This newsletter features an article on worker migration from South Asia. Other articles are on the topics of domestic work in India and affordable transportation for the poor.
Over the past century, The Rockefeller Foundation has remained true to the pursuit of health access for all mankind. We have helped to build and develop schools of medicine and public health, contributed to new medicines and treatments that helped cure patients and advanced the field of health. Our long history has given the foundation a unique place in the field of global health. We have the ability and privilege to convene great minds, catalyze new initiatives, identify new opportunities and increase global health and wellbeing.
Driven by long‐term shifts in the labor market and on‐going poverty and inequality, youth employment challenges have mounted steadily over the last decade and reached a crisis point in the wake of the Great Recession. Youth unemployment in 2010 reached its highest level since World War II. The short‐ and long‐term consequences of youth unemployment are severe. Individuals who fail to
transition to stable jobs by their early 20s are at risk of experiencing more frequent and prolonged spells of joblessness, permanently lower earnings, and greater difficulty building a secure financial future for themselves and their families. Ultimately, youth unemployment and associated challenges threaten to perpetuate cycles of intergenerational poverty for individuals and communities.
Giving Them an Edge? The Effects of Work Experience on the Employment Prospec...The Rockefeller Foundation
This brief summarizes the results of NCLR’s quantitative analysis of the marginal effects of work experience on the employment prospects of millennials. It focuses on Latino young men, offering an overview of the structural barriers, an investigation of whether and to what extent additional work experience gives millennials a competitive edge in today’s hypercompetitive labor market, and recommendations to ensure that they fully leverage their work to maximize their potential in the labor market. In particular, this brief will examine the labor market outcomes of Latinos, the youngest and fastest-growing segment of the American labor force.
South Africa ranks in the top four most giving nations, we explore a new platform for social justice and accountability; and a recent survey suggests MOOCs are failing to educate the poor.
Digital Jobs Africa is an initiative that seeks to impact the lives of 1 million people in six countries in Africa by catalyzing sustainable Information and Communications Technology enabled employment opportunities for African youth who would not otherwise have an opportunity for sustainable employment.
The focus of this Issue Brief is to explore to what extent youth volunteerism
contributes to the economic empowerment of young people in Asia and the
Pacific, due to the skills which may have been developed during volunteering.
The Brief is a result of a desk study on volunteering and youth unemployment and
underemployment throughout the region, accompanied by a number of interviews
with current and former volunteers.
The Issue Brief first breaks down the challenges of youth unemployment,
underemployment and informality in Asia and Pacific, as well as rapidly changing
skill requirements, which are barriers for young people entering the labor market.
The Brief moves on to discuss the various forms of volunteering in the region, as well
as the skills volunteers may develop during volunteering. The last section explores
which of those skills are relevant to employability and labor market access for young
people and discovers the benefits of volunteering for youth entrepreneurship.
A number of recommendations are made on employability including but not limited
to the importance of skill needs anticipation and skills development relevant for
labor market access and entrepreneurship, followed by recommendations for
volunteer serving organizations and volunteers themselves. These include, for
example, to design volunteer programmes to empower women and expose them to
new work environments and for volunteers to volunteer more strategically to expand
social capital and networks, which are crucial for finding employment in markets
dominated by informality
Over the past century, The Rockefeller Foundation has remained true to the pursuit of health access for all mankind. We have helped to build and develop schools of medicine and public health, contributed to new medicines and treatments that helped cure patients and advanced the field of health. Our long history has given the foundation a unique place in the field of global health. We have the ability and privilege to convene great minds, catalyze new initiatives, identify new opportunities and increase global health and wellbeing.
Driven by long‐term shifts in the labor market and on‐going poverty and inequality, youth employment challenges have mounted steadily over the last decade and reached a crisis point in the wake of the Great Recession. Youth unemployment in 2010 reached its highest level since World War II. The short‐ and long‐term consequences of youth unemployment are severe. Individuals who fail to
transition to stable jobs by their early 20s are at risk of experiencing more frequent and prolonged spells of joblessness, permanently lower earnings, and greater difficulty building a secure financial future for themselves and their families. Ultimately, youth unemployment and associated challenges threaten to perpetuate cycles of intergenerational poverty for individuals and communities.
Giving Them an Edge? The Effects of Work Experience on the Employment Prospec...The Rockefeller Foundation
This brief summarizes the results of NCLR’s quantitative analysis of the marginal effects of work experience on the employment prospects of millennials. It focuses on Latino young men, offering an overview of the structural barriers, an investigation of whether and to what extent additional work experience gives millennials a competitive edge in today’s hypercompetitive labor market, and recommendations to ensure that they fully leverage their work to maximize their potential in the labor market. In particular, this brief will examine the labor market outcomes of Latinos, the youngest and fastest-growing segment of the American labor force.
South Africa ranks in the top four most giving nations, we explore a new platform for social justice and accountability; and a recent survey suggests MOOCs are failing to educate the poor.
Digital Jobs Africa is an initiative that seeks to impact the lives of 1 million people in six countries in Africa by catalyzing sustainable Information and Communications Technology enabled employment opportunities for African youth who would not otherwise have an opportunity for sustainable employment.
The focus of this Issue Brief is to explore to what extent youth volunteerism
contributes to the economic empowerment of young people in Asia and the
Pacific, due to the skills which may have been developed during volunteering.
The Brief is a result of a desk study on volunteering and youth unemployment and
underemployment throughout the region, accompanied by a number of interviews
with current and former volunteers.
The Issue Brief first breaks down the challenges of youth unemployment,
underemployment and informality in Asia and Pacific, as well as rapidly changing
skill requirements, which are barriers for young people entering the labor market.
The Brief moves on to discuss the various forms of volunteering in the region, as well
as the skills volunteers may develop during volunteering. The last section explores
which of those skills are relevant to employability and labor market access for young
people and discovers the benefits of volunteering for youth entrepreneurship.
A number of recommendations are made on employability including but not limited
to the importance of skill needs anticipation and skills development relevant for
labor market access and entrepreneurship, followed by recommendations for
volunteer serving organizations and volunteers themselves. These include, for
example, to design volunteer programmes to empower women and expose them to
new work environments and for volunteers to volunteer more strategically to expand
social capital and networks, which are crucial for finding employment in markets
dominated by informality
As part of its overall mission of promoting the well-being of humanity throughout the world, The Rockefeller Foundation developed the goal of advancing inclusive economies. The framing of this goal is deliberate: the word inclusive stresses the need to overcome disadvantage while the choice of economies versus growth suggests the need to consider all dimensions of economic life. This executive summary outlines efforts to develop a framework to better understand and measure the characteristics of an inclusive economy. It includes:
• The evolution of the concept of an inclusive economy
• Key lessons learned from an analysis of indicator initiatives
related to measuring an inclusive economy
• A recommended indicator framework composed of 5 broad
characteristics, 15 sub-categories, and 57 indicators
• Implications for future work
For more details, a full report is available at:
inclusiveeconomies.org
The way to strengthen the partnership between United Nations and African community in advancing youth employment by Crafts and Vocational Center for sustainable development
Africa is home to entrepreneurs who are spurring the continent's growth in unique and dynamic ways. More: http://knlg.net/1QJ426P
Knowledge@Wharton recently joined Katherine Klein, Wharton management professor and vice dean for the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, and Nick Ashburn, the Initiative’s director of emerging markets, at the African Leadership Network’s 2015 annual gathering where they interviewed 18 entrepreneurs and executives who are leading, launching, scaling and supporting businesses across the continent.
Enhancing Women’s Access to Markets: An Overview of Donor Programs and Best ...Dr Lendy Spires
“It is necessary to take a multi-dimensional perspective on poverty reduction. This includes ‘bottom-up growth strategies’ to encourage the broad-based rise of entrepreneurial initiatives” (UNIDO 2003:9). Women are a significant economic entrepreneurial force whose contributions to local, national and global economies are far reaching.
Women produce and consume, manage businesses and households, earn income, hire labor, borrow and save, and provide a range of services for businesses and workers. Women also produce more than 80 percent of the food consumed in Sub-Saharan Africa, 50-60 percent of all staples in Asia, and generate 30 percent of all food consumed in Latin America (see Annex 2, Box 8).
Women represent an increasing proportion of the world’s waged labor force and their activity rates are rising. In Africa, Asia, and Latin America, they are over one third of the officially enumerated workforce (WISTAT 2000). Women-run businesses can be found in emerging sectors such as the production and marketing of consumer goods, commercial banking, financial services, insurance, information services, communications, and transport.
As owners of SMEs, women furnish local, national and multinational companies with ideas, technology, supplies, components, and business services (Jalbert 2000). These activities are likely to prove fundamental as developing economies transition from primarily agricultural to industrial production and become more urbanized. Furthermore, as economies liberalize and open their borders, women-owned and operated SMEs are engaging in international trade—enhancing the prominence and visibility of women entrepreneurs globally.
Understanding how women access markets as producers and wage laborers is likely to prove critical for fostering pro-poor and inclusive economic growth. Analyzing where women are in the global supply chain and documenting the resources they use and transform will provide information about how to strengthen local economies and maximize forward and backward linkages.
Finally, reducing barriers to market access and enhancing women’s productivity will necessarily benefit both economies and households. Entrepreneurship and investment influence the rate and pattern of growth, the types of forward and backward linkages that develop in an economy, the labor demanded, and the human capital investment required to meet these labor demands (Ravallion 2004; Ranis, Stewart, and Ramírez 2000). Rapid growth can contribute to poverty reduction where that growth is broad-based and inclusive (OECD 2004).
The Knowledge-based Economy and the Arab Dream: What Happened?Wesley Schwalje
Many of the Arab countries may be pursing knowledge-based economic development strategies based on flawed practices from countries perceived to have made successful transitions to knowledge-based economies. Several countries presented as archetypal models of the knowledge-based economy transition face substantial economic development problems, such as record high youth unemployment rates, with tremendous societal implications.
The importation of the knowledge economy concept to the Arab region was accompanied by an emphasis on the welfare of individuals being tied directly to their success in gaining and maintaining higher qualifications and skills which could be sold in the labor market to match high wage employment opportunities expected to be generated by emerging high skill, knowledge-based industries. However, the high wage, high skills jobs associated with knowledge-based industries have not materialized in the region and are increasingly subject to competition from the emergence of low wage, high skill workers in other developing countries.
Over 300 stakeholders from 12 countries representing the private sector, government, training institutions, academia, philanthropy, and youth attended the Impact Sourcing (IS) Conference held on November 13th and 14th at the Polo Club in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The event was hosted by Rockefeller Foundation Africa regional office Managing Director Mamadou Biteye and the Digital Jobs Africa Team, and was officially opened by Dr. Edmund Katiti, director of the Africa Program for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
The aim of this report is to give a proper idea about the labor migration of Sri Lanka. Further it describes the nature of Labor Migration, the reasons which affect for Labor Migration, effects of Labor Migration for the development of local economy, social and cultural effects. Same as that it presents possible suggestions to overcome those issues.
Abstract: Discouraged Youth’ is defined as those youth who are not working even though they have expressed a desire to work, but due to the fact that they felt that undertaking a job search would be a futile effort, have not continued with the effort to seek a job . The magnitude of this crisis is a cause for concern for Mauritius; hence this study was conducted with the objective of creating a deeper understanding of discouraged youth. Primary data is used for this study, and the survey covers a sample of 500 unemployed youth across the island. The probit regression model is used to analyse the determinants affecting discouraged youth. The findings of the study found that age, age2, marital status, gender and tertiary education, area of study based on friend’s opinion, length of unemployment less than 12 months and prior experience have an impact on discouraged youth. From the analysis it was noted that education and training systems should be revisited to bridge the skills gap.
Keywords: Labour Force, Unemployment, Discouraged Youth, Probit Regression Analysis, Mauritius.
