Haqdarshak

Social Protection for Informal Waste Workers

hdpublicportal — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 13:39:09 +0000

India recycles about 30-60% percent of paper and cardboard, 50-80% of plastic and almost 100% of its glass waste. A study conducted in 2012 found India has one of the highest recycling rates for plastic PET bottles at 70%! This system of waste management relies heavily on informal waste workers. Only 75-80% of solid waste is collected by urban local bodies. 90% of the country lacks formal systems for the safe disposal and recycling of solid waste. An estimated 4 million informal waste workers have stepped in. This informal network of waste collectors and ‘kabadiwalas’ — working independently or employed at informal recycling units — clean up a significant chunk of the 62 million tonnes of waste generated annually. They labour through the day to collect, transport, and sort recyclable waste from dump sites, landfills, and residences. However, the stigma associated with waste has kept them invisible. Marginalised by caste, class, and often migrant status, these workers find it difficult to access even basic civic amenities in the city. Despite providing crucial services to supplement urban solid waste management, their labour goes unrecognised. They continue to struggle for survival without a salary, job security, and access to social security — government welfare entitlements are beyond reach. And worse, they face unsafe working conditions in harmful environments. I am uneducated and unskilled. What other work would I get in the city? I came here from Uttar Pradesh 13 years ago. I started working here because it did not require much specialisation. I have observed and learnt what waste is valuable. I can now earn and eat my meals. —Chantu Yadav, a worker in a waste segregation facility in Mumbai. The lack of job opportunities in urban areas is one of the primary reasons migrant workers find themselves taking up this occupation. Migrant status can often become a barrier in accessing government schemes. We conducted two surveys with sanitation workers, spread across 8 states, between October 2021 and February 2022. Almost 88% of the respondents had migrated from other states for better work opportunities. Most of the women surveyed had first migrated post-marriage, and then joined the workforce. Only one-third of waste workers surveyed in Maharashtra were aware of the flagship schemes they were eligible for. According to a 2021 UNDP report, 67% of waste workers owned a bank account, of which 21% were Jan Dhan accounts. Between 40-50% of respondents did not own bank accounts in cities like Delhi, Jaipur, Ghaziabad, and Varanasi. About 5% of the waste workers had birth certificates, and only 0.5% had caste and income certificates. Note that these are necessary for accessing most government welfare schemes. 23% of the respondents did not have documents required to obtain a ration card, and 15% were unaware of the procedure to apply for the same. Bank account and ration card ownership was lower among migrant workers, and those with a monthly household income under INR 10,000. Lack of a permanent local address acted as an additional impediment in procuring ration cards. I sort out dry waste from the mixed ‘kachra’. My husband introduced me to this work — he has also been a waste worker for the last 10 years. Most days, we work the entire night from 9 p.m. till 4 a.m. During the day, I work at people’s homes as domestic help with my mother-in-law. I used to get assistance for my children in my hometown, but I haven’t received anything here. All my documents including my Aadhaar card, caste certificate, birth certificate, and bank account documents are back in my hometown. —Aruna Devi, a 24-year-old waste collector working in Bandra. She migrated from Madurai after getting married. Her family was already not receiving ration in Mumbai, which added to their expenses. Some migrant workers simply don’t have the documentation needed to access government schemes. Others are unaware of how to get their existing documents updated. Initiatives like ‘One Nation One Ration’ recognise the need to include migrant workers in programmes. However, the documentation requirements for many other schemes limit their access to just their native villages. The process of obtaining documents and successfully registering for schemes can be cumbersome and time-consuming, requiring multiple visits to government offices or Common Service Centres. Frustrated with the process, Ramesh told us, “What is the point of going through the process to get a new card made? I live here all alone anyway.” Compared to other migrant workers in the informal sector such as domestic workers, rickshaw pullers, and construction workers — waste collectors often remain in the city they’ve moved to, for long periods of time, ranging upto 30 years or longer. Despite that, they do not have documents substantiating their residential status or occupational identity. This makes it harder for them to access educational, social security, and housing schemes designed specifically for sanitation workers, along with loans and skilling programmes provided by the National Safai Karamchari Development Corporation. Access to such programmes can help legitimise and recognise the importance of waste collectors’ contributions to municipal waste management systems. This will also help address the challenges they face — poor compensation, health issues, workplace safety, housing conditions etc. UNDP found that 47% of waste workers surveyed belonged to Scheduled Castes, 5% to Scheduled Tribes, and 18% to Other Backward Classes. Only 20% belonged to the General category. Lack of opportunities for social mobility is another reason workers stay within the occupation for long periods of time. This is often a combination of lower levels of inclusion in the formal education system, lack of access to livelihood support programmes, and caste hierarchies within the waste collection system. Our survey with workers in Maharashtra showed similar engagement to workers from marginalised groups. 42% of the surveyed workers were from Scheduled Castes, 20% from Other Backward Classes, and 26% from the General category. Waste collecting is also regularly practised intergenerationally, as overcoming the caste barrier can be difficult. To support her family, Sheetal Kamble started collecting waste along with […]

