The Other India: The Dark Side
of The Indian Economy
 

India’s spectacular rise from its seemingly eternal slumber is like a feel-good fairly tale that vaunts much but eventually does not turn up anything constructive at the end. Indian Inc. is boasting of touching nearly double-digit growth rate thanks to the massive growth in manufacturing, IT and other associated industries, but this promising and shining future of India’s ebullient economy does not get reflected in India’s vast unorganised sectors that are the actual driving force of Indian economy, that account for the half of the national income. They are still being deprived of basic amenities and are forced to carry out works under abysmal conditions without having any kind of social security. They are making India shine but they are not shining as far as the statistic is concerned.

These people work round the year with no regular source of income, no government support and of course without any holidays. They have to work in extreme conditions, toil hard and work for more than 8 hours a day without being paid for the extra hours. Statistics show that the number of people working in unorganised sector in India is over 30 crores and the number is on the rise, thereby forcing us to think about this issue seriously and with genuine interest. It is these people, who are adding glamour and glitz to Indian economy, but sadly enough they are not getting a chance to be a part of the mainstream economy. Political unwillingness, vast magnitude of poverty, budget restrictions etc are some of the disconcerting issues that are playing spoilsport in uplifting these people from their pathetic and deplorable conditions. But given the economic stability that has lately been achieved by India, it should not be considered an uphill task.

The facade of Indian economy has dazzled the eyes many experts. Positive predictions are made about the prospering future of Indian economy based on its flexibility and stability, but the appalling condition of the unorganised sector often goes unnoticed. But despite these negative connotations, some sectors such as dairy, handloom, poha etc have achieved a handsome growth keeping in line with the mainstream economy by embracing modern technology and by initiating positive changes in the work culture. It is the strong domestic demand and ebullient economy that have propelled its growth. All they need is a little encouragement and subsidy from the Government at least in their initial stage so that they can thrive and survive even in the age of globalisation.

A number of social welfare schemes have been introduced by Indian government recently to uplift the weakest section of the society. So far, these schemes have done a fairly good job. To safeguard the interest of those people, who are working in unorganised sectors, different programs are being introduced. These programs are mainly targeted at enhancing the skills of these people so that they can be a part of the economic growth story and to achieve a greater level of sustainability. As of now, introduction of some social welfare schemes such as National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) have augured well for the Indian economy but still, there is a lot to be done on ground to ensure inclusive growth that has so far eluded us.

In a report titled “The Other India at Work”, ILO has depicted the exact (more particularly the pathetic conditions) condition of the people working in different unorganised sectors. They presented how these people are working without any legislative protection and without getting a minimum wage. They are the helpless victims of uncertainties and natural calamities and therefore, their interest can only be safeguarded if this huge workforce can be channelised into green jobs. The term “green jobs” or “green economy” now refers to those jobs, which are intrinsically related to works that has little or no contribution to pollution. For example, dairy industry, agricultural based products are some of the emerging sectors that are poised to achieve a much higher rate of growth in coming days and at the same time, they are offering steady employment opportunities to unskilled or semi skilled labors. These sectors have huge prospect and all we have to do to capitalise it is by properly sharing knowledge and making people aware of the immense opportunities that lie untapped.

The survey conducted by ILO has also expounded the apathy of the employers to get registered, as registered companies are bound to offer more benefits to its employees and to give more taxes to the government. In majority of cases, there is no written agreement and if there is any, it does not hold much water or does not prove much beneficial to the employees as a whole. Almost ¾ employers of unregistered organisations said that they prefer to stay unregistered as getting registered means more government intervention.

Social welfare schemes for unorganised sectors are mainly implemented or monitored by district level offices or by block, level offices, departments or agencies. But for getting better outcome, a perfect coordination has to be maintained at any cost. Just increasing the income of the unorganised sector should not be the prime area of importance; government should ensure that its policies are directed to improving lifestyle of common mass. Apart from fulfilling their basic needs, Government has to make sure that people working in unorganised sectors are getting access to healthcare facilities, educational reformation and host of others facilities.

But in reality, working condition is still poor in terms of social protection, job security, safety, and wages. Workers are not even entailed for any kind of compensation in case of accident. Gender inequality is a major issue in unorganised sector. Despite toiling as hard as their male counterpart, women workers have never been treated equally in terms of wages. Women workers are more vulnerable to injuries than male workers, but they are never entitled to any health insurance policy. Often times, they get maternity leave but without any remuneration. In reality, they are the helpless victims of sexual harassment and surprisingly these cases are not even registered at all times.

In order to improve the living standard of the backward people, a multitires model of social welfare schemes has to be introduced so that the ever-increasing gap between the haves and have can be brought to a minimum. And if this can be achieved, a sustainable growth would not be a far-fetched concept. q

Rizwan Uz Zaman
ruzaman@devalt.org