Managing Employee Moonlighting in the Future of Work and Era of the gig EconomyOlayiwola Oladapo
Across the Globe the phenomenon of moonlighting is on the rise. Though an ancient practice, the emergence of the gig economy has brought moonlighting to the front burner of global development discourse. Moonlighting is known by different labels like Side Hustle, Private Practice, Side-gig, Side-hustle etc.But regardless of what name it is called it speaks to people doing more than one job for different reasons. In other words, they freelance on a secondary job, in addition to their primary job. In the US, the freelance workforce grew from 53 million in 2014 to 55 million in 2016 and represented 35% of the U.S. workforce. The freelance workforce earned an estimated $1 trillion in that year. The freelance or gig economy is a booming one across the globe though many nation states are actively not tracking data around it. There is therefore an urgent need for an understanding of the emerging moonlighting dynamics and deliberately articulated framework for dealing with moonlighting in the future of work. This piece attempts at triggering the conversation around it to guide all key stakeholders in building management proficiency in dealing with it as an inevitable feature of the Future of Work, the Workplace and the Workforce.
Human resource development and foreign remittances : The case of South Asia. The paper explains links between HRD, migration and remittances in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Maldives
As part of its overall mission of promoting the well-being of humanity throughout the world, The Rockefeller Foundation developed the goal of advancing inclusive economies. The framing of this goal is deliberate: the word inclusive stresses the need to overcome disadvantage while the choice of economies versus growth suggests the need to consider all dimensions of economic life. This executive summary outlines efforts to develop a framework to better understand and measure the characteristics of an inclusive economy. It includes:
• The evolution of the concept of an inclusive economy
• Key lessons learned from an analysis of indicator initiatives
related to measuring an inclusive economy
• A recommended indicator framework composed of 5 broad
characteristics, 15 sub-categories, and 57 indicators
• Implications for future work
For more details, a full report is available at:
inclusiveeconomies.org
The way to strengthen the partnership between United Nations and African community in advancing youth employment by Crafts and Vocational Center for sustainable development
Africa is home to entrepreneurs who are spurring the continent's growth in unique and dynamic ways. More: http://knlg.net/1QJ426P
Knowledge@Wharton recently joined Katherine Klein, Wharton management professor and vice dean for the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, and Nick Ashburn, the Initiative’s director of emerging markets, at the African Leadership Network’s 2015 annual gathering where they interviewed 18 entrepreneurs and executives who are leading, launching, scaling and supporting businesses across the continent.
Enhancing Women’s Access to Markets: An Overview of Donor Programs and Best ...Dr Lendy Spires
“It is necessary to take a multi-dimensional perspective on poverty reduction. This includes ‘bottom-up growth strategies’ to encourage the broad-based rise of entrepreneurial initiatives” (UNIDO 2003:9). Women are a significant economic entrepreneurial force whose contributions to local, national and global economies are far reaching.
Women produce and consume, manage businesses and households, earn income, hire labor, borrow and save, and provide a range of services for businesses and workers. Women also produce more than 80 percent of the food consumed in Sub-Saharan Africa, 50-60 percent of all staples in Asia, and generate 30 percent of all food consumed in Latin America (see Annex 2, Box 8).
Women represent an increasing proportion of the world’s waged labor force and their activity rates are rising. In Africa, Asia, and Latin America, they are over one third of the officially enumerated workforce (WISTAT 2000). Women-run businesses can be found in emerging sectors such as the production and marketing of consumer goods, commercial banking, financial services, insurance, information services, communications, and transport.
As owners of SMEs, women furnish local, national and multinational companies with ideas, technology, supplies, components, and business services (Jalbert 2000). These activities are likely to prove fundamental as developing economies transition from primarily agricultural to industrial production and become more urbanized. Furthermore, as economies liberalize and open their borders, women-owned and operated SMEs are engaging in international trade—enhancing the prominence and visibility of women entrepreneurs globally.
Understanding how women access markets as producers and wage laborers is likely to prove critical for fostering pro-poor and inclusive economic growth. Analyzing where women are in the global supply chain and documenting the resources they use and transform will provide information about how to strengthen local economies and maximize forward and backward linkages.
Finally, reducing barriers to market access and enhancing women’s productivity will necessarily benefit both economies and households. Entrepreneurship and investment influence the rate and pattern of growth, the types of forward and backward linkages that develop in an economy, the labor demanded, and the human capital investment required to meet these labor demands (Ravallion 2004; Ranis, Stewart, and Ramírez 2000). Rapid growth can contribute to poverty reduction where that growth is broad-based and inclusive (OECD 2004).
The Knowledge-based Economy and the Arab Dream: What Happened?Wesley Schwalje
Many of the Arab countries may be pursing knowledge-based economic development strategies based on flawed practices from countries perceived to have made successful transitions to knowledge-based economies. Several countries presented as archetypal models of the knowledge-based economy transition face substantial economic development problems, such as record high youth unemployment rates, with tremendous societal implications.
The importation of the knowledge economy concept to the Arab region was accompanied by an emphasis on the welfare of individuals being tied directly to their success in gaining and maintaining higher qualifications and skills which could be sold in the labor market to match high wage employment opportunities expected to be generated by emerging high skill, knowledge-based industries. However, the high wage, high skills jobs associated with knowledge-based industries have not materialized in the region and are increasingly subject to competition from the emergence of low wage, high skill workers in other developing countries.
Over 300 stakeholders from 12 countries representing the private sector, government, training institutions, academia, philanthropy, and youth attended the Impact Sourcing (IS) Conference held on November 13th and 14th at the Polo Club in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The event was hosted by Rockefeller Foundation Africa regional office Managing Director Mamadou Biteye and the Digital Jobs Africa Team, and was officially opened by Dr. Edmund Katiti, director of the Africa Program for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
The aim of this report is to give a proper idea about the labor migration of Sri Lanka. Further it describes the nature of Labor Migration, the reasons which affect for Labor Migration, effects of Labor Migration for the development of local economy, social and cultural effects. Same as that it presents possible suggestions to overcome those issues.
Abstract: Discouraged Youth’ is defined as those youth who are not working even though they have expressed a desire to work, but due to the fact that they felt that undertaking a job search would be a futile effort, have not continued with the effort to seek a job . The magnitude of this crisis is a cause for concern for Mauritius; hence this study was conducted with the objective of creating a deeper understanding of discouraged youth. Primary data is used for this study, and the survey covers a sample of 500 unemployed youth across the island. The probit regression model is used to analyse the determinants affecting discouraged youth. The findings of the study found that age, age2, marital status, gender and tertiary education, area of study based on friend’s opinion, length of unemployment less than 12 months and prior experience have an impact on discouraged youth. From the analysis it was noted that education and training systems should be revisited to bridge the skills gap.
Keywords: Labour Force, Unemployment, Discouraged Youth, Probit Regression Analysis, Mauritius.
Managing Employee Moonlighting in the Future of Work and Era of the gig EconomyOlayiwola Oladapo
Across the Globe the phenomenon of moonlighting is on the rise. Though an ancient practice, the emergence of the gig economy has brought moonlighting to the front burner of global development discourse. Moonlighting is known by different labels like Side Hustle, Private Practice, Side-gig, Side-hustle etc.But regardless of what name it is called it speaks to people doing more than one job for different reasons. In other words, they freelance on a secondary job, in addition to their primary job. In the US, the freelance workforce grew from 53 million in 2014 to 55 million in 2016 and represented 35% of the U.S. workforce. The freelance workforce earned an estimated $1 trillion in that year. The freelance or gig economy is a booming one across the globe though many nation states are actively not tracking data around it. There is therefore an urgent need for an understanding of the emerging moonlighting dynamics and deliberately articulated framework for dealing with moonlighting in the future of work. This piece attempts at triggering the conversation around it to guide all key stakeholders in building management proficiency in dealing with it as an inevitable feature of the Future of Work, the Workplace and the Workforce.
Human resource development and foreign remittances : The case of South Asia. The paper explains links between HRD, migration and remittances in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Maldives
MTBiz is for you if you are looking for contemporary information on business, economy and especially on banking industry of Bangladesh. You would also find periodical information on Global Economy and Commodity Markets.
Bangladesh's massive urban sector, comprising 525 urban centres, continues to grow. The BBS reports that 21 per cent of the urban population is below the poverty line, a third of whom is extreme poor.
Domestic Vs International Remittance flow: Economic Analysis of the Value of ...iosrjce
International migration from Bangladesh has become a defining characteristic of the country and is
considered to be an important livelihood earning strategy for the people. Especially since 1980s, large
scale labour migration has become a common phenomenon of Bangladesh. This paper has examined the
financial benefit receipt between the domestic and the international migration. Financial benefit is measured in
terms of the value of remittance transfer from the migrants. An ordinary least square (OLS) model is used to
estimate the objectives of the study. For this purpose secondary dataset has been used from the Household
Income Expenditure Survey (HIES 2010) from Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). Two types of migration
have been considered in the paper – domestic and International migration. The affiliated cost of holding a
passport, completion of visa procedure, transportation, and accommodation distinguishes international
migration from domestic migration. There has been significant transfer of domestic remittance from urban to
rural/sub-urban areas of Bangladesh but nevertheless the term remittance popularly known as value (both in
cash and kind) transferred from abroad. The paper suggests households receive significantly high remittance
from international migrants than domestic migrants. Hence the rational instinct of a human being is to migrate
himself internationally. Besides, migrants with higher level of education send more remittance to households
regardless of domestic or international migration.
THE EFFECT OF REMITTANCES OF DIASPORA ON THE ECONOMY OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES:...Faisal Rashid Majumder
The aim of this research is to investigate macro and micro economic determinants of remittances with respect to the Bangladesh. Therefore, the title of the Dissertation is “The Effect of Remittances of Diaspora on the Economy of Developing Countries: A Case Study on Bangladesh”. This research seeks to critically evaluate the remittances inflow and their role both in the economic development process and in the context of Bangladesh. This research sets out to understand, not only the migration and settlement patterns of Bangladeshis. It also analyses the nature of the remittances in the development process sent to Bangladesh by the first, second and third generation of the Bangladeshi Diaspora. The data had been collected through a literature review of previous researchers and questionnaire interview with relevant participants. The main results of the research show that people migrate for different purposes, factors and motivations. Some of them move around to settle permanently in the country of destination, while others may cross borders only to reside temporarily in order to look for a job. This study shows migrants’ contribution to the economic development both of their home, their host countries. An important result emphasises how from Bangladesh migrate to overseas for better job opportunities, high wage rates and standard living conditions. Moreover, it was found how remittances are used for repayment of loans, household consumptions and investment in small enterprises. This research found that, remittances which are sent through informal channels are being unrecorded and do not participate in national economy. The methodology adopted in the current research could be improved, in future years, in order to obtain many more empirical results and also, in order to answer to other issues not yet solved.
Dynamics of Migration and Role of Remittance for Sustainable Development in S...Asif Nawaz
The current human mobility in the world is higher than ever before in the modern history. Almost all of the approximately 200 nations in the world are either countries of origin, or destination for the migrants. As per the data of United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the overall number of international migrants reached 244 million in 2015. This constitutes 3.3 % of world population, in other words, one out of every 30 persons in the world is currently a migrant who lives out of his/her home country. However, the South Asian countries have the biggest share in the global migration activity. According to the United Nations Population Division, till 2015 this region has exported 37 million emigrants around the world which is 15.11% of the overall number of international migrants. Among these South Asian countries, there are five major South Asia labor-sending nations which deploy on average over 2.5 million migrants as the data of last five years shows. Due to this influx of workers, the region also has emerged as the largest receiver of remittances. Worldwide, an estimated 582 billion U.S. dollars was sent by migrants to relatives in their home countries in 2015. Out of it, 118 billion received by this region from its emigrants around the world, which accounts 20.25% of global remittance. So, this region is increasingly becoming a remittance economy, and over last decade, it has been continuously on rise.