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COVID Compensation — Part 01

hdpublicportal — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 11:15:24 +0000

“Do you also run around government offices for compensation?” I’m often asked this question by several people and oddly enough, my story is no different. Going back and forth between offices is a part and parcel of the policy-level bottlenecks we commonly talk about. In May 2021, my father passed away due to COVID-19. During this time, the Rajasthan Government announced a financial relief package for women whose husbands had died due to COVID-19. It was declared that they would receive an ex-gratia payment of INR 1,00,000 along with a monthly widow pension of INR 1500. Instead of bringing some relief to our grieving family, this announcement became the beginning of a long struggle to claim our entitlement. To begin with, my father’s death certificate mentioned cardiac arrest as the cause of death. Despite multiple requests and hospital visits, they refused to change it, making us ineligible for the relief package. Having lived and worked in Kota, I was fortunate enough to be connected to some influential people within the city. They helped us sort things out through their contacts at the hospital. The procedure to apply for the relief package was unclear, so I visited a local e-mitra centre. They directed me to the collector’s office. At the collector’s office, we were asked to get my father’s RTPCR and CT-SCAN reports, hospitalisation records, and medical bills, along with multiple identity documents for both my parents — voter IDs, Aadhaar cards, and ration card. Once we had these documents in place, we were told to submit my mother’s Jan Aadhaar card and a self-attested declaration on a stamp paper of INR 250. This took an additional 5–7 days as my mother did not have a Jan Aadhaar card. Due to the absence of formal guidelines, this to-and-fro between multiple offices led to a lot of frustration and despair. During this time, the COVID compensation office moved to a new location as well. We were told that the waiting period for receiving the cash benefit was one month. After two months had passed, I visited the Nagar Nigam office — the only response we received from the authorities was to wait patiently. After consulting with a few people, I visited the Sub Divisional Magistrate’s office and was informed that the application was pending in Jaipur, and that nothing much could be done about it. Finally, after 3 months of countless visits, calls, and follow-ups, my family received the promised amount of INR 1,00,000. However, even after 7 months, we don’t know when my mother will start receiving the widow pension. We’ve completed all the paperwork, but have not received any proper response regarding the delay in the disbursement of her pension. Navigating these complications is an undue burden (and a near-impossible task) for grieving families. India is the second-worst COVID-19 affected country in terms of overall case numbers. A study published in the journal, Science, estimates the death count in India to around 3.2 million. This is over 6 times the official death count of 5,13,843. Another study by the Centre for Global Development put the estimate between 3.4 million to 4.7 million. These deaths are excluded from official numbers because of incomplete certification of COVID-19 deaths and misattribution to chronic diseases. In rural areas, deaths occurring without medical supervision are not counted. This exclusion becomes a barrier for families seeking compensation, at a time that is exceptionally financially challenging. On March 14, 2021, the central government declared the COVID-19 pandemic as a national disaster under the 2005 National Disaster Management Act. Following a petition by advocates Gaurav Kumar Bandal and Reepak Kansal, the central government announced the Mukhyamantri COVID-19 Parivar Aarthik Sahayta Yojana, through which states would provide a one-time assistance of INR 50,000 to families of all persons who have died due to COVID-19. This is 1/8th of the INR 4,00,000 originally stipulated under the Act. In addition to the central mandate, states like Rajasthan, Delhi, and Karnataka have announced their own plans for further assistance. Families are eligible for assistance if their loved ones died within 30 days of a COVID-19 diagnosis, regardless of whether the death took place while in hospital or at home. For the cases wherein the deaths occurred while in hospital, the 30-day limitation was later removed. While the government’s guidelines seem reasonable at first glance, they pose a massive problem. Garima Agrawal and I look at some of the challenges with ex-gratia assistance for aggrieved families. 1. Lack of Documentation With India’s underfunded infrastructure, even in pre-COVID years, only 22% of registered fatalities were medically certified and given an official cause-of-death. So even when a death certificate is issued, many don’t explicitly list COVID-19 as a cause-of-death. In many cases, lung failure, respiratory disease, or cardiac arrest are listed instead. In these cases, family members can furnish a positive RT-PCR report. In some states like Delhi, cremation or hospital receipts are also accepted. Other states like Kerala and Telangana have introduced online and offline options to amend and apply for new death certificates. Uttar Pradesh will also accept reports from low-cost rapid antigen tests. More states need to expand the list of acceptable documents to ease the burden of verification, so that more families with legitimate claims can be included under the scheme. 2. Lack of Aadhaar Linkages Delays in disbursements occur when beneficiaries’ bank accounts and Aadhaar cards are unlinked at the time of application. This also applies to situations where the government is reaching out to beneficiaries directly. It makes it difficult for the government to verify the account holder’s identity and disburse funds to the correct beneficiary. 3. Lack of Awareness In some states like Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Karnataka, Punjab and Kerala, the compensation claims filed are still lower than the official death toll. State governments need to actively promote compensation schemes by publishing ads in vernacular news media, and directly reaching out to families whose kin are on the official list. In Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Telangana, […]

