GS Paper: Issues relating growth and development, employment

Issue of migrant workers caught attention of the nation amid lockdown. This issue has wider implications for the economy. This article highlights need for formulating a program to deal with the migrant labourers’ issue in its entirety.

Issue with many implications: Migrant labour

• Out of the total labour force of 465 million workers, around 91 per cent (422 million) were informal workers in 2017-18.
• The Economic Survey (2017) estimated 139 million seasonal or circular migrants.
• Circular urban migrants perform essential labour and provide services.
• Hence, this issue has implications for livelihoods, agriculture, food security, and safety net policy as well as programme responses.

Existing and proposed legal provision

• There exists The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act of 1979.
• Despite this act, there is no central registry of migrant workers.
• The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code of 2019 has been introduced in Parliament.
• This code seeks to promote the welfare of migrant workers and legal protection for their rights.
• The code seeks to merge 13 labour laws, including the Inter-state Migrant Workmen Act, 1979 into a single law.

One nation, one ration card

• “One nation one ration card” addresses the problem of ration-card portability.
• The move would benefit nearly 670 million people and will be completed by March 2021.

Provisions in the package for migrant workers, small farmers, street vendors

• There is a provision of Rs 30,000 crore through NABARD, in addition to the already existing Rs 90,000 crore allocation, for the rabi harvest and post-harvest rabi-related work for small and marginal farmers.
• Further, Rs 2 lakh crore concessional credit will be provided to two crore farmers across the country.
• About Rs 11,000 crore was allocated for the urban poor, which includes the migrant workers, for building shelter homes for the homeless.
• Several government-funded housing projects in major cities would be developed into affordable rental housing complexes on a PPP mode.

Free grains for two months

• The Centre will transfer 8 lakh metric tonnes of grain and 50,000 metric tonnes of chana to state governments.
• Form this stave will provide 5 kg of grain (wheat or rice) per labourer and 1kg of chana per family per month for two months free.
• This is expected to benefit up to eight crore migrant workers.

Program for growth and structural transformation

• Devicing such a program requires a review of national legal, regulatory and institutional concerns in resettlement and rehabilitation of migrant labourers.
• There is a need to adopt a human rights approach to address the socio-legal issues.
• The resolution of contradictions in trade, fiscal, monetary and other policies would also require.
• Following 3 policy changes are urgently required.
• 1)The implementation of the report of the task force on migration (2017).
• 2)Expansion of the outreach of the Integrated Child Development Services– to include migrant women and children.
• 3) Inclusion of migrant children in the annual work plans of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
• Given the environment of uncertain livelihoods it is necessary to strengthen the resilience of the financial system and skill workers.
• The issues and challenges of migrant workers require leveraging information and communication technologies and the JAM trinity.

Consider the question “Migrant workers issue is an issue with many implications. This issue needs to be considered in its entirety to formulate a speedy and effective response. In light of this suggest the required policy changes.”

Conclusion

The debilitating physical effects of the coronavirus necessitate coordinated and concerted efforts by all stakeholders to meet the challenges of the present and the expectations of the future. We shall overcome.

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The shockwave that pandemic sent through the economy has been reshaping the global job market. Gig economy would have to accommodate the new entrants. This article underlines the changes in the gig economy after the pandemic. Four areas that need attention are also discussed here.

What constitutes gig economy?

• The word “gig” includes in its current parlance all freelancers, disconnected from the workplace.
• Example: drivers of Uber, delivery boys of Zomato, plumbers and electricians of Urban Clap.
• The gig economy is not confined to low-skilled jobs. Skilled professionals are also part of it.

How pandemic is reshaping the gig economy

• Aviation, hospitality, automobile entertainment and retail are some of the hardest hit sectors.
• The classic gig anchors- Uber and AirBnB, have laid off thousands of people.
• In contrast to this, highly skilled professionals —laid off by employers — are joining the gig bandwagon.
• Surely, job demand will far outstrip supply, at least in the short-term.

What does the future hold?

• A Deloitte report from April notes that Indian organisations are considering to expand the share of gig workers.
• Declining full-time jobs will lead to increased assignment-based hiring.
• For instance, a graphic designer working from home could be in demand with a media house or Netflix may hire AI designer paid by an hour to personalize streaming.
• But, what is missing in picture? The national database is missing.

4 focus areas of gig economy

1. National database: A missing link

• National database of job seekers and job creators can connect firms with qualified candidates.
• A prospective employee would need access to a job database, sorted by skill, geography, duration and emoluments.
• Companies should be able to dip into the data pool of talent, experience, location, qualification and expectation.
• Currently, both data sets are fragmented and stored in silos.
• The government could play the role of a facilitator, in partnership with the private sector.