This paper studies dynamics of expatriation and the role of remittance sent to the South Asian countries, mainly to India which has the biggest number of migrant workers in the all corners of the globe, that gives a handsome amount of remittance as a source of funds for economic development. despite its huge potential to contribute to economic growth, India has not yet fully maximized benefits from remittances. Furthermore, the study also discusses how and why India’s share of migrant labors is on a downfall trend since 2014. This study strives to discover the causes of this decline in India’s share of employment in the Gulf. Alongside this, the study also explored how and why foreign employers (FEs) in the Gulf were compelled not to hire workers from India but from Pakistan and Bangladesh in last two years. In the end, the study suggests how the serious situation has surfaced on the fate of Indian migrant workers, and tries to fetch the government’s attention to take cognizance of this issue and act swiftly to resolve it for avoiding further downfall of Indian workers in oil-rich Gulf nations.
Science, Education and Innovations in the context of modern problems..pdfPublisherNasir
SEI Conference
Proceeding Title Science, Education and Innovations in the Context of Modern Problems (2790-0169)
Type
Conference Proceedings (International)
ISSN 2790-0169
E-ISSN 2790-0177
Short Title SEI
Abbreviated key-title Sci. educ. innov. context mod. probl.
ISBN 978-1451-11-764-6
Editor Nasir Mammadov, Mammad
Chairman of Editorial Board Dr. Uma Shankar Yadav (India)
Publisher International Meetings and Conferences Research Association
E-mail (Submission & Contact) editor@imcra-az.org
Topics Science and Social Sciences (no Art and Humanities)
Frequency Bi-monthly (6 in a year)
Socio-economic Impact of Remittance on Households: A Study on Khulna, Bangladeshiosrjce
Foreign remittance to Bangladesh now become one of the vital sources of foreign exchange earnings
and it also plays a significant role by reducing the foreign-exchange constraint and improving the balance of
payments, ensuring imports of various types of capital goods, and raw materials for industrial development.
Furthermore, it has also increased the supply of savings and investment for capital formation and development
in country’s economic condition and thus it accelerates economic development of a country. But this study
attempted to evaluate the impact of foreign remittances on socio-economic condition of households in Khulna
city. This paper uses various data of households of Khulna city to analyze the impact of foreign remittances on
the socio-economic condition of households. The results of this analysis were compared to those households
who do not receive remittances to clearly identify the decision of the households to spend remittances in
different sector. Unlike to other studies, this study reveals that households receiving remittances spend less on
food consumption, consumer durables and other consumer goods than do households who do not receive any
remittances. This study finds that households receiving remittances spend heavily on various investment
activities like land purchase, building construction, other investment activities and this investment constitutes
more than half of the remittances received during the last 12 months counted from August 2012 to July 2013.
This study also finds that households receiving remittances in Khulna city spend more on education than do
households having no remittances which is a good sign of any economy as investment in education is treated as
investment in human capital. However, this study also finds that foreign remittances help households to spend
more on social ceremonies, households’ services and electrical goods which indicate improved living standard
and socio-economic condition.
Shadows of Support Unveiling the Hidden Realities of Remittances by British B...ijtsrd
The purpose of this article is to acquire a better knowledge of how remittances are used and their impact on migrant family members back home. For this the main objective of this project are tow fold. First, this research aims to analyze in which sector remittances are used for household consumption within migrants family back home. Second, it aims to identify the dark side of remittance such as dependency, voluntary unemployment, domination, life leading cost. According to the studys findings, remittances are a crucial source of income for many families, assisting in meeting basic necessities, reducing poverty, and driving economic growth. However, Remittance creates dependency among migrant family members. That is the cause of voluntary unemployment. Being unemployed makes them more dependent on migrants and migrant members get an opportunity to exploit their family members who are financially dependent on them, resulting in conflicts. Remittance also is the cause of increasing life leading costs. Moreover, remittance creates a fascination among family members that leads to taking illegal ways to go to the UK. The study followed the qualitative approach. The information was gathered during fieldwork in Sylhet. In depth interviews are one of the research methodologies used. Najifa Easmin | Asif Mahmud "Shadows of Support: Unveiling the Hidden Realities of Remittances by British Bangladeshi Migrant's Family Back Home" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-7 | Issue-6 , December 2023, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd60103.pdf Paper Url: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/sociology/60103/shadows-of-support-unveiling-the-hidden-realities-of-remittances-by-british-bangladeshi-migrants-family-back-home/najifa-easmin
The Transforming Health Systems (THS) initiative was one of The Rockefeller Foundation’s largest global health initiatives. Aligned with the Foundation’s mission to promote the well-being of humanity, THS aimed to improve the health status and financial resilience of poor and otherwise vulnerable populations through activities promoting improved health systems performance and the expansion of universal health coverage (UHC).
This report synthesizes findings from a five-year, multicomponent evaluation of the THS initiative. The objectives of the evaluation were to assess i) the effectiveness of the three core strategies – global advocacy, regional networks, and country-level investments – employed under THS to advance progress toward UHC in low- and middle-income countries in four focus countries, ii) the overall effectiveness and influence of the initiative, and iii) the Foundation’s legacy in the UHC arena. A key component of the evaluation was to document lessons learned from achievements and challenges to inform the development of future initiatives at the Foundation.
Overall, the evaluation found the THS initiative to be successful in its efforts to activate a global movement to accelerate progress toward UHC. The Foundation catalyzed and shaped the global UHC movement and, ultimately, influenced the inclusion of UHC in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the post-2015 agenda. It also created enduring cross-learning platforms and tools to support country progress toward the SDGs’ UHC targets. Although THS gained less traction in advancing UHC through its focus country investments, its success in making UHC a global development target and creating networks and coalitions to support UHC reform efforts in LMICs will likely have country-level impacts for years to come.
This guide is designed for program officers to use in their work related to networks, coalitions, and other relationship-based structures as part of their initiatives, program strategies, and outcomes. It offers a set of core components that make up the basics of strategizing, implementing, and sustaining inter-organizational relationships and structures. You can work through the guide from beginning to end or jump to specific issues with which you might be struggling. Every component suggests concrete “actions” or questions that a program officer can apply.
Putting “Impact” at the Center of Impact Investing: A Case Study of How Green...The Rockefeller Foundation
More than ever before, investors are looking to put their money where their values are. As a result, impact investing has burgeoned into an over $100 billion industry in just over ten years. But how do impact investors know whether their money is truly having a positive impact on people and
the planet? How can these investors better manage their results, and use material data – both positive and negative – about social and environmental performance to maximize their impact?
This case study documents the journey of one organization, Green Canopy Homes – and its financing arm, Green Canopy Capital – toward more systematically thinking about, measuring, and managing its impact. While developing the impact thesis for its resource-efficient homes, Green Canopy applied a theory of change tool, an approach common within the social sector, to systematically map the causal pathways between its strategies and intended impact. Its rationale for adopting this approach was simple: use it to maximize impact, and understand and minimize possible harm. The tool also effectively positioned Green Canopy to measure and communicate about its social and environmental performance, and to make client-centric adaptations to its business.
The case study provides an illuminating example of how investors can adapt theory of change to serve their impact management needs. By demonstrating the relevance and transferability of this tool for articulating, measuring, and managing impact, the hope is that this case study can contribute to strengthening other investors’ approaches, in turn contributing to building the evidence base for the “impact” of impact investments.
Electricity is one of the most important drivers of socio-economic development, yet up to 250 million Indians are not connected to the national grid, and the majority of rural consumers have grossly unreliable power supply. More than solar lanterns and home systems that power a few lights and fans, among the most efficient ways to provide reliable electricity in remote areas is through local mini-grids. India has several run by energy service companies and usually funded by philanthropic capital.
Most of these enterprises have not been able to scale-up their impact meaningfully because the risk of the national grid entering their markets can render their mini-grid unviable. Rather than seeing “grid versus mini-grid” as a policy choice, Beyond Off-Grid: Integrating Mini-Grids with India’s Evolving Electricity System explores ways we can encourage more of both: to have the grid operate in partnership with a network of distributed mini-grids to accelerate electrification.
What does the roadmap for this ‘interconnection’ of our energy system look like? How can we leverage both government and private investment? What are the different interconnection models and their commercial, technical and regulatory implications? Where do mini-grids go from here? This timely report – commissioned by the Asha Impact Trust in collaboration with Shakti Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation – provides a multi-layered perspective to address these questions based on extensive research, wide-ranging policymaker interactions, and our investment experience evaluating mini-grid operators.
We cannot achieve significant poverty reduction without stimulating electricity consumption, which fuels income-generating activities in the modern economy. In India, about 237 million people have little or no access to reliable electricity -- more than 90% of them live in rural areas. This severely constrains economic opportunities. Addressing this chronic problem requires going beyond simply expanding the government grid.
Mini-grids have emerged as a viable solution to complement and integrate with the national grid, and can support the government in achieving its ‘Power for All’ vision. The Rockefeller Foundation’s Smart Power for Rural Development (SPRD) initiative is the first to pursue the creation of a mini-grid sector that is robust enough to fuel commercial enterprises and drive economic development beyond just one village. Smart Power India (SPI), which leads the SPRD initiative in India, has proven that mini-grids can be swiftly deployed to deliver reliable power, and has likewise demonstrated that mini-grids can spur economic activity needed to help people lift themselves out of poverty.
This issue of Smart Power Connect, published after the hundredth village was connected to Smart Power, explores the efforts, success stories, and challenges faced in SPI’s mini-grid journey to date. With insights from government agencies, policy experts, energy service companies, investors and mini-grid customers themselves, this publication provides a glimpse into the potential of the mini-grids to transform the energy sector – and how rural communities are embracing and utilizing clean, reliable and adequate power to improve their lives.
Today, nearly 240 million Indians lack access to reliable electricity, and 90 percent of them live in rural areas. Despite the government’s ambitious plans to accelerate universal electrification by 2018, challenges remain in providing reliable and sufficient energy to the last mile. Distributed renewable energy (DRE) solutions, and in particular mini-grids, have emerged as a reliable complement to the government’s electrification programs by providing rural areas with access to reliable and high-quality electricity at a much faster pace. The growth of the DRE sector will be an important fillip to the last-mile challenge.
Smart Power India (SPI) is an organization that implements The Rockefeller Foundation’s Smart Power for Rural Development (SPRD) to build viable and commercially oriented mini-grid ecosystems in India. This report explains the Smart Power mini-grid model and explores the drivers of success. Analyzing early data from a cohort of the 106 Smart Power mini-grids operational as of 2017, SPI provides data on commercial performance as well as recommendations to further accelerate the rural mini-grid business.
Encouragingly, the report reveals that the 23 top-cohort plants have an average unit-level profit margin of approximately 30% after the first year of operations. It also highlights that villages receiving electricity from SPRD mini-grids show early signs of social and economic impact (also see Understanding the Impact of Rural Electrification.) SPI has observed that site selection, a strong focus on operations, support for demand generation and marketing optimized for rural customers, are critical to the continued improvement of mini-grid operations. Finally, the report provides recommendations to address external challenges such as the need for increased financing, stronger policy support and further technological innovation.
A successful philanthropic initiative depends not just on the strategy pursued – but also on how that strategy is implemented. Implementation considerations can vary significantly based on the shape of an initiative – starting a new organization can look very different than investing in a portfolio of existing organizations. This report looks at four “models” for implementing initiatives. These don’t represent an exhaustive set of potential models to pursue, or even the most high potential models. Rather, these are four examples of models, each of which has significant potential for impact when chosen wisely and executed well. The report outlines the considerations involved in choosing to pursue each of these models and findings on how to implement them, drawn from real-world experience.
Globally, over 1 billion people still live without electricity. Roughly 237 million of these people are in India. Smart Power for Rural Development (SPRD) is a $75 million initiative aimed at accelerating development in India’s least electrified states. Through the deployment of decentralized renewable energy mini-grids, SPRD works to accelerate the growth of rural economies, while at the same time improving the lives and livelihoods of poor and marginalized families and communities. With access to energy, individuals, households, and communities can generate economic opportunities and enhance their quality of life. Understanding the Impact of Rural Electrification has generated significant insights on how SPRD is having an impact on the lives of villagers, and what more is needed to sustain, grow, and scale these gains. We’ve learned that households and businesses are slowly but surely moving up the energy ladder; enterprises are expanding and new ones are being created as a result of energy access, and women are feeling safer and more mobile after dark. In this report, we also introduce the innovative GDP+ approach which, which quantifies and measures the social, economic and environmental gains of access to electricity in GDP terms. The initial findings here show that SPRD villages experienced an $18.50 per capita increase in GDP+.