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Helping Micro-enterprises Stay Afloat in a Post-COVID Economy

hdpublicportal — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 13:22:02 +0000

The lockdown imposed an unwelcome closure of Dasharathi’s vegetable cart. Like everyone else, she too was struggling to make ends meet. When the lockdown eased, it was impossible for her to restart her business because by then, she had used up all of her life-savings to keep her family afloat. I had no idea that the Indian government had announced a stimulus package for street vendors like us. It was the Haqdarshak Bhaiya who informed me about the PM SVANidhi Yojana. —Dashrathi, Vegetable Cart Vendor She is now investing this money to get her business up and running again. Even in these uncertain times, Dashrathi prefers running her own business to working as a daily wage labourer. Street vending can be cruel. Vendors often fight for space and are mistreated — the police and municipal corporations are not very helpful either. It is difficult to deny that the city’s poor — often rural in origin and orientation — are acceptable to the city’s elite only as service providers, preferably invisible. That said, for the economically vulnerable, street vending is also the most lucrative, desired, and available of all employment opportunities. These micro-businesses provide multiple advantages — geographical convenience, accessibility, and affordability. As per the report — ‘Strengthening urban India’s informal economy: The case of street vending’ by Ramnath Jha — it is estimated that there are around 1 crore street vendors across the country. They provide valuable services to a major part of the population, especially the middle class and the lower-income groups. However, the nationwide lockdown was devastating for them, as it was for many other workers in India’s massive informal economy. These microentrepreneurs had to survive on multiple debts from informal sources. The launch of PM SVANidhi (The PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi) has given them hope. INR 5,000 crore has been allocated to benefit almost 50 lakh street vendors in the form of collateral-free loans. In the PM SVANidhi Yojana, beneficiaries were pledged a loan amount of INR 10,000 in order to rebuild their businesses and get back up on their feet. At Haqdarshak, we helped 5000 beneficiaries in filling up forms for this stimulus package! As always, we ensured that the scheme’s benefits were delivered. Street vendors have always held a historically significant position in the economic graph of India. According to the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, there are over one crore street vendors in India contributing to 50% of the country’s savings. In fact, 63% of the country’s GDP comes from these vendors! The plight of the street vendors has been one of the most debatable topics among policymakers. The Street Vendors Act 2014 came as a turning point for the community. For grievances, they now have a committee to go to. At the same time, other challenges have persisted — meagre wages, eviction or confiscation of goods, police brutality, no legal recognition, improper regulation of vending, inability to access government schemes or facilities, and lack of social security. In November, 2021, Haqdarshak conducted a Needs Assessment survey with around 140 Uber drivers from urban NCR, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. In the survey, around 61% shared that they needed more information about the schemes they could apply for. Around 71% had never heard about the e-Shram card and wanted more information from us about it. However, some of the survey participants also expressed doubts about receiving any benefits from it. I used to fund my education by selling vegetables. When the lockdown was imposed, I had no income, and so I got worried about my academic future. I was so relieved when I came to know about the PM SVANidhi scheme from the ‘Haqdarshak’ in our area! I could restart my business and get back to studying again. —Priya When we interviewed street vendors across Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh for our study, around 60% of the respondents mentioned their incomes coming down to zero when the nation was hit by the pandemic. Our study also indicated other key challenges faced by them. Vegetable vendors, fruit sellers, and tea stall owners — a majority of the beneficiaries under the PM SVANidhi Yojana — were completely unaware of the procedure and eligibility for applying for the scheme. They also did not have the necessary documentation. Another key finding of our study was that even with the formal credit facilities in place, 90% of our respondents showed interest in availing loans from local moneylenders and Sahukars. It highlights a bigger gap in awareness among the beneficiaries regarding financial institutions. Their reasons included ease of availability, repayment flexibility, and lack of trust in the bureaucratic system. The procedure to apply for the credit scheme was particularly complicated for the ones who did not have any documents in place. Our team assisted them in getting their identity cards made, opening their bank accounts, and setting up their digital wallets. Furthermore, our relationship with the municipal corporations gave us credibility. With the help of the local body, we set up kiosks on their premises for street vendors who lacked the confidence in applying for the scheme. We had lost our livelihood along with the entire chunk of our life savings during the lockdown. We had no other option but to take a loan from a local Sahukar at a high rate of interest. With Haqdarshak’s support, we were able to get the benefit of PM SVANidhi Yojana. We used the money to restart our business, and will now be able to pay back our debts. —Zarina, Bangle Seller, Rajasthan 73% of the beneficiaries like Zarina have reinvested the loan amount to rebuild their businesses. As per our study, the recovery from this post-lockdown income shock has been slow. The following graph illustrates this better. Source: HQ Report 2021 While there is recovery, it has been gradual, with a 14% decrease in the average monthly income as compared to the pre-pandemic period. My earnings declined by 70% post-COVID, and it was difficult for me to find more […]

