Column : Relying on providence?

The quarter after Lehman Brothers collapse has rendered at least half a million Indians jobless, but the three stimulus packages have done little for them, as is evident from Surat s erstwhile diamond workers signing up to the NREGS. Despite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh s concern about India s labour law rigidities, his regime has failed to reform them in sync with the industrial liberalisation. This leaves 90% of India s 400 million-odd workforce, including Surat s new jobless , in the informal sector with no social security under the Employees State Insurance Scheme (ESIC) or the Employees Provident Fund (EPF). Some sops for labour-intensive ...

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