The information in this brief is drawn from a case study of the JLN conducted by Mathematica Policy Research in consultation with the THS team and the Evaluation Office of The Rockefeller Foundation. The study, completed in 2016, was undertaken to assess the extent to which the JLN had achieved its goal of becoming a country-driven, sustainable network helping to advance progress toward universal health coverage in low- and middle-income countries.
The Joint Learning Network (JLN) is a key innovation and central part of The Rockefeller Foundation’s efforts to promote universal health coverage (UHC) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) under its Transforming Health Systems (THS) initiative (2009-2017). Launched in 2010, the JLN is a country-led, global learning network that connects practitioners around the globe, in order to advance knowledge and learning about approaches to accelerate country progress toward UHC. The JLN currently includes 27 member countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America that engage in multilateral workshops, country learning exchanges, and virtual dialogues to share experiences and develop tools to support the design and implementation of UHC-oriented reforms. The core vehicles for shared learning and resource development under the JLN are technical initiatives, which are managed by several technical partners and organized around key levers for reaching UHC objectives.
With 62.5 million tons of food wasted in the United States each year, there is much work to be done to
bring about substantial changes in the food industry that will create a more efficient food system and
help preserve the environment. This guide describes promising opportunities to reduce food waste
in three areas—packaging, food retail, and home kitchens—and discusses a number of solutions that
could be piloted, validated, and scaled to significantly reduce food waste in America.
National Disaster Resilience Competition's Resilience Academies - Emerging In...The Rockefeller Foundation
In 2015 The Rockefeller Foundation partnered with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to launch the National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC)
Resilience Academies. Recognizing the salient need to infuse resilience thinking into HUD’s NDRC, these Academies were established to expose state and local governments to new approaches for protecting and promoting the long-term well-being and safety of their communities. A recent independent evaluation of the Academies has provided instructive insights about what works in efforts to build innovative resilience capacity.
Following its successful partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) post–Hurricane Sandy Rebuild by Design competition, The Rockefeller Foundation launched the Resilience Academies and Capacity-Building Initiative. Designed to support HUD’s National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC), the Academies and the Initiative provide eligible state, county, and municipal governments with subject-matter expertise and lessons from the Foundation’s years of on-the-ground disaster recovery programming and mitigation planning. Further, the Foundation hoped to assist these key players in moving global knowledge and resources to meet homegrown needs.
In December 2016, The Rockefeller Foundation’s African Regional Office hosted the Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Convening in Nairobi, Kenya. Over 150 delegates and 40 speakers participated, sharing insights, examples, and engaging in debate and discussion on why and how ‘resilience’ can enhance Africa’s ongoing development.
Launched in 2008, the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) Initiative aimed to catalyze attention, funding, and action for building the climate change resilience of vulnerable cities and people in Asia. Given that current estimates forecast that about 55 percent of Asia’s population will be living in urban centers by 2030, the ACCCRN Initiative is built on the premise that cities can take actions to build climate resilience – including drainage and flood management, ecosystem strengthening,
increasing awareness, and disease control – which can greatly improve the lives of poor and vulnerable people, not just in times of shock or stress, but every day.
At the time the initiative was launched, the concept of urban resilience and models for implementing it were nascent and emergent. ACCCRN proved to be an important experiment and “learning lab” for the Foundation and its grantees and partners to build capacity in cities to better understand and implement resilience solutions to the often devastating shocks and stresses of climate change. The initiative was effective in the initial 10 ACCCRN cities and, later, in an additional 40 cities.
As part of our Foundation-wide commitment to learning and accountability to our grantees, partners and stakeholders, we undertook an independent evaluation of the work of the initiative in 2014 to assess what worked well and not so well in ACCCRN. Conducted by Verulam Associates and ITAD, who also conducted a mid-term evaluation of the ACCCRN Initiative in 2011, this summative evaluation highlights successes, but also provides an important moment to reflect on the challenges we faced and on what we can do better or differently going forward.
Situating the Next Generation of Impact Measurement and Evaluation for Impact...The Rockefeller Foundation
Situating the Next Generation of Impact Measurement and Evaluation for Impact Investing contends that measurement practices need to evolve by borrowing from the strengths of both private business and social sector evaluation. Suggesting that an impact thesis is a crucial anchor for impact measurement strategies, the paper offers several measurement approaches in use today. The ‘next generation’ of impact measurement and evaluation must stem from a commitment of impact investors to strengthen evidence for their social returns alongside the evidence for financial returns.
The goal of the CEO & Gender Media Audit was to understand the media coverage of CEOs in various situations and determine if there are differences in the way male and female CEOs are covered.
Equity and Inclusive Growth from a Development Perspective is essential reading for development and evaluation practitioners. It provides a concise history and critical examination of the concepts related to growth, poverty, and equity. These three foundational elements of contemporary development theory and practice are at the root of The Rockefeller Foundation’s movement toward advancing inclusive economies and building resilience.
The paper offers many insights about the measurement and evaluation of programs. It illuminates the debate surrounding ways to assess well-being beyond GDP. It covers the many ways to approach the measurement of poverty and the most commonly used indexes. Finally, it examines the important distinction between equity and equality and the policy implications of pursuing equity.
This session provides a comprehensive overview of the latest updates to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (commonly known as the Uniform Guidance) outlined in the 2 CFR 200.
With a focus on the 2024 revisions issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), participants will gain insight into the key changes affecting federal grant recipients. The session will delve into critical regulatory updates, providing attendees with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate and comply with the evolving landscape of federal grant management.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the rationale behind the 2024 updates to the Uniform Guidance outlined in 2 CFR 200, and their implications for federal grant recipients.
- Identify the key changes and revisions introduced by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the 2024 edition of 2 CFR 200.
- Gain proficiency in applying the updated regulations to ensure compliance with federal grant requirements and avoid potential audit findings.
- Develop strategies for effectively implementing the new guidelines within the grant management processes of their respective organizations, fostering efficiency and accountability in federal grant administration.
Jennifer Schaus and Associates hosts a complimentary webinar series on The FAR in 2024. Join the webinars on Wednesdays and Fridays at noon, eastern.
Recordings are on YouTube and the company website.
https://www.youtube.com/@jenniferschaus/videos
Russian anarchist and anti-war movement in the third year of full-scale warAntti Rautiainen
Anarchist group ANA Regensburg hosted my online-presentation on 16th of May 2024, in which I discussed tactics of anti-war activism in Russia, and reasons why the anti-war movement has not been able to make an impact to change the course of events yet. Cases of anarchists repressed for anti-war activities are presented, as well as strategies of support for political prisoners, and modest successes in supporting their struggles.
Thumbnail picture is by MediaZona, you may read their report on anti-war arson attacks in Russia here: https://en.zona.media/article/2022/10/13/burn-map
Links:
Autonomous Action
http://Avtonom.org
Anarchist Black Cross Moscow
http://Avtonom.org/abc
Solidarity Zone
https://t.me/solidarity_zone
Memorial
https://memopzk.org/, https://t.me/pzk_memorial
OVD-Info
https://en.ovdinfo.org/antiwar-ovd-info-guide
RosUznik
https://rosuznik.org/
Uznik Online
http://uznikonline.tilda.ws/
Russian Reader
https://therussianreader.com/
ABC Irkutsk
https://abc38.noblogs.org/
Send mail to prisoners from abroad:
http://Prisonmail.online
YouTube: https://youtu.be/c5nSOdU48O8
Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/libertarianlifecoach/episodes/Russian-anarchist-and-anti-war-movement-in-the-third-year-of-full-scale-war-e2k8ai4
Jennifer Schaus and Associates hosts a complimentary webinar series on The FAR in 2024. Join the webinars on Wednesdays and Fridays at noon, eastern.
Recordings are on YouTube and the company website.
https://www.youtube.com/@jenniferschaus/videos
What is the point of small housing associations.pptxPaul Smith
Given the small scale of housing associations and their relative high cost per home what is the point of them and how do we justify their continued existance
ZGB - The Role of Generative AI in Government transformation.pdfSaeed Al Dhaheri
This keynote was presented during the the 7th edition of the UAE Hackathon 2024. It highlights the role of AI and Generative AI in addressing government transformation to achieve zero government bureaucracy
1. Tracking urban poverty trends in India, Bangladesh, nepal and Pakistan
Continued inside
feature
Worker Migration
from South Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Development initiative
Domestic Work in India . . . . . . 7
research perspective
Revisiting Roles in
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
News Deep Dive
Affordable Transportation
for the Poor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Regional NEWS summaries . . 20
events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
More Searchlight South Asia at
Urbanpoverty.intellecap.com
Disclaimer The opinions expressed in
Searchlight South Asia are solely those
of the authors and do not necessarily
reflect the positions of the Rockefeller
Foundation.
Contents
Searchlight
March 2013 Vol. 4, Issue 6
Feature
WorkerMigration
from South Asia
By Nisha Kumar Kulkarni
Without a doubt, rural-to-urban migration is a symptom of the larger
problem of scarce opportunity. Though South Asian countries largely
qualify as “rural” and are dominated by agrarian economies, the modern
age has made way for limited growth and development in villages. This
fact is no more apparent than when one surveys the cityscapes of South
Asia and sees the proliferation of expansive slum communities, home
to hundreds of thousands of the urban poor – the once-were-villagers.
There is, however, another migration pattern that must be paid
attention to, and it is that of intra-regional and international migration.
Poor people are choosing to leave behind their home countries, and
SOUTH ASIA
A monthly newsletter prepared by Intellecap
for the Rockefeller Foundation
flickruserexbinito
2. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
2
oftentimes their immediate families, to work abroad where jobs are more available.
Crossing national borders for cheap labor, certain industries – such as construction
and domestic work, for example – find a steady flow of ready, able-bodied applicants
to fulfill these roles just so they are able to send their hard-earned money home and
offer financial support.
Migration Patterns
According to a 2012 Asian Development Bank (ADB) working paper entitled “Worker
Migration and Remittances in South Asia,” the number of migrant workers going
abroad from South Asia reached approximately 1.5 million in 2010. Remittance
inflow for the same year was logged at a record high of US$72bn. South Asia’s econ-
omy has overwhelmingly become a “remittance economy,” whereby countries like
Bangladesh, India and Nepal are increasingly dependent on remittances by migrant
workers. (Not enough data is available on current worker migration statistics from
Pakistan to be conclusive on the degree to which the country relies on remittances.)
This figure, however, only captures formal remittances, or those that were officially
recorded. Informal remittances will likely push that figure much higher.
A vast majority of migrant workers from South Asia are finding work in the
Middle East, as well as Southeast Asia. A common sight on flights from Delhi
to Dubai, or vice versa, are groups of Indian migrant workers, all hired to help
build the “new Middle East.” In spite of the global recession in 2008, there is
a steady stream of work available in countries like the United Arab Emirates
(UAE), Oman and Saudi Arabia, amongst others. These migrant workers – also
from Bangladesh and Nepal – are treated much like a group of schoolchildren
going on a field trip: there is one “leader,” often representing the interests of the
foreign employer, who keeps the group together and, more importantly, holds
onto their passports.
In 2011, the Government of Bangladesh estimated that more than five million
people – nearly 3% of the country’s total population – are migrant workers. On
average between the years 2000 and 2010, Bangladesh has seen an annual outflow
of 435,000 people migrating for work. During the same period, India has seen
six million people leave the country for work, and the annual outflow has been
steadily climbing at 16%.
Unlike Bangladesh and India, Nepal’s migration patterns are less transparent.
A majority of Nepalese migrants – 1.5 million people – move to India for work.
However, the Government of India does not consider Nepalese workers “migrants”
because there is a no visa policy between India and Nepal. According to Nepal’s
Ministry of Labor and Transport Management though, in July 2009, the official
figure for migrant workers was registered at 219,956. As of 2010, 1.6 million workers
had left the country since 2000. Official figures pin annual outflow at an average
26%. Given these statistical discrepancies, there are some obvious issues in how
migrant workers are being defined, registered and recorded.