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The Link between Identity Documents and Welfare Delivery

hdpublicportal — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 13:44:48 +0000

Kushbu Chanda is a 15-year old, specially-abled orphan, living with her grandmother in Indore. ‘Haqdarshak’ Sandhya Maske met her during one of her field visits in December 2021. Since Kushbu did not have an Aadhar card, she had been unable to receive any of the multiple scheme benefits she was entitled to. Sandhya took Khushbu’s grandmother to the nearby Aadhar centre and facilitated the application process. Kushbu recently received her Aadhar card! Along with helping her receive benefits from other schemes, the team is now processing her application for the disability pension scheme. Khushbu’s story is one of the many success stories at Haqdarshak where access to vital identification documents have made a world of difference to the quality of life of beneficiaries. In most countries, access to social protection is given only for those who can provide their identity documents. Unfortunately, obtaining a recognised and accurate ID in India is an uphill task. The process is plagued with discriminatory designs, bureaucratic red tapes, and technical failures. A large part of the Indian population is, therefore, left out of the system. The barriers to getting identity documents are many — illiteracy, the digital divide, exorbitant fees, lack of address, complex paperwork, unclear eligibility rules, poverty, isolation, and lack of access to transportation. The pandemic highlighted the significance of these documents. Over 73% of applications done by Haqdarshak during the fatal waves of Covid — a significant chunk of this was for migrant workers — involved either procuring ration cards or seeding them with Aadhar and mobiles to receive ration and DBTs. Tasleem Ahmed, a construction worker from Uttar Pradesh, who was serviced by Haqdarshak during the pandemic, shared his story with us. I had applied for the BOCW card, savings bank account, and the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana through Haqdarshak. Thankfully I was issued the BOCW card and subsequently received INR 2000 in cash. This helped me a lot during the first lockdown as there was no work available — I managed to keep my family afloat. —Tasleem Ahmed // Construction Worker In the last 6 years, Haqdarshak has facilitated over 2 lakh applications for documents such as caste certificates, ration cards, disability certificates, PAN cards, and BOCW cards. We have also done a lot of Aadhar card seeding, a critical feature known only to a few. Our services were extended to numerous citizens who were unable to claim their entitlements due to not only a lack of awareness about the documents but also a reluctance to engage with India’s complicated bureaucratic system. In developing countries like India that are yet to achieve universal identification, the undocumented remain concentrated among certain groups within the population. However, research suggests that many people have problems satisfying identification requirements. This is particularly stark among individuals living in poverty, those with disabilities or substance abuse problems, prisoners and other institutionalised cohorts, minority ethnic groups, victims of natural disasters, the elderly, children, individuals who