Full Description
This book is about social security, or the lack of it, for the labouring poor in India. It is a critical study of the working of two flagship national social security schemes initiated by the Government of India, namely, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), and the national health insurance scheme called the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY).
Fresh contributions made by senior scholars and researchers, these essays provide rich data and analysis on the status of social security schemes at work in five Indian states-Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Odisha, and Punjab-by carrying out local level studies that capture the conditions and responses of the labouring poor. In addition, some essays also assess the implementation of the old-age and other pension schemes introduced both by the Central and state governments. The studies are multidisciplinary in nature as they combine macro- and micro-level data, as well as qualitative and quantitative data. The volume reveals the limitations of these schemes both in terms of design and implementation in the current neoliberal setup in India.
Contents
PREFACE; INTRODUCTION: UNTO THE LAST? (JAN BREMAN AND K.P. KANNAN); PART I: OVERVIEW PAPERS; 1. HISTORIC INITIATIVE, LIMITED BY DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION: A NATIONAL OVERVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NREGA (K.P. KANNAN AND VARINDER JAIN); 2. NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE FOR THE POOR: A REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RSBY (K.P. KANNAN AND VARINDER JAIN); PART II: ANDHRA PRADESH; 3. FUNCTIONING OF NREGS IN ANDHRA PRADESH (D. NARASIMHA REDDY); 4. THE BUSINESS OF HEALTH CARE AND THE CHALLENGE OF HEALTH SECURITY: THE CASE OF AROGYASRI HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME IN ANDHRA PRADESH (G. VIJAY); PART III: KERALA; 5. FUNCTIONING OF CONTINGENT SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEMES IN KERALA: THE SOCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT OF DELIVERY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL (T.P. KUNHIKANNAN AND K.P. ARAVINDAN); 6. BENEFICIARY AS AGENCY: ROLE OF WOMEN'S AGENCY AND THE PANCHAYAT IN IMPLEMENTING NREGA-A STUDY IN KERALA (K.P. KANNAN AND N. JAGAJEEVAN); PART IV: GUJARAT; 7. THE PRACTICE OF POOR RELIEF IN RURAL SOUTH GUJARAT (JAN BREMAN); 8. SOCIAL SECURITY FOR THE URBAN POOR: A CASE STUDY IN GUJARAT (DARSHINI MAHADEVIA); 9. SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEMES IN TRIBAL AREAS OF GUJARAT: A STUDY IN THE DANGS DISTRICT (SATYAKAM JOSHI); PART V: ODISHA; 10. STRUCTURAL LEGACY, INEFFICACY, AND WEAKENING SOCIAL SECURITIES: A STUDY OF NREGS IN A PANCHAYAT IN ODISHA (RATHIKANTA KUMBHAR); 11. SOCIAL HEALTH INSURANCE FOR THE POOR: A STUDY OF RSBY IN ODISHA (AMARENDRA DAS); PART VI: PUNJAB; 12. FUNCTIONING OF NREGS IN A PROSPEROUS STATE: A STUDY IN PUNJAB (SUCHA SINGH GILL, SUKHWINDER SINGH, AND JASWINDER SINGH BRAR); 13. SOCIAL SECURITY IN PUNJAB: A BLEND OF STATE AND CENTRAL SCHEMES (SUCHA SINGH GILL, SUKHWINDER SINGH, AND JASWINDER SINGH BRAR); NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS; INDEX