South Asia’s economy has overwhelmingly become
a “remittance economy,” whereby countries like
Bangladesh, India and Nepal are increasingly
dependent on remittances by migrant workers.
Feature continued
3. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
3
A Remittance Economy
Remittance inflows have become a critical component of funding for South Asian
economies. In 2010, South Asia realized formal remittance inflows at US$75bn,
up from just US$16.13bn in 2000. Globally, India and Bangladesh ranked first and
seventh, respectively, with regard to the level of remittances received. In terms of
GDP, Nepal receives the highest level of formal remittance inflows, at 23%, in South
Asia, followed by Bangladesh (12%). There is a clear relationship between economic
growth in other global regions and the levels of remittances received in South Asia. For
example, the ADB working paper notes that Bangladesh’s remittance inflow in 2010
was US$11bn, a 6% growth from the previous fiscal year and the “highest remittance
inflow in its history.” This rise makes sense given the rate of economic growth being
experienced in “migrant worker host countries,” like Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Remittance inflows may come via formal or informal channels. Formal channels
include bank drafts, electronic bank transfers, foreign exchange centers, money trans-
fer companies or other legal organizations. There is, however, a growing unregulated
remittance economy that supports informal channels like unlicensed brokers or traders,
and transfers via family and friends. Most remittances to South Asian countries come
via informal channels. The economic implications of informality are evident: there is
no transparent record of exactly how much money comes from migrant labor. There is
another consequence as well whereby the ignorance of migrant labor abroad is exploited:
they can be cheated out of funds, pay exorbitantly high transaction fees or lose all their
earnings altogether.
South Asian governments have taken steps to prevent remittances coming from
informal channels. Measures like exchange rate liberalization, special remittance
units at central banks, improved licensing for money transfer agencies and stronger
ties between domestic and foreign banks have been encouraged. For the poor, how-
ever, it is easy to understand how formal remittance channels may be out of the
question: dealings with banks or any legal entity requires what seems to be a surfeit of
personal documentation and perhaps even funding that they do not have access to.
Why Leave?
South Asia’s urban poor communities are former rural residents. Cities have become
beacons of economic – and, to a degree, social – hope for domestic migrants. But with a
high influx of migrants to cities, there are disadvantages that may drive a person to con-
sider working abroad. Low wages and few stable opportunities inspire migrant workers to
move to larger cities, where they have a better chance at supporting themselves and their
families. For a resident of Bangladesh or Nepal, this does not necessarily mean taking the
drastic step of moving to the Middle East directly, but instead to try his luck in India.
In Nepal, Kathmandu is not only the capital city, but also the biggest city that holds
promise for any rural migrant. Making the physical move to the city is the first step,
but next comes the search for a job. A February 2013 article in The Himalayan Times
Feature continued
In cities like Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, they take
jobs as household maids, cooks, drivers and delivery
persons, for example, where they live meagerly in
slum communities and send almost the entirety of
their earned incomes back home.
4. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
4
notes that more than 27% of young Nepalese people, between ages 25 and 34, are
leaving the country “due to lack of confidence in the government, fewer employment
opportunities and social pressure… Formal job creation remains weak, while infor-
mal jobs and underemployment have also shrunk….” In 2012 alone, 554,441 young
people left Nepal “in search of greener pastures.”
The challenges that young people face in finding a sustainable livelihood high-
lights significant problems in the overall economy and the government’s approach
to addressing such issues. If Nepal is truly witnessing a contraction in its job markets
– both formal and informal – it is easy to understand why so many people are seeking
their fortunes outside the country. Many Nepalese people migrate south of the border
to India, where they readily take jobs in the informal economy: in cities like Delhi,
Kolkata and Mumbai, they take jobs as household maids, cooks, drivers and delivery
persons, for example, where they live meagerly in slum communities and send almost
the entirety of their earned incomes back home.
Bangladesh is also seeing a high incidence of migration to India. Opportunities
in India’s cities, as well as in rural areas where further infrastructural development is
unfolding, has inspired many legal and illegal migrants to cross the border and find
relatively lucrative jobs. As a matter of fact, migration is happening at such a rate that
the Government of India has formally requested that the Bangladeshi government
exercise more control over the country’s migrants.
Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Foreign migrants to Indian cities are not just taking jobs as domestic workers and
manual laborers. There is also a desperate pitch to the jobs migrant workers may take
in a new country to gain financial independence. Prostitution and sex work may also
come to the fore, particularly for young women. The Bangladeshi village of Basatpur
was profiled in a January 2013 article in The Guardian: it is dubbed “Bombay Colony”
because of the number of women who move to Mumbai and end up working in one of
the city’s notorious bars. In the case of Basatpur’s villagers, crossing the border to India is
infinitely more promising than moving to Chittagong, Dhaka or Khulna. “The girls go
because there’s nothing to eat here. The men can’t earn a living, so they send us across
the border,” says Anjuman Ara Begum who was interviewed in the article.
Basatpur is exceptional, mainly because so many of its women have fled the country.
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, Bangladesh recorded remittance inflows from
all migrant workers at 11% of GDP. The official number of female migrant workers,
however, stood at just 30,000, which is less than 5% of the total outflow of workers, as
reported by the Government of Bangladesh’s Bureau of Manpower Employment and
Training (BMet). From these figures, and what can otherwise be reasonably assumed
in the case of most migrant workers in Bangladesh and in other South Asian coun-
tries, men make up the majority of migrant labor. Dr. Nurul Islam, director of BMet,
agrees and said to The Guardian: “Social attitudes towards women going abroad to
work are still conservative.”
Feature continued
If the poor are being hired to help build cities in
another country or region, why can they not do so in
the high-growth atmosphere of their home country’s
cities? Why should countries endorse exporting work
when there is much to be done at home?
5. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
5
The Role of the Government
Despite numerous challenges posed by out-migration, Bangladesh has the most
inclusive overseas employment policy in South Asia. Since 2006, three government
agencies have managed the rights of migrant workers abroad: the Ministry of Expatri-
ates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, the BMet and the Bangladesh Employment
Services Limited. Each agency is involved in different aspects of international migra-
tion of Bangladeshis, from organizing pre-departure information sessions to register-
ing recruitment agencies to training for national and international markets.
Unlike Bangladesh, India’s involvement with its migrant workers abroad has been
limited. This has slowly changed recently, especially in the face of short-term worker
migration to the Middle East and Malaysia. New migration policies in India prepare
migrants for going abroad, monitor licensors and brokers, and preserve the rights of
Indian citizens working abroad.
For Nepal, overseas employment has been treated as a tool in the country’s poverty
alleviation toolkit and its policies reflect that attitude. The Department of Labor and
Employment Promotion must register foreign employment recruitment agencies,
issue appropriate licenses to these agencies, and promote foreign employment by col-
lecting information and implementing training activities for migrant workers.
Urban Relevance
Migrant workers have a clear incentive to leave their countries for work, and employ-
ers seeking cheap labor will continue to find ways to lure them abroad. But the
government’s attitude towards worker migration is ambiguous. On the one hand,
the high level of remittance payments coming into a country does fund economic
growth. This is a source of funding that South Asian governments cannot afford to
lose, particularly with the needs arising from rapid urbanization.
On the other hand, the steady outflow of labor does signal a serious national prob-
lem. Local economic growth is not keeping pace with labor market growth. This is
apparent in rural areas where agrarian economies are trying to regain their foothold
in the post-recession, inflationary global market. Rapid urbanization has made cities
the next frontier, but to a certain degree, they are also failing national residents. Aside
from having to settle for a questionable quality of life, urban migrants lack stability –
that which they so need to achieve any semblance of financial independence.
Does it make sense, then, to view worker migration as a poverty alleviation tool?
Nepal has embraced this philosophy, but the country’s young people are frustrated by
it. Though the opportunity to find work abroad is important, so too is stronger reform
flickruserstatic416
Feature continued
6. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
6
within a country to create opportunities for its citizens. Part of this may obviously
require political will and effective policy measures, but it also requires an acknowl-
edgement of the labor done by lower-income groups: if the poor are being hired to
help build cities in another country or region, why can they not do so in the high-
growth atmosphere of their home country’s cities? Why should countries endorse
exporting work when there is much to be done at home? There is a structural and
social failure that prevents this match-up between the needs of a city and the needs of
the poor from cleaving together.
Conclusion
Migrant workers are conspicuous in all South Asian cities, but what may be less appar-
ent are the lengths to which the urban poor must go through to secure a livelihood
and a certain standard of living. Remittances have garnered myriad national and
regional media headlines, but in viewing just the fruits of migrant labor, the larger
issue of safeguarding the rights and welfare of national citizens gets lost in the mire.
The opportunity posed by worker migration is powerful and undeniable, but it
cannot be a consequence of negligent politics. Poor workers, in particular, are sus-
ceptible to exploitation in any context, irrespective of government efforts to ensure
otherwise. Do the poor have access to resources that can adequately teach them their
rights while abroad? Do they have a voice to ensure that these laws are obeyed?
Central governments need to pay heed to the fact that though migration is provid-
ing a short-term solution to a long-term problem, more most be done to understand
what can be rectified at home so that citizens can make a decent, sustainable living.
Be it further rural development, education reform and active skills training, or stron-
ger networks and resources at the disposal of urban residents, migrant workers need
to be seen as more than a statistical probability of external funding; they need to be
perceived as active players in their home economies.
Sources
http://www.adb.org/sites/default/
files/pub/2012/worker-migration-
remittances-south-asia.pdf
http://bdnews24.com/
economy/2013/03/12/jul-mar-2013-
remittance-10bn
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-
development/2013/jan/31/bangladesh-
women-india-freedom-cash
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/
fullNews.php?headline=Young+
population+migration+on+the+rise&
NewsID=366350
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/
fullNews.php?headline=Equal+opportunity
+and+youth+migration+Implementing+
quotas+&NewsID=368357
http://news.oneindia.in/2013/02/19/
india-urging-bangladesh-to-curb-illegal-
migration-sonia-1153878.html
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/
bitstream/handle/10986/7426/343590
PAPER0SA1or0OFFICIAL0USE0ONLY.
pdf?sequence=1
Feature continued
7. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
7
Development Initiative
Domestic Work
in India
By Uthara Ganesh
Over the last decade, India has seen extraordinary growth in the number of its domes-
tic workers. In 2009-2010, the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) esti-
mates the total number of domestic workers at 2.52 million, up from 1.62 million
in 1999-2000. Of this, nearly two-thirds reside in urban India, and nearly 57% are
women. As in other countries, domestic work as a means of employment in India has
undergone what economists refer to as a “rapid feminization,” where almost 75% of
the increase in domestic workers over the last 10 years is accounted for by women.
Different Numbers
A report by the International Labor Organization (ILO) sheds light upon some of the
glaring data discrepancies in the various estimates of India’s total number of domestic
workers. It states that while official NSSO data posits the number at 2.52 million, the
actual number could be considerably higher at almost 4.2 million. Some media peg
the total at as high as 90 million workers.
Despite the significant difference in estimates, what is uncontested by all sources
is the fact that the majority of domestic workers working in India’s large metropolises
constitute migrant women labor. The ILO claims that nearly 3% of the current female
workforce engages in domestic labor as a primary means of employment. Domestic
work has historically been viewed as the realm of the woman with crucial household
chores continuing to be either being unpaid (if performed by a household’s women)
or underpaid (if outsourced to a domestic worker).
While the question of why a thriving economy such as India’s has failed to generate
an adequate number and variety of jobs for its female populace merits investigation, the
most immediate and pressing concern -- given the surge in the numbers of domestic
workers -- points to the need for a thorough scrutiny of the circumstances under which
flickruserHiten_Mistry
8. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
8
such work is carried out. The mostly female, mostly urban domestic workers in India
today continue to live and work in contexts that are best characterized by inequity, as well
as a reprehensible precariousness.