are homeless, and people with tenuous housing arrangements. (Wilson, 2009) In an assessment conducted by Haqdarshak in the district of Purbi Singhbhum, Jharkhand, it was found that more than 80% of the population comprising Dalits and other backward castes did not have caste certificates. Due to the absence of caste certificates, their families could not apply for any of the schemes that were designed specifically for them. Among older individuals, women tend to have lower rates of documentation. Most elderly women spend their entire lives outside of spheres that encourage and/or demand documentation, such as formal sector work activities. Lower levels of literacy also work against documentation. Women, especially those who reside in rural areas or urban slums, experience some of the most striking levels of discrimination. Many have had trouble receiving the social benefits they are entitled to and have also been excluded from voting. According to a World Bank report1, two-thirds of the widows and divorced women in Delhi eligible for pensions, do not avail them due to lack of information and transaction costs of enrollment. Our field cadres also faced reluctance from people when it came to extending benefits to their female family members. An HD, Durgesh Nandini from Indore, shares how the perception of citizens can transform with proper guidance. A family in the locality was conservative and was not open to educating women. But over several interactions, we were able to build trust with them. Eventually, they allowed their teenage daughter to accompany me to the bank and open a bank account for herself. Now she can benefit from multiple DBT schemes that she is eligible for. —Durgesh Nandini // ‘Haqdarshak’ In November, 2021, Haqdarshak conducted a Needs Assessment survey with around 140 Uber drivers from urban NCR, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. In the survey, around 61% shared that they needed more information about the schemes they could apply for. Around 71% had never heard about the e-Shram card and wanted more information from us about it. However, some of the survey participants also expressed doubts about receiving any benefits from it. First, we intervene by creating awareness among vulnerable groups about documents and welfare schemes that are designed for their benefit. If they’re interested, we assist them through the system’s cumbersome and time-consuming application processes. We then facilitate their enrollment into welfare schemes. We also track whether they have received the benefits! The process of applying for a document can be complicated. In the case of Khalid Kanni, it was a near-impossible task. Since 2010, Khalid had tried six times to get his Aadhaar card made but for some reason, his application kept getting rejected. Not having an Aadhaar card stopped him from applying for a job near his village. When he visited a camp organised by Haqdarshak, he expressed an interest to get his Aadhaar card made through our team. With our assistance, he was able to successfully apply for the Aadhaar card, and is now looking forward to applying for the job again! Specific marginalised groups are by default […]

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Leveraging CSR for Last-mile Delivery of Government Welfare

hdpublicportal — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 14:03:10 +0000