2. Regulatory protection to gig workforce

• The gig economy increases employee vulnerability.
• This segment of the economy so far has been outside the ambit of regulatory labour policies.
• Social protection like wage protection, health benefits and safety assurance should be made available to gig workers.
• The Karnataka government has considered introducing a new labour legislation focused on the gig economy.

3. Prepare college students for freelancing

• Apart from regular campus placements, the placement cells need to reorient and focus on preparing students for freelancing opportunities.
• For the educated youth, this could be the first step towards entrepreneurship.

4. Gender equality

• Gender is another crucial dimension of the digital labour markets.
• The low enrolment of girls for higher education in science, technology, engineering and math would constrict their opportunity in the gig world.
• Going ahead, this would need greater policy attention to ensure gender parity.

Consider the question “What is the gig economy? Suggest the policy measures to make it more resilient in the present economic context disrupted by the pandemic.”

Conclusion

The government and the private sector would need to collaborate along with academia to build adequate safeguards in the unfolding eco-system.

This article highlights the utility of skill education in India. There are several benefits in its adoption. But it would require several regulatory changes. So, what are these changes?Read to know…

3 issues with our university education

•  The differential lockdown outcomes for skilled and unskilled workers highlight our university system’s pre-existing conditions. These are-
• 1) Broken employability promises.
• 2) Poor employer connectivity.
• 3) Poor return on private investment that frustrate parents and students.

4 ways in which skill university differs from traditional university

• A skill university differs from a traditional university in four ways.
• 1) It prays to the one god of employers; for governance, faculty, curriculum, and pedagogy.
• 2) It has four classrooms; on-campus, on-line, on-site, and on-the-job.
• 3) It offers modularity between four qualifications; certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas, and degrees.
• 4) And it has four sources of financing — employers, students, CSR, and loans though employers contribute more than 95 per cent of the costs.
• Fro example,  in the case of Gujrat government’s skill university, 97 per cent of the university’s budget comes from employers.

5 ways in which the universities are broken globally

• First is broken promises.
• The world produced more graduates in the last 35 years than 700 years before.
• Second is broken financing.
• More than 50 per cent of $1.5 trillion in student debt was expected to default even before the COVID pandemic.
• Indian bank education loans have high NPAs.
• The third is broken inclusiveness.
• The system works for privileged urban males studying full-time, but today’s students are likely to be female, poor, older, rural, or studying part-time.
• Fourth is broken flexibility.
• Employed learners will cross traditional learners in three years, but they need on-demand, on-the-go, always-on, rolling admissions, continuous assessment, and qualification modularity.
• And finally is broken openness. 
• Google knowing everything makes learning how to learn a key 21st-century skill.
• Yet too many universities are stuck in knowing.

Let’s look into the regulatory changes needed for the Skill University

• Skill universities are a scalable, sustainable, and affordable vehicle to massify higher education by innovations in finance.
• But they need regulatory change.

Following are the 3 types of regulatory changes needed

1. Changes needed in the  UGC Act of 1956

•  Clause 8.2.6 needs to be rewritten to equalise four classrooms -online, on-site, on-campus, and on-job-and section 22 (3) to recognise apprenticeship linked degree programmes.
• The UGC Teacher Regulations of 2018 need rewriting: Clause 3.3.(I),(II) to redefine the qualifications, roles and numbers of teachers required, and clause 4 to recognise industry experience as a teaching qualification.
• The UGC Online Regulations 2018 need to be rewritten: Clause 4(2) and 7(2)(3) to allow innovation, flexibility, credit frameworks, and relevance in online curriculums.
• Clause 7(2)(2) to allow universities to work with any technology platforms.

2. Changes needed in NAAC IQAC regulations

• Criteria 1 and 1.2.2 to include work-based learning and work integrated learning.
• Criteria 1.1.3 to include life skills and proctored/evaluated internships.
• Criteria 2 and 2.3.1 to integrate online learning with university programmes.
• Criteria 2 and 2.4.1, 3 and 6 need to be modified to recognise teachers with industry experience, and include industry-based research.
• Criteria 4 and 4.1.2 to include industry workplaces and online classrooms as campus extensions.
• Criteria 5 and 5.2.1 needs to be rewritten to incorporate apprenticeships.

3. Changes needed in Apprenticeship Act of 1961

• Clause 2, 8, 9, 21 and 23 of The Apprenticeship Act of 1961 also needs to be modified to allow and lift the licence raj for degree-linked apprentices and recognise skills universities.

Consider the question “Skill universities, which would go a long way in increasing the employability in India are need of the hour. In light of this, examine the issues that the skill education faces and suggest the changes our education system needs to impart the proper skill education.”

Conclusion

Covid crisis has amplified the problems with our education system. So, the adoption of skill universities will help us improve the skill of our youth and achieve more inclusive employment, employability and education.