Unregulated Work Conditions
Domestic workers are often migrant women hailing from some of India’s most
deprived regions, such as the tribal hinterlands of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and West
Bengal. Self-styled “agents,” representing private employment services based in cities,
recruit and place these women in households to provide domestic services. Other
times -- as is the case with a sizeable number of Tamil migrants in New Delhi, for
example -- women migrate to cities and find jobs in urban households through their
own informal, word-of-mouth networks. Living a considerable distance away from
their familiar community and environment, these domestic workers are susceptible
to varying degrees of exploitation.
In India, the operational context for domestic workers is one that is deeply
entrenched in the feudal practice of keeping servants. Domestic workers are not per-
ceived or treated as service providers; they hold a subservient position clearly “below”
their employers. The relationship between the employer and employee is thus char-
acterized by a highly unequal dynamic with the latter having little power to negotiate
equitable employment terms.
In general, wages for domestic workers tend to be low. In the Tier-I city of Ban-
galore, for instance, domestic workers earn a monthly income of anything between
INR2,000 (USD ~US$37) and INR5,000 (~US$USD92). This effectively translates
into daily wages of anywhere between INR66 (~US$1.20) and INR166 (~US$3) for
a 6-8 hour workday. This is far below the minimum wage stipulations in Bangalore’s
home state, Karnataka, whose government determined a fair, minimum monthly
income of INR5,044 (~US$93.40).
While wages for domestic workers in India vary minimally from city to city, they
are on a whole lower than the remuneration received by other labor. With the excep-
tion of few Indian states -- Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar and Kerala
-- domestic workers are not included in the purview of state-specific minimum wage
legislation. The salary a worker is paid thus tends to be at the discretion of the employer
or recruitment agent. In the states where wage legislation exists, its enforcement and
efficacy has yet to be formally assessed.
The burden of low wages is exacerbated by long, unregulated work hours and no
formal benefits for domestic workers, such as leave (e.g. vacation days, sick days, holi-
days, maternity leave) or social security (e.g. pensions or insurance). The few attempts to
address this gap have been poorly executed. In June 2011 for instance, the Government
of India announced the inclusion of domestic workers as beneficiaries in the Rashtriya
Swasthya Bhima Yojana (RSBY), a health insurance scheme covering below poverty
line populations from the unorganized sector. This effort, however, failed because no
detailed implementation mechanism for the identification and subsequent disbursal of
benefits was developed.
While official NSSO data posits the number at 2.52
million, the actual number could be considerably
higher at almost 4.2 million. Some media peg the
total at as high as 90 million workers.
Development initiative
continued
9. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
9
Proposed Legislative Interventions
In 2010, the National Commission for Women drafted The Domestic Workers Welfare
andSocialSecurityActtoaddressthevariousproblemsfacedbydomesticworkers.Taking
cognizance of the issues particular to domestic work, the Act notes, “…Only a Compre-
hensive Central Legislation specifically designed to meet the working condition of the
domestic workers…can ensure the end of the exploitation of these domestic workers.”
The Act provides for the creation of solid, formal, institutional mechanisms oper-
ating at the central-, state- and district-levels for the regulation of domestic work. It
proposes a three-tier mechanism that comprises of the Central Advisory Committee,
a State Advisory Committee and district-level boards, each of which shall be enlisted
with the duty of registering domestic workers, employers and placement agencies.
The district-level boards will ensure decent working conditions for domestic workers,
covering norms for rest periods, weekly leave, food and the maximum number of
work hours. They shall also act as arbitrators of dispute to avail of benefits such as acci-
dent relief, financial assistance for the education of children and maternity benefits.
While well-intentioned, even a cursory review of the mechanism proposed by the
Act raises important questions. The mechanism proposed has devolved far too many
responsibilities to the boards without accounting for how they will be met, especially
given the diverse administrative capacities required. More thought needs to be put
into how exactly the proposed bodies shall be prepared to effectively provide each of
the outlined services.
What the Act has also ignored is the pressing need for formal employment contracts
between workers and households. The absence of clearly drawn terms of employ-
ment creates loopholes for both the employer and the employee in the original oral
agreement. Making employment contracts imperative, however, poses significant
questions: Will the neo-feudal employer be able to treat his domestic worker as a
formal employee and uphold the contract? Will modes of payment to domestic work-
ers undergo a change (i.e., from cash to check), given the possibility of tax benefits
that a contract entails? If so, how would it be ensured that all domestic workers have
access to a bank account, especially given the low rates of financial inclusion among
the female urban poor? More significantly, what body would be in charge of ensuring
the upholding of such contracts?
Though there is need for larger institutional structures to ensure implementation,
the benefits accrued would be justified. With no formal contract in place, neither
employer nor employee are accountable to any specific terms. For example, due
to the insecurity of their jobs, domestic workers tend to take long, unannounced
absences from work for personal reasons (e.g. visiting family, illness), or simply quit
without adequate notice. A pre-determined contract could ensure that workers have
a more stable livelihood while also ensuring that the quality of services received by
employers is more standardized.
Another important step towards the protection of domestic workers is the inclu-
sion of domestic work under the schedule of protective statutes applicable to other
categories of workers. The Final Report of the Task Force on Domestic Workers, com-
The relationship between the employer and employee
is thus characterized by a highly unequal dynamic
with the latter having little power to negotiate
equitable employment terms.
Development initiative
continued
10. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
10
missioned by the Ministry of Labor and Employment and the ILO, calls for domestic
work as a category to be included in the Central List of Scheduled Employment.
Doing so would enable the setting of standard measures for domestic workers that
is applicable across all Indian states. This is especially useful for states that do not
currently specify minimum wage levels for domestic workers. This recommendation
could prove to be crucial to reforms, but is yet to be implemented.
On a global level, the ILO’s Congress passed the Convention for Domestic Work in
2010. The document outlines a desirable, basic minimum standard in terms of employ-
ment, wages, minimum hours, occupational safety, social health and social security for
domestic workers. The Indian government’s non-ratification of the convention -- despite
the huge presence of domestic workers in the country and the many problems com-
pounding them -- is indicative of the fact that the rights of domestic workers in India is
simply not seen as a political priority.
Incidence of Abuse
Because the political agenda does not make domestic workers’ rights a high priority,
their exploitation is conspicuous. In May 2012, news channels reported the merci-
less torture of a 14-year-old girl by her software engineer employers in Noida, in the
National Capital Region of Delhi. It was alleged that the young girl was regularly
beaten and not allowed to leave the premises of the household of her employers.
Instances such as these, however, may well be only the tip of the iceberg. The lack
of adequate alternative means of employment available in the labor market is wors-
ened by the largely informal, and therefore unobservable, nature of most domestic
work arrangements. Many times, poor women are left with no choice but to take up
employment in unprotected, demeaning conditions.
Given that all work is performed within the largely private space of a household,
domestic workers are vulnerable to abuse and harassment. Sexual abuse, in particu-
lar, has become widespread: sexual abuse of domestic workers has become so rife that
it took protests by the National Domestic Workers’ Movement before the Protection
of Women Against Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Bill was updated in 2012 to
include domestic workers as a category of employees under its protection.
Dignifying Domestic Work
While regulation of domestic work is pivotal to reform, it is also true that socio-cultural
codes have a significant impact on the quality of lives experienced by domestic workers.
As long as domestic work and workers are perceived through a neo-feudal lens by the
persons availing of these services, the problems shall continue to be trivialized. Like all
informal labor, domestic work has historically lacked recognition and has been typically
undervalued for its significant contribution to urban economies.
While several states in India today have independent domestic workers’ unions, there
is much ground to be covered with regard to inclusive coverage and cohesive mobiliza-
tion. Mobilization, according to a 2012 op-ed in The Hindu, may help neutralize the
existing power imbalance and help boost the bargaining position of domestic workers.
But in the absence of a formal means to identify and enlist domestic workers, formal
mobilization remains a challenge.
Theimpendingneedisforaregulatoryoverhaultobeaccompaniedbyanevolutioninthe
way employing households treat domestic work. Domestic workers constitute a very large and
especially vulnerable community amongst the Indian urban poor. The non-recognition and
undervaluation of domestic work has only contributed to their socio-economic marginaliza-
tionand,moredisturbingly,the“normalization”ofhighlydenigratingworkconditions.While
someeffortshavebeenmadebythegovernmenttoaddresstheissue,thereisaneedtorallythe
morevolubleandpoliticallyinfluentialurbanmiddleclasses–majorityemployersofdomestic
workers – for communal awareness and sensitivity. This is a vital, though not the only, step to
propuptheprospectsofthefemaledomesticworkerinthecity.
Sources
http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/
software-engineer-detained-for-beating-
14-year-old-domestic-help-216432
http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.
org.in/files/file/NSS_Report_
employment%20and%20
unemployment.pdf
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/
public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/
documents/publication/wcms_173363.pdf
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.
aspx?relid=90468
http://www.firstpost.com/india/bill-
against-sexual-harassment-a-boost-to-
domestic-workers-433985.html
http://www.prsindia.org/uploads/media/
Sexual%20Harassment/Sexual%20
harrassment%20bill%20As%20
passed%20by%20Lok%20Sabha.pdf
http://164.100.47.132/annexture/
lsq15/9/au974.htm
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/
opinion/columns/c-p-chandrasekhar/
changing-patterns-of-domestic-work/
article4091075.ece
http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2815/
stories/20110729281509700.htm
http://ncw.nic.in/PDFFiles/domestic_
worker_welfare_and_social_security_
act_2010.pdf
http://www.indg.in/social-sector/
unorganised-labour/national_policy_on_
domestic_work_2011.pdf
http://www.macroscan.com/cur/jan13/
pdf/Domestic_Workers.pdf
http://www.deccanherald.com/
content/100847/content/214289/F
Development initiative
continued
11. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
11
Research Perspective
Revisiting Roles in
Education
By Nisha Kumar Kulkarni
India’s landmark Right to Education (RTE) Act was legislated in 2010, and since then,
central and state governments have been working together and independently to sup-
port the cause of universal education. Over 220 million Indian children between the
ages of six and 14 are recipients of a sub-par education. This is overwhelmingly due to
issues regarding language barriers, poor literacy standards, teacher training and pre-
paredness, and anti-inclusive practices. The challenges of any education sector are
large hurdles, but India is making positive strides towards achieving the Millennium
Development Goal of education for all.
The question of how to provide the best possible education to all of India’s children
has given rise to heated debate about the government’s role in the education sector, as
well as what role other stakeholders have to promote the ambitious goals of the RTE
Act. Is education purely the domain of the government, or is there room for other
players to make impact? With the general perception of private education seen as
more positive and of higher quality than public education, the role non-government
stakeholders play is critical, given the challenges India’s education sector must con-
front and resolve.
RTE Oversight
By April 2013, all schools in India must be in compliance with specific stipulations
outlined in the RTE Act. The Act has requirements regarding: infrastructure, the
maximum pupil-teacher ratio, minimum teacher qualifications, teacher salaries and
work conditions, standardized syllabi, special training for children who have been
out of school, and recognized formal schools. How schools meet these stipulations
vary based on school type (e.g. government, NGO, private budget, non-formal, home
education), but all must obey or face shutdown.
flickrusertwinwork&volunteer
12. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
12
In the IDFC’s latest India Infrastructure Report, focused on education, it is posited
that, “In effect, the Act means impending death for thousands of non-government
schools around the country that do not meet these standards and are unlikely to be
able to.” According to the report, which discusses the current education landscape in
India post-RTE, there are five non-state education providers that will be forced to shut
down as a result of non-compliance to the Act. These providers are: NGO or com-
munity schools for the poor, alternative schools, non-formal education and private
budget schools. Nearly 40 million children attending these non-government schools
will be forced to enroll in government schools if their current education centers close
– a grim prospect given that there is an undersupply of approximately one million
teachers serving children already enrolled in government schools.
Non-Government Education Providers At-Risk
NGOs have long provided the poor with a viable education option for their children.
“NGOs have been particularly effective in penetrating remote or difficult areas or
groups where cultural, social or geographical barriers keep children away from attend-
ing school.” The impact that NGOs can play in education is no more apparent than in
India’s slum communities, where government failure to build schools has presented a
distinct opportunity for other stakeholders. Slum communities are home to people from
across India – they represent different languages, levels of literacy and cultures. An effec-
tive school would have to find a way to confront the diversity of classrooms head-on, but
the government has not been the purveyor of such solutions; NGOs have.