Purbi Singhbum, headquartered at Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, is an aspirational district that is fraught with socio-economic inequities. We conducted a Needs Assessment Survey there in November 2021 and found some glaring problem areas. As per the survey, the citizens at Purbi Singhbum lacked basic documents such as caste and income certificates (when more than 90% of the surveyed population belonged to ST/SC/OBC categories). They also did not have health insurance coverage — only 20% of those surveyed had access to insurance. And nearly 10% of the citizens had no knowledge of any of the government welfare schemes that they were entitled to. The developmental problems in India are complex in nature thanks to our diverse social and economic landscape. Interventions need to be holistic and inclusive. Apart from the convergence of existing government welfare schemes with allocated funds, it is necessary to involve all the stakeholders to turn development into a mass movement. This movement needs to be facilitated by different agencies — the centre, the state, the district, the private sector, foundations, and non-government organisations. There needs to be capacity-building at the grass-root level to kick-start this cycle of growth. In the past decade, CSR awareness and consciousness have grown dramatically among large and medium-sized companies. These companies now look at CSR to build a strategic fit with the community and the environment in which they operate. Coming back to Purbi Singhbum. With our intervention (powered by Max Life Insurance), the district’s narrative will be changing soon. In a few months, many of its citizens will finally get their identity documents. They will have a bank account, have access to insurance schemes, and will be receiving benefits from the government’s prominent schemes. This change is not limited to Purbi Singhbum only — we are currently implementing our robust programs in 24 states across India. Since its inception, Haqdarshak has partnered with numerous CSRs, philanthropic organisations, and corporations to design and execute their CSR Programs. Haqdarshak aims to, first, bridge the information gap between the government and citizens, and second, put in place systems that support citizens in accessing their welfare benefits. We ensure a minimum 4X social return on investment! Our premise is simple — marginalised communities should be able to access welfare entitlements without any hassle. Watch this video to know more. In the early literature on CSR, the principle of voluntarism was predominant. It was believed that a company’s primary motive was to create maximum shareholder value. Period. Therefore social outreach by corporations was voluntary, not mandatory. With the advent of globalisation, however, things began to change. India responded to the globally-changing corporate landscape by issuing guidelines on voluntary CSR in 2009 (and updating said guidelines in 2011). With the enactment of the new Companies Act of 2013, India joined a tiny minority of nations that have legally mandated CSR. The government of India notified amendments to the Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility) Rules, 2014 and Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 on January 22nd, 2021, which are now effective. As per the recent CSR amendments introduced under the Companies Act, companies are required to deposit the unspent CSR funds into the specifically designated ‘Unspent Corporate Social Responsibility Account’ within 30 days of the end of the financial year. This amount must be utilised within three years from the date of transfer, failing which the fund must be deposited into specified funds such as the PM National Relief Fund, PM CARES Fund, Disaster Management Fund, Clean Ganga Fund etc. The new law also prescribes a monetary penalty as well as imprisonment, in case of non-compliance, along with mandatory impact assessment of CSR projects by an independent agency. The Report of the High-Level Committee on CSR (2018 HLC Report), constituted by MCA in 2018, highlighted that delays in project identification and implementation, owing to lack of expertise in the companies, were major reasons for the under-spending of CSR funds. Therefore, it becomes crucial for these companies to identify implementing agencies that can assist them in both formulating projects (as per the local needs) as well as executing them. As economic activity gradually resumes post COVID-19, companies must strive to expand the ambit of their CSR activities in diverse socio-economic domains. Instead of resorting to easier options of discharging their CSR obligations, such as simply contributing to designated funds, corporations can use this opportunity to create sustainable change. One of Haqdarshak’s key offerings is designing solutions for CSR and philanthropies — solutions that are easy to implement, and that create maximum impact at the grass-root level. We simplify the identification of projects through baseline studies and needs-assessments. Our process carefully maps citizens’ needs to support evidence-based program designing and scheme delivery. Our solutions enable direct scheme linkages for eligible end-beneficiaries while also empowering individuals (mostly women) in communities by creating livelihood opportunities for them. Our strategic partnerships with multiple CSRs and philanthropies have enabled us to extend welfare schemes and document linkages to thousands of marginalised citizens across India. Over the last six years, these partnerships have resulted in real impact and change. Take a look at our social media handles to get a glimpse of the impact we promised, and delivered. To partner up, get in touch with Madhura, our Chief Growth Officer — madhura.karnik@yojanacard.haqdarshak.com New Amendments to the CSR Act: All You Need to Know CSR Amendment Rules 2021 India’s Biggest Companies Still Pay Little Attention to Impact on Community Underperforming States not a Priority for CSR Fund Kapoor, G. K., & Dhamija, S. (2017). Mandatory CSR Spending — Indian Experience. Emerging Economy Studies, 3(1), 98–112. Sarkar, J., & Sarkar, S. (2015). Corporate Social Responsibility in India — An Effort to Bridge the Welfare Gap. Review of Market Integration, 7(1), 1-36.

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Access, Utilisation, and Impact: A Study on the Public Distribution System in India

hdpublicportal — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 12:00:27 +0000

