A study on occupational health hazards among women beedi rollers in Tamilnadu, India.

The beedi industry occupies a prominent place in rural development in terms of its capacity to offer potential employment opportunities to a large number of people. For the beedi industry Tamilnadu is one of the major hub in India. It is estimated that around one million workers mostly woman and children are employed in Beedi making. It is an ardu¬ous, labour intensive task because each beedi is rolled individually. Beedi industry is almost an unorganized sector hence even the government officials finding it difficult to enforce the various legal requirements. Apart from the other legal implications the health hazards which the women employees who are rolling the beedis are enormous. This study aims to explore the level of health hazards experienced by the woman beedi rollers in Tamilnadu. A total of 388 usable responses obtained from women beedi rollers comprising from the beedi rollers concentrated districts i.e., Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Tiruchirappalli & Vellore are used for this study. The study found that more than 70% of the beedi rollers suffered from eye, gastrointestinal and nervous problems while more than 50% of the respondents suffered from respiratory problems, mostly throat burning and cough. More than 75% of the respon¬dents faced osteological problems. From the study is it understood that the health hazards level is very high. This study proposes a framework to be implemented with the Government agencies, NGOs and Welfare organizations for the welfare of the beedi rollers.Beedi rollers, Health Hazards, Welfare measures, Tamilnadu.

Socio-economic status of women Beedi workers in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Prasesh: An empirical analysis

The central idea of this paper is to explore link between socio-economic positions of women working in unorganized sector with special reference to beedi rolling. In India Beedi making is an age old industry and one of the largest job providers for women in the unorganized sector. Women are having inherent advantage in this job in this job of beedi rolling due to deft fingers; yet significant gender bias exists. The job is mainly done by weaker economic class in the country who don't have adequate education and skill to look for alternate job. The work of beedi rolling is preferred by the women because it can be carried from home along with domestic chores. Thus, they supplement family income along with managing the household jobs. However, in the recent year the trade is shrinking thus there is situation of underemployment

Conceptualising Informality: Regulation and Enforcement

The informality discourse is large and vibrant, and is expanding rapidly. But there is a certain conceptual incoherence to the literature. New definitions of informality compete with old definitions leading to a plethora of alternative conceptualisations. While some individual studies may apply a tight definition consistently, the literature as a whole is in a mess. This article proposes that informality and formality should be seen in direct relation to economic activity in the presence of specified regulation(s). Relative to the regulation(s), four conceptual categories that can help frame the analysis are: (A) regulation applicable and compliant, (B) regulation applicable and non-compliant, (C) regulation non-applicable after adjustment of activity, and (D) regulation non-applicable to the activity. Rather than use the generic labels 'informal' and 'formal', it would be preferable if the analysis focused on these four categories (or even more disaggregated as appropriate). A central determining factor in the impacts of regulation on economic activity across these four categories is the nature and intensity of enforcement. While lack of enforcement is well-documented, an understanding of its determinants − why and to what extent a government would not enforce a regulation that it has itself passed, and why non-enforcement varies from one context to another, is relatively neglected in the literature. Thus, specificity on regulation and on enforcement is the key to achieving conceptual clarity in the analytical literature and in the policy discourse on informality.informality, regulation, enforcement

Evolution of Social Security in the Lap of Public Action: Recounting the Experience of Kerala

This paper is part of a large study on the Social Protection in Rural India and China. In this paper, we attempt at a critical appraisal of the historical development and experience of social security initiatives in Kerala, India. We situate the development experience of Kerala in a conceptual framework of participatory development, which we interpret in a broad context of organization and mobilization of people at specific junctures of historical progress of a society. Thus participatory development, in our view is participation in the progressive process of realization of human rights and thus in development; that is, public action, with an effective public demand and a wiling public supply, conditioned by the legitimate function of the state. It is also attempted to categorize the on-going social security schemes according to the definitional framework of our study, that is, in terms of the definitional division of social security into basic and contingent social security.Social security; Kerala; development; contingency

Effectiveness of oral health education versus nicotine replacement therapy for tobacco cessation- a parallel randomized clinical trial

