlap the work of the judiciary."

Compiled by

Arabinda Acharya