India has slipped to the 101st position among 116 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2021 from its 2020 ranking (94), now placed behind Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. India’s level of hunger is considered serious. The GHI is calculated on four indicators — undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality. Even though India has progressed on all four indicators since 2000, the proportion of wasting among children has grown about 2% since the last measurement in 2012. Studies suggest consumption of nutrition-rich food was declining in rural India even before the pandemic hit. In March 2020, as India went into a sudden lockdown, reliance on ration from the Public Distribution System (PDS) grew as household incomes dropped drastically. The most vulnerable households were left struggling for basic necessities. According to a study conducted by the Centre for Sustainable Employment, 77% of households cut down their food consumption, and 66% lost employment. No one had a job during the lockdown. When our roof collapsed, we borrowed 4 lakhs for repairs. Our family is in a lot of debt. Our income is low, so we only buy ration that is absolutely necessary from the market. —Shashi // Patiala The National Food Security Act (NFSA) is one of the largest social security initiatives in the world. Approximately 80 crore citizens across the country receive monthly food subsidies through the Public Distribution System (PDS). Entitled families with cards classified as Priority or BPL are entitled to 5 kg per family member. Antyodaya Card holders are entitled to 35 kg regardless of family size. To supplement this, the government made additional grains available through the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). Though, PMGKAY may not have addressed diet diversity, it was a welcome source of relief. 35.87% of households we surveyed didn’t purchase any additional wheat or rice. Their need for staple grains were met by a combination of NFSA and PMGKAY. Between March 2020 and July 2021, when the need for food subsidies was the highest, Haqdarshak helped facilitate over 1.5 lakh ration-related applications. This included helping families apply for new ration cards, updating the details on their cards, addition of family members to their ration card, seeding their Aadhar cards, and accessing temporary COVID relief (and the One Nation One Ration programme). We surveyed 100 households holding valid ration cards between July and August 2021 to better understand their challenges. A Right to Food Campaign survey found that even five months after the first lockdown ended, the surveyed households reported lower levels of income (62%) and reduced intake of nutrition-rich pulses (64%), vegetables (73%), and eggs/non-vegetarian items (71%). A third of households were still skipping meals. 50% had to borrow money to purchase staples for daily consumption. Households we surveyed almost a year later uniformly reported greater reliance on staple grains, and reduced consumption of dals, meats, and green vegetables. To cope with reduced wages, families relied on credit-based purchases, free government ration, and NGO ration kits. While many of them turned to relatives and others for informal lending to supplement this, they still had to cut down on food expenses by reducing purchases of expensive food items such as dairy, vegetables, and fruits. Mobility restrictions also made fresh produce less accessible. Depressed earnings and lower job recovery rates for cohorts within the informal economy have meant continued food insecurity for daily wage workers. Rita Devi’s family shifted to growing vegetables. There were times we ate ‘namak and roti’. Just like everyone else, we didn’t have the same work options. Even when we tried to sell vegetables, we faced many problems. The police would shoo us away, and we had very few customers. We would end up throwing our stock — these are perishable things. —Rita Devi As some return to work, they have been able to start repaying vendors and money lenders. Valmiki Kumar found work as a delivery driver after months of unemployment. Support from his local ration dealer was crucial in riding his family over during periods of the severe economic crunch. The dealer was sympathetic and would let us pay for the ration when we had money. He was understanding and supportive in this difficult time. —Valmiki Kumar Our interviews with citizens tell us that there are changes needed to build a more responsive PDS. While 92% of our survey’s respondents received at least some of the free ration promised, only 18% received this for all months mandated through 2020 and 2021. People were unaware of a lot of things. They knew they were supposed to receive an additional 5 kg but they didn’t know for how many months. They also did not know who to contact for information or registering grievances in cases of non-delivery. So, when the delivery happened on separate days for both paid and free ration, they were likely to miss it. Instead of regular deliveries every month, cardholders in Punjab receive all their allocated ration periodically every 3 or 6 months. This might be one of the reasons PMGKAY ration delivery was particularly low here. Ration allocation is proportional to the number of family members listed on the card — having all members listed is critical. An Aadhar-seeded ration card has also become (almost) mandatory for continued access. Even though their names are there and I’ve tried to provide their Aadhar, we get ration for only 4 members since all our cards haven’t been linked. —Sunil Yadav from Bihar’s Gopalganj district who received ration for 8 members before ePOS was introduced. Offline pathways mean travelling to the block-level PDS office for updates and support, even though PDS dealers and panchayat members prove unhelpful. Pandemic restrictions, office closures, and longer processing times have only made it more difficult to apply for this process. Government offices have also paused working on updating ration cards since the lockdown. Assistance with these documentation challenges was one of the most requested services. The local ration dealer is the first, and often the last person, […]

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The Reality of Sanitation Workers in India

hdpublicportal — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 12:58:14 +0000