Background: India has millions of tobacco users. It is the leading cause of deaths due to oral cancer and hence needs effective strategies to curb it. Hence the aim of present study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of Oral Health Education (OHE) and Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) in tobacco cessation. Material and Methods: The clinical trial consisted of Manohar Lal Kapoor (MLK) factory workers (n= 40) giving history of tobacco consumption (smoking/smokeless) within past 30 days. They were randomized into OHE (n=20) and NRT (n=20) groups. Baseline evaluation (demographic, smoking/ smokeless behaviour) was done. Fagerstrom test was used for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and to assess nicotine addiction level. Follow up was done at an interval of 1week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months and 3 months to assess the reduction in the mean FTND score. “Nano-CheckTM Rapid Nicotine test” was used for the qualitative detection of cotinine in human urine. Appropriate statistical analysis was performed (Paired and Unpaired t test). Results: In both OHE and NRT group there was a significant reduction ( p < 0.00001) in mean Fagerstrom score at every follow up but when both the groups were compared mean Fagerstrom score reduction was more in NRT than OHE at all time interval though it was not statistically significant ( p >0.05). Conclusions: NRT is better than OHE when both the groups were compared. However, it was found that any intervention given to tobacco users either NRT or OHE is helpful for the patients in the process of quitting tobacc

Social Security in India: The Long Lane Treaded and the Longer Road Ahead Towards Universalization

This paper is part of a large study on the Social Protection in Rural India and China. In this paper, we attempt at a critical appraisal of the historical development and experience of social security initiatives at the all India level. Based on the findings of the review, we visualize a road map to a more comprehensive and participatory initiatives in provision of social security by the state, while stressing the role of the civil society, non-governmental organizations and mass organizations. It is also attempted to categorize the on-going social security schemes according to the definitional framework of our study, that is, in terms of the definitional division of social security into basic and contingent social security.Social security; India; poverty; development; contingency

Child Labour in India-A Conceptual and Descriptive Study

Child labour refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful. Of an estimated 215 child laborers around the globe: approximately 114 million (53%) are in Asia and the Pacific; 14 million (7%) live in Latin America; and 65 million (30%) live in sub-Saharan Africa. Global number of children in child labour has declined by one third since 2000, from 246 million to 168 million children. More than half of them, 85 million, are in hazardous work (down from 171 million in 2000).Asia and the Pacific still has the largest numbers (almost 78 million or 9.3% of child population), but Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the region with the highest incidence of child labour (59 million, over 21%).There are 13 million (8.8%) of children in child labour in Latin America and the Caribbean and in the Middle East and North Africa there are 9.2 million (8.4%).Agriculture remains by far the most important sector where child labourers can be found (98 million, or 59%), but the problems are not negligible in services (54 million) and industry (12 million) – mostly in the informal economy. Child labour among girls fell by 40% since 2000, compared to 25%for boys. Child labour in India is addressed by the Child Labour Act 1986 and National Child Labour project. Today in India, there are more than 10.12 million children who are spending their childhood learning carpet-weaving, beedi-rolling, domestic labour, agriculture, firework and apparel manufacture and countless other occupations instead of going to school and receiving quality education. In this back ground, the present paper , in Section I, highlights the characteristic and causes for child lanbour,Section II,Analyses the Problem of Child Labor in India, bonded child labour, consequences and exploitation of child labour .Lastly Section III mainly focused on policy initiatives of government of India to protect child labour

Impact of Globalisation and Economic Reforms on Employment in India

In this paper, the basics of globalization, the economic reforms initiated in India and the trends in employment and the impact of globalisation are discussed. It is argued that the unorganised workers would expand further due to globalisation. Under the present deprived conditions of unorganised sector, this would lead to imbalance in the labour market leading to more supply of labours, low wages and low level of income. This situation would affect the social and economic conditions of the unorganised working population. The unorganised workers will be in the highly disadvantageous position as there would be a shift in the technology from labour to capital intensive and use of unskilled to skilled workers.Globalisation; Economic Reforms; Employment; labour; India; Unorganised workers; Organised workers; Unemployment; unskilled workers; enterprises;

Conceptualising informality: regulation and enforcement

The informality discourse is large and vibrant, and is expanding rapidly. But there is a certain conceptual incoherence to the literature. New definitions of informality compete with old definitions leading to a plethora of alternative conceptualisations. While some individual studies may apply a tight definition consistently, the literature as a whole is in a mess. This article proposes that informality and formality should be seen in direct relation to economic activity in the presence of specified regulation(s). Relative to the regulation(s), four conceptual categories that can help frame the analysis are: (A) regulation applicable and compliant, (B) regulation applicable and non-compliant, (C) regulation non-applicable after adjustment of activity, and (D) regulation non-applicable to the activity. Rather than use the generic labels 'informal' and 'formal', it would be preferable if the analysis focused on these four categories (or even more disaggregated as appropriate). A central determining factor in the impacts of regulation on economic activity across these four categories is the nature and intensity of enforcement. While lack of enforcement is well-documented, an understanding of its determinants - why and to what extent a government would not enforce a regulation that it has itself passed, and why non-enforcement varies from one context to another, is relatively neglected in the literature. Thus, specificity on regulation and on enforcement is the key to achieving conceptual clarity in the analytical literature and in the policy discourse on informality