Social protection in India

1. 1 | P a g e
THE CHANGING NATUREOF WORK AND
VARIOUS GOVERNMENT EFFORTSTO PROTECT
THEIRWORKFORCES
DR MANU CHAUDHARY
achines have made many jobs obsolete. As a result of automation the skills we need are
changing with high pace and it will not be wrong in saying that “Machines are coming to take
our jobs”. Some jobs are at risk of being lost to machines while others are being transformed
and new ones are being created. So various questions arises - What kind of jobs will disappear, what will
be created and why? Which new skills will be valuable in the job market? What new forms of work are
emerging?
It is difficult to predict about kinds of jobs, number of jobs that will be created and the sectors where they
will emerge. Jobs in future will require a combination of technological know –how, problem solving
skills, critical thinking and soft skills such as collaboration and empathy etc.
The changes in nature of work demand the developing countries to invest in Human Capital to compete in
the future. So there is urgent need of developing countries to invest in education and health of its human
capital. It is estimated that if proper measure are not taken then future workforce will only be one third or
one half productive as it could be by taking proper measure for health and quality education.
The World Bank’s new Human Capital Index (HCI) represents the contribution of health and productivity
of future work. People are more productive when they are healthier so we can say health is a vital
component of human capital. The objective of HCI is to indicate the impact of low education and bad
health on productivity, growth and prosperity.
According to Human Capital Index (HCI), 2018 India is on 115 rank with HCI score 0.44.This is an
alarming situation for India as it is below the world average and below the average in South
Asia.Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) is an important initiative of the Government of India
aiming at early identification and early intervention for children from birth to 18 years of age to cover the
four “Ds”, viz., defects at birth, deficiencies, diseases,and development delays including disability.
Five initiatives taken by Indian Government to spread education and boost literacy
are:
Right to Education Act (RTE)- As per this act, no child can be stopped from promotion to next class
or can be expelled out of school. It announces education as fundamental right of every child aged 6-14
years.
M

2. 2 | P a g e
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)- The SSA aims to open schools and institutes in the places that
don’t have proper schooling facilities. It focus towards improving the existing school
infrastructure by building more classrooms, toilets, providing clean drinking water and
improvement grants. It lays special emphasis on the education of girl children and promotes
computer literacy.
Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao- This scheme aims to work in order to ensure survival, safety and
education of girls. The scheme celebrates the girl child and prevents any kind of gender bias. A
major aspect of the initiative is to ensure the protection of the girl child by preventing female
feticide.. It focuses on ensuring that education reaches the girl children of India. The main
objective of this program is to strengthen the opportunities for girl child in context of primary
education.
Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Yojna (KGBV)- Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya
(KGBV) scheme provides quality education to girls and makes facilities to widen their scope of
knowledge and learning
Role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Alleviating Poverty- NGOs run
programs in the backward areas of the country with low literacy rates and where cases of child
exploitation (like children being pushed in child labor, child marriages, etc.) are prominent.
.These organizations active measures to mobilize the underprivileged and deprived children of the
society towards education.
There are six dimensions in which there have been specific advances in India. These are as follows-
 Children’s Education ,Nutritional Status and Health
 Employment and Livelihood security
 Social Pensions.
 Social Health Protection
 Food Security
 Housing

3. 3 | P a g e
India needs measures which aim at preventing, reducing and eliminating economic and social
vulnerabilities due to poverty and deprivation. The creation of a Social Protection in the manner that is
being visualized, through an extension of entitlements and a rights based approach, will generate the long
term basis for equitable and inclusive growth in India. India need much to improve in the HCI and has to
go along way for improving it.