There is little political will to build quality schools that serve slum children only
because they are not seen as legal city residents. This disagreement over legal status
has rendered urban poor children even more helpless in the scheme of securing a
better future for themselves and their families. NGO schools, or schools that cater to
poor communities, understand the local context and work within that framework to
affect change. The NGOs that have been successful will then find themselves “edged
out” because of the RTE Act’s requirements.
Alternative, or “experimental,” schools are also at-risk. Many of these schools target
marginalized children with a more progressive vision of education. “Their approach
involves non-competitive learning environments with a flexible learning pace,
enriched curriculum and child-centered pedagogy, non-threatening continuous
assessment, and welcoming of different learners’ uniqueness and mother-tongues.”
Though alternative schools have traditionally devised their own policies and approach
to education, they have been able to support innovation in government schools as well
by imparting good classroom working models, for instance. The different approach of
alternative schools, however, puts them in a vulnerable position.
Non-formal education is another category of education that the Act excludes from
its credo. In 1986, the Government of India legislated the National Policy on Educa-
tion, which was a program targeting “deprived children, school drop-outs, children
from habitations without formal schools, working children” and others. After com-
pleting Class V, these children were expected to continue their education in formal
schools. NGOs have been encouraged to operate non-formal education centers to
serve 15-25 children in each class. Though these centers are more common in rural
Nearly 40 million children attending non-government
schools will be forced to enroll in government
schools if their current education centers close.
Research perspective
continued
13. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
13
areas, they do exist in Indian cities. The RTE Act, however, has effectively “outlawed”
such non-formal education centers.
Private budget schools are a category of schooling that includes “low-cost or unrec-
ognized private” institutions. The 2011 edition of the Annual Status of Education
Report notes that official figures puts the number of private budget schools at 26,377,
which served 2.67 million students. In Bihar alone, for example, the capital Patna was
found to have approximately 845 unrecognized private budget schools out of the city’s
total 1,224. Though there may be concerns about education standards and quality
at so-called unrecognized institutions, these schools are indispensible to local poor
populations. Children and their parents can attend these schools, which may provide
a more stable learning environment than government schools to learn English, for
instance. Taking away this avenue of learning for children and their families because
it does not comply with the RTE Act could deal a devastating blow to urban poor
populations seeking accessible, affordable ways to educate themselves.
Homeschooling is the fifth and final category of non-government education provi-
sion that is at-risk because of the RTE Act. “There are a small but growing number of
Indian parents opting for home-schooling, often because they are dissatisfied with the
mainstream system, or feel that rigid school structures don’t allow their children to
pursue other interests.” Homeschooling in India currently does not require any reg-
istration and is completely unregulated. However, because of the RTE Act’s disman-
tling of the Open Basic Education scheme, which in the past allowed homeschooled
students to sit for the same Class X exams as their peers who attend formal schools,
will make it difficult for homeschooled children to participate in the same exams.
Debunking Common Assumptions
Though the RTE Act aims to increase the numbers of children that have access to
school and improve the quality of education received, one cannot help but question
if the shutting down of thousands of purported non-government or “non-formal” insti-
tutions will be best for school-aged children. The IDFC report addresses this question
by looking at the arguments for RTE’s requirements.
The first assumption is that the government is the ultimate purveyor of educa-
tion and that other stakeholders are not needed. It is a commonplace argument: the
government is responsible for educating its country’s children. Education as a public
service is a compelling argument, “However it is simply unrealistic to expect the
government to achieve this on its own.” With the April 2013 deadline for RTE com-
pliance looming on the near horizon, it is clear that the Indian government has a full
plate. Education is not the sole issue on its agenda, and given the population of young
people involved, it may in fact be unreasonable to expect the government to be the
sole responsible stakeholder in the quest to reform India’s education sector.
The second assumption is that a majority of non-government or non-formal
schools are of “low quality,” and therefore an Indian child’s right to a quality
education is being denied. Though there is no unanimous consensus, there is
Research perspective
continued
Despite “inconclusive” evidence, it does not seem
appropriate to shut down thousands of non-government
schools; this is akin to penalizing schools that are
doing well for the ones that are faring poorly for
whatever reason.
14. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
14
evidence that private schooling – or any school type that is not government-owned
– “provide[s] better or at least comparable quality to government schools; so far
none have indicated that they are any worse.” Despite “inconclusive” evidence, it
does not seem appropriate to shut down thousands of non-government schools; this
is akin to penalizing schools that are doing well for the ones that are faring poorly
for whatever reason. More research, then, is needed to understand how these non-
government schools are performing, how they compare to the average government
school and what are the learning outcomes for the typical student who attends
them. In the context of urban India, this research is especially important in that it
will help education stakeholders evaluate the challenges and needs of its growing
urban poor populations.
The third assumption is possibly the most controversial: it is the idea that a qual-
ity education can only be delivered by “high infrastructure, teacher qualifications
and salaries.” The IDFC report makes a critical point regarding this assumption:
“A more fundamental issue is how the Act defines quality education. [The RTE
Act] states that the government’s obligation is to ‘ensure good quality elementary
education conforming to the standards and norms specified in the Schedule’ – a
Schedule that talks almost entirely about infrastructure, numbers and inputs but
mentions nothing about learning processes or outcomes for children.” Given the
parameters of the government’s definition of a quality education, there does seem to
be a very narrow scope for how education can and should be delivered. The report
goes on to say, “At its essence, quality education is one that enables students to
learn with understanding, to learn how to learn, to think for themselves, to realize
their full potential, and to develop an open mind committed to values of equality,
freedom and service.” These are lofty goals for any education system, but since the
RTE Act does have an aspirational tone as well as a practical one, the assumption
of what constitutes a quality education must be re-examined.
The fourth and final assumption is that the private sector, unlike the government,
is driven purely by profit and “will invariably deepen inequality and exploitation.” As
can be seen in the aforementioned section on non-government school types, the so-
called private sector in this context is much greater than profit-seeking organizations.
NGOs, alternative, non-formal and other private initiatives have been established
to achieve social impact by reaching poor and vulnerable populations. The scope
of what is “private,” then, must be clarified before the assumption of profiteering is
made and the value of private education dismissed.
Interestingly, this latter assumption is loaded with a mistrust of what free markets
are capable of. In a country like India where the population is significant and its needs
are great, relying on non-government sources for education cannot be construed as a
weakness or as settling for lesser quality. If a competitive environment is encouraged
and monitored, great strides can be made. But this can only occur if government
policy does not “strangle” the sector with bureaucratic processes that really stagnate
reform. Kerala state, in India’s south, is a prime example of what the market can
accomplish: it “…has a unique model of choice and competition with among the
highest percentage of private schools in the country, and also among the highest
quality government schools.”
A national agenda is important, but state-level and
district-level implementation requires a different
mindset than “one-size-fits-all.”
Research perspective
continued
15. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
15
Stress on PPPs
With different education models being enacted around the world, the Government of India
does not have to look farther than within its own national borders to see what meaningful
innovation can accomplish in the education sector. States like Gujarat and Kerala are proving
that it can be done. Achieving universal education is a chief priority on any country’s agenda,
but are all of RTE’s requirements really the best way to fulfill that goal?
It is for this reason that public-private partnerships (PPPs), once again, proves to be
a viable, sustainable solution for meeting India’s needs. The experience and expertise
of non-government players should not be ignored: since schools have been operating –
irrespective of their “recognized” or “unrecognized” status – they have insight into the
challenges and needs of various communities, and this is valuable information that the
government cannot afford to overlook. A national agenda is important, but state-level and
district-level implementation requires a different mindset than “one-size-fits-all.”
The government’s reach and resources are great, but so are those of the private sector.
Since the government cannot be expected to enforce the goals of RTE on its own, partner-
ships with local partners can be what make all the difference. The IDFC report notes some
interesting recommendations from education stakeholders, such as: private partners can
run their own “parallel schools” to government schools in neglected areas; the government-
NGO relationship should be institutionalized for maximum impact; and all alternative
schools become formal “resource centers” to support – and even help run – nearby govern-
ment schools. There needs to be a climate of more flexibility and openness for all educa-
tion stakeholders to work together and find productive partnerships for impact.
This flexibility, however, cannot be allowed to persist without appropriate monitoring.
The progress and outcomes of existing schools must be evaluated to better understand how
beneficial they are to local communities. There may well be key lessons that can be imparted
by non-government schools to help encourage the mission outlined by the RTE Act.
Conclusion
Education is an easy issue to rally behind, but when there are so many voices in the crowd,
it may be difficult to detect the soundest solutions. The RTE Act is a significant piece of
legislation, but how its requirements affect on-the-ground efforts towards universal educa-
tion is unknown. The IDFC report states a singularly valid question when it asks whether
the requirements of the Act are necessarily in the best interest of all children.
What is apparent, though, is that PPPs offer the most amenable, current solution to the
education sector’s needs. There seems to be a fundamental issue of non-coordination and
non-utilization of all resources available to the Indian government – central, state and
local – and to the sector as a whole. Instead of a discussion about removing non-compli-
ant, non-recognized institutions, it may be more worthwhile to discuss the roles they can
play in pushing forward the mission of universal education. Though the government is a
powerful entity, it can use all the help it can get to make the RTE a success for its current,
and future, students.
Sources
http://www.idfc.com/pdf/report/2012/
Chapter_9.pdf
http://www.nios.ac.in/departmentsunits/
academic/open-basic-education-(obe).aspx
http://pratham.org/images/Aser-2011-
report.pdf
Research perspective
continued
16. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
16
News Deep Dive
Affordable
Transportation
for the Poor
By Noopur Desai
In January 2013, the Indian Railways Ministry announced a fare hike – the first after
almost a decade – across India. The fares of Ordinary Second Class (suburban) trains
wentupbyINR0.02(<US$0.01)perkilometer,whilenon-suburbantravelwillincrease
by INR0.03 per kilometer. In fact, by the end of January, Mumbai suburban train trav-
ellers already went through their second round of fare hikes in just three weeks.
There have been mixed reactions about the fare hikes, but lower-income groups,
such as the famed Mumbai dabbawallas, have expressed their incapacity to pay the
rising prices of living in a city, including transportation. The rise in public transporta-
tion fares, combined with the steady increase in gas prices, makes public and private
mobility affordable only to the middle and upper classes of urban society. Affordable
transportation dominates as the call of the hour to combat growing poverty in cities.
The Demographics of Mass Transit
Urban transportation systems across India, and most of South Asia for that matter,
have become indispensible, but resulting issues are overwhelming cities. With the
increase in the number of motor vehicles on roads, cities are facing big problems like
high levels of air and noise pollution, pervasive traffic jams and a decline in pedestrian
safety. Another big problem is the associated expense of transportation, particularly
for the urban poor. With the geographic boundaries of cities expanding outwards, it is
more affordable for the urban poor to live farther away from city centers, the hubs of
economic activity and numerous livelihood opportunities.
flickruserkanga_las
17. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
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In developing countries, poor families spend upto 20% of their income on transpor-
tion. Most poor people must commute to their place of employment, or in the case of
children, to school. In India alone, this accounts for 90% of the urban poor popula-
tion’s transportation needs. The growing expense of transportation results in low mobility
amongst the poor, and in turn, reduces their livelihood prospects, as well as access to
education and healthcare.
Private versus Public Transportation
According to a 2011 article written by Aysha Faiz, the number of motor vehicles in India
is likely to grow by 7-8% per year over the next two decades. Because of the rise in income
across urban middle classes, the privately-owned vehicle population has also substantially
increased. The rise of private transportation is a key cause for escalating urban congestion,
environment degradation and reduced public transportation use.
The growth in privately-owned motor transportation has caused a decline in the overall
use of public transport. However, the urban poor are still public transportation customers,
and a majority of the lower-income populations cannot afford private modes of transpor-
tation. They must therefore rely on public transit or non-motorized transportation (i.e.,
bicycles). In Delhi, a 2005 study shows that lower-income groups made more than 50% of
their trips by foot, about 33% by bus and about 9% by bicycle.