Numerous laws and policies have been enacted across the country for the protection of sanitation workers ― The Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) (EMSCDLP) Act, 1993, and Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Employment (PEMSR) Act, 2013. So far, the impact of welfare schemes and programmes offered by public commissions and corporations has been insignificant. These commissions and corporations include National Safai Karamchari Financial Development Corporation (NSKFDC), National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) and even Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). In India, sanitation workers provide an invaluable public service by risking their lives everyday to ensure that our cities stay clean. However, their occupation is highly unsafe and unsanitary. In many cases, their right to safe work is unmet. Their position has been further jeopardised by COVID-19. Multiple independent studies have estimated that over 50 lakh sanitation workers across the country engage in sanitation work daily, out of which almost 20 lakh workers engage in the high-risk work of cleaning sewers and septic tanks. Mahendra, 30, is a contractual municipal sanitation worker. In his 7 years of working as a sanitation worker, he has never thought about welfare schemes or their application processes. We are just ‘Safai Karamcharis’. We had no idea that there were special government schemes for us. Besides, we can’t just leave our work and go to government offices to get information about these schemes since that would have consequences on our wages. —Mahendra, 30 / Municipal Sanitation Worker Munna, who has been a permanent employee for over 12 years now, struggles to manage his household of 5 with the little that he gets after ESI deduction. The contractor cuts a portion of our wages in the name of ESI contribution. However, my sathis and I don’t know what ESI is, and nobody tells us how we can avail benefits under ESI. We have accepted that we will have to pay this unnecessary contribution till the time we retire from this job. —Munna Our jobs are dangerous and we are prone to numerous diseases. During Covid, we were very scared to go back to our families. During a recent camp organised for us by Haqdarshak, I enrolled myself for a life insurance scheme. So, even if something happens to me, at least my family will get some money for sustenance. —Sushma / A daily wager who cleans toilets on demand in an upmarket housing society in Pune There are countless such stories. At Haqdarshak, we have worked with more than 7000 sanitation workers across the country. In the process, we discovered the challenges they have faced in accessing social welfare and by extension, their right to better working conditions. a. Social Exclusion and Violence Sanitation and allied work in India has always been associated with caste-based oppression. Most of these workers, especially the manual scavengers, are Dalits. Even among different Dalit castes, these workers tend to be further lower in the rank, coming from some of the most marginalised and oppressed sub-castes. These workers, notably from the caste groups which sit at the bottom of the pyramid, are culturally ‘bound’ to their occupation which in itself is widely seen as disgraceful and ‘unclean’. As a result, these workers often experience untouchability and discrimination. A wider gap of injustice exists if we split the entire workforce by gender. Women sanitation workers (especially women from lower castes), in a country where patriarchy thrives, are even further down in the social hierarchy. These workers tend to lack social protection and endure poor working conditions while staying invisible, stigmatised, and harassed. Even during the pandemic, their access to protective equipment — even though mandated by the Supreme Court — was very limited. The average life expectancy of sanitation workers is less than 50 years. In fact, people engaged in the cleaning of sewage drains and septic tanks die before they reach 40 — an analysis of such deaths done by Safai Karamchari Andolan (SKA) in 2017-2018 showed that the number was 32. The cause of death is predominantly occupational ― asphyxiation in a septic tank, drowning in sewage, TB, cholera, meningitis, and various kinds of cancers. In a nutshell, these frontline workers are battling a wide range of social and occupational challenges on a daily basis. b. Lack of Identity Proof and Documentation Sanitation workers often function without any formal identification. Therefore, they are employed ‘below-the-radar’ with low trackability, effectively shielding employers from any sort of legal liabilities arising out of safety violations. Many workers also experience wage theft, and because they don’t have formal IDs, they are unable to file grievances. Also, no documentation means no scheme benefits. Interestingly, there is a lack of reliable information on the actual number of permanent and contractual workers engaged in sanitation work. The government, majorly due to definitional reasons, does not completely track the number of sanitation workers in the country. c. Bottlenecks at the Policy Level In order to extend a social security net and an upward occupational mobility to these workers, the government’s policies are heavily oriented towards their rehabilitation by training them for alternative livelihoods, (limited forms of) indemnity, and welfare support as mandated by the Supreme Court. These policies are implemented in the form of schemes that provide loans for rehabilitation, and those promising indemnity, compensation, and welfare. At Haqdarshak, we have observed that the uptake of these schemes is really low. The major reasons behind this are the lack of awareness about the schemes, lack of awareness even about the eligibility criteria, and cumbersome documentation processes. There is also mistrust and weariness since many workers have tried numerous times to apply for these schemes, but their applications have been rejected due to errors in forms, incorrect or incomplete documentation, and most importantly, due to low or no disbursement of funds. It is important to note that finance as rehabilitation is not enough ― upskilling is just as important. For more, read this article. We […]

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