Traditionally, bicycles have been the prime, most affordable mode of transportation
for the poor. In some Indian cities, there are even low-interest loans to purchase bicycles
available to the poor. Bangladesh’s cities, on the other hand, do not have a similar model
to India’s cities, making bicycles unaffordable for the poor. This is due to the lack of
significant domestic bicycle industries, and heavy import duties put these non-motorized
means beyond the reach of the poor, both urban and rural. There are loans available
in Bangladesh, but they are typically used to purchase tricycles so that the new vehicle
owners can become rickshaw-pullers and earn an income.
Today, however, the overall incidence of bicycle and tricycle usage has reduced.
Growing traffic and a lack of available space restricts non-motorized methods to
bylanes and city outskirts. For the poor, non-motorized transportation options have
become increasingly incovenient given the far distances they must travel from their
homes to their place of employ. Municipal authorities have less incentive to develop
adequate walking or bicycle lanes since high rates of motorization require greater
infrastructure capacity, resulting in the transformation of cities from “car-optional” to
“car-necessary” domains.
Bus Rapid Transport
Buses account for over 90% of public transportation in Indian cities and are relatively
more accessible and affordable than other forms of transportation. The current bus sys-
tems have not been able to meet the growing demand for public transportaion, thereby
leading to overcrowding in buses and traffic congestion. City buses usually travel shorter
distances, making a change to another bus or another transportation mode necessary,
thereby adding to the overall cost and time to travel.
Most poor people must commute to their place of
employment, or in the case of children, to school.
In India alone, this accounts for 90% of the urban
poor population’s transportation needs.
News Deep Dive continued
18. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
18
The conditions of bus services have also deteriorated. Most buses are old, not
properly maintained and do not meet the latest environmental standards. To affect
a makeover in India’s city bus systems, there are efforts by the government under the
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to improve their
quality and services.
In addition to existing bus systems, the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system has
emerged as a low-cost and sustainable mode of public transportation. BRT is a low-
carbon mass transit system that runs along special corridors with detour services and
high-speed transfer stations at key city locations. Latin American cities like Sao Paulo,
Mexico City and Curitiba are success stories that have adapted BRTs to their respec-
tive cities. On average, BRT systems can be built in a fraction of the time of light rail,
and can cost 30 times less to construct and three times less to operate. Organizations
like the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy and Embarq have been
working with governments worldwide to promote BRT systems.
If implemented, BRT systems can prove to be an important step in creating pro-poor
and pro-environment public transportation. Especially in smaller cities, public transpor-
tion, such as buses and metro railways, new infrastructure needs can be prohibitively
expensive, yet BRT systems may prove to be a viable, sustainable option. Some Indian
cities like Delhi, Jaipur, Pune and Ahmedabad, amongst others, have already imple-
mented BRT systems. Ahmedabad’s BRT system is considered to be the most developed
and advanced in the country. Within seven months of opening, 34% of private vehicle
users shifted to using the BRT system. While the Ahmedabad BRT is deemed a great
success, a study shows that only 13.7% of low-income households use it.
Across the country, there have been debates on the inclusion of BRT systems in the
national urban transport plans. The opposition has mainly come from the middle and
upper classes with arguments like: “Those who travel in their own cars are the decision-
makers; therefore, they should get a priority over buses. He believes that bus users can
wait because they are engaged in less important jobs. The Army chief cannot be kept
waiting. You cannot keep a commander-in-chief waiting in traffic while his army is
waiting for his orders. How does it matter if a peon reaches office five minute before
time?” There have been counter-arguments as well, but the fact that debates like these
surface and have credibility show a major social bias that exists in the Indian context.
The Metro Drama
Major Indian cities like Mumbai and Hyderabad are going through large infrastruc-
tural changes to build a metro railway that connect different parts of the city. Delhi
has already witnessed a successfully functioning metro railway line. Though it has
been a boon for the middle and upper classes, it has been at the expense of the poor
who find themselves paying fares at least three times costlier than that of buses. Even
if the poor make use of metro railway transportation, oftentimes, a second, connecting
mode of transportation is needed to reach a final destination. This thereby increases
the overall expense – financial and time-wise – of metro railway travel. Interestingly,
the effect of this has been a positive impact on Delhi’s rickshaw-pullers, members of
the urban poor class themselves, by increasing the demand for their services to and
from stations.
On average, BRT systems can be built in a fraction
of the time of light rail, and can cost 30 times less to
construct and three times less to operate.
News Deep Dive continued
19. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
19
Call of the Hour
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) call for cutting the number of people
living in poverty by half by 2015. While the MDGs do not include transportation
interventions, they may be a critical component to meeting anti-poverty goals. Afford-
able transportation and urban poverty are interrelated. The smallest fare hike could
substantially reduce the mobility of the poor. Another related issue is that of acces-
sibility given the expanding, ever-changing borders of India’s – and South Asia’s –
cities.
There are two clear signals that must be heeded to improve the quality of life for
all in cities: non-motorized transportation needs to be promoted, and infrastructure
should be developed. In India, both the central government and for-profit organiza-
tions have been pushing for sustainable bike sharing models. Cycle Chalao (“Ride
a Cycle” in English), the flagship program of Impact Carbocuts Private Limited,
is one such intervention in the city of Pune that aimed to build affordable public
transportation. The program was successful in making an impact: it resulted in the
Ministry of Urban Development releasing a bicycle-sharing toolkit and additional
similar bicycle-sharing contracts being formed.
Conclusion
The implementation of urban transport plans need to take into account the afford-
ability and accessibility needs of the poor. While transportation may have once been
perceived a luxury, it certainly has become a necessity and an important tool in the
fight against poverty. It becomes important for intiatives, like BRT systems, to be
socially inclusive and expand their reach to lower-income groups. Each city needs to
find an amenable solution to its public transportation woes and adapt it so that it may
suit the needs of the city. For instance, there is a lost opportunity with the Ahmedabad
BRT system to reach a greater number of the urban poor because of the lack of walk-
ing and cycling facilities along the BRT corridors, which may have made it a more
plausible transportation solution for the urban poor.
With an eye on the “bigger picture,” the perception of public transportion systems
needs to drastically change in India. There needs to be an appreciation of public
transportation as a service for all city residents, regardless of socio-economic status.
This change in perception will also make way for a reduction in traffic congestion,
additional expensive infrastructure that caters to private transportation modes and
pollution. Extending public transportion to the urban poor would help in furthering
their inclusion in economic and social activities, and perhaps even narrow the rich-
poor divide. As Enrique Penalosa, former Mayor of Bogotá, said: “A developed coun-
try is not a place where poor have cars. It is where the rich use public transport.”
News Deep Dive continued
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http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
2013-01-23/chennai/36505109_1_
hike-season-ticket-fare
http://www.firstpost.com/india/how-rail-
fare-hike-will-punch-your-pockets-from-
today-596056.html
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jan/100113-second-fare-hike-in-3-
weeks-for-suburban-trains.htm
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urban-transport-and-poverty.pdf
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INTTRANSPORT/
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docs/occasional_papers/project_a/06/
transport-barter-e.html
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GUDMag06Vol2Iss1/Hook.htm
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expanding-mexico-city%E2%80%99s-
transportation-network/
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in/2012/03/indias-bike-sharing-
tipping-point.html
http://www.isid.ac.in/~pu/conference/
dec_12_conf/Papers/TakashiKurosaki.pdf
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ChA3SmxaoC&pg=PA194&lpg=PA194
&dq=Is+Delhi+metro+affordable+for+
the+poor&source=bl&ots=ddus5Wt0at
&sig=RiVqJd_K5GNybkz2DuOirxGUFL
c&hl=en&sa=X&ei=OZY7UaC2KoKzrA
f3x4GoAg&ved=0CD0Q6AEwAQ#v=on
epage&q=Is%20Delhi%20metro%20
affordable%20for%20the%20
poor&f=false
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-
india-19572583
http://www.itdp.org/where-we-work/india/
20. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
20
Regional News
Summaries
Development & the Economy
India is witnessing a drop in its female labor force. There are calls for greater
participation of the poor in India’s urban development, while a new loan to an
Indian state will fund urban development. A training program for women in
Pakistan has seen huge success.
US$100m ADB loan for Uttarakhand
February 1, 2013
[India] The Government of India has signed an agreement with the Asian Development
Bank (ADB) for a US$100m loan. The funds will be used for the second phase of the
Uttarakhand Urban Sector Development Investment Program to support the rehabilita-
tion and expansion of basic urban infrastructure in five major urban centers in the state.
The first phase of the project has already launched in Dehradun, Haridwar and Nainital,
and will be expanded to cover the towns of Haldwani, Roorkee and Ramnagar.
http://www.igovernment.in/site/100-million-adb-loan-uttarakhand?utm_source=newsletter-
core&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20130201
Why is women’s labor force participation dropping?
February 15, 2013
[India] In South Asia, 80% of men are either employed or actively seeking a job, the
same can be said for only 32% of women. According to the 2013 International Labor
Organization’s Global Employment Trends Report, women’s participation in the labor
force has dropped from approximately 37% in 2004-2005 to 29% in 2009-2010. The
report notes that India ranks 120th
out of 131 countries in female labor force participa-
tion. This drop in Indian female labor numbers can be attributed to the fact that the
number of working age women are going back to school to complete their secondary
school education. Other factors may include understated measurement, general decline
in opportunities for women and increased competition with men for “scarce” jobs.
http://southasia.oneworld.net/features/india-why-is-women2019s-labour-force-
participation-dropping#.UUDQWqXycmR
Program to train women flourishes in Pakistan
February 20, 2013
[Pakistan] Since its launch in 2008, the Benazir Income Support Program has helped
25 million Pakistani women from the country’s poorest regions. This is quite a feat
given that the Government of Pakistan expected it to take approximately 15 years to
reach the same number of women. Enrolled families receive assistance of PKR1,000
(US$10.21) per month, in addition to benefits like long-term interest-free loans, voca-
tional and technical training, and health and life insurance coverage. The Program
has also recently initiated a primary education program for children aged five-to-12,
where beneficiary families will receive PKR200 (US$2.04) per child per month for
up to three children.
http://southasia.oneworld.net/news/programme-to-train-women-flourishes-in-pakistan#.
USZaXaUycWF
21. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
21
Include poor in urban development: Ajay Maken
February 20, 2013
[India] Ajay Maken, Minister for Housing and Poverty Alleviation, has called for the
inclusion of the poor in the planning of healthier, sustainable cities. At a two-day event,
Maken said, “We would want all cities to follow these guiding principles to ensure that
our cities would be fully inclusive and participatory in nature which is missing.” Com-
paring the track record of India to Brazil on urban development expenditures, Maken
cited that Brazil spends 3.69% of its GDP while India spends just 0.9%.
http://www.igovernment.in/site/include-poor-urban-development-ajay-maken?utm_
source=newsletter-extended&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20130220
Education & Health
Healthcare corruption is hurting the urban poor in Bangladesh. National health insurance
schemes in India have gained ground, just as healthcare provider fraud increasingly puts
women at risk. Inadequate access to sanitary hygiene products is putting menstruating girls
and women in danger in India. Pakistan finds funding to fight polio at home.
Pakistan to get US$251m IDB loan to fight polio
February 5, 2013
[Pakistan] The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has approved a US$251 loan for Paki-
stan’s polio eradication program, following the refusal of donor agencies’ funding. The
program, valued at US$300m, seeks to vaccinate all children by 2015. Officials say that
Pakistan has been missing its vaccination targets and changing its strategies, much to the
chagrin of foreign donors. And the most recent violence against foreign healthcare work-
ers in the country has further discouraged funding. The IDB loan will be used to also
help UNICEF and the WHO to support the government’s polio eradication efforts.
http://dawn.com/2013/02/05/pakistan-to-get-250m-idb-loan-to-fight-polio/
Women’s lives put at risk in India by private healthcare
providers
February 7, 2013
[India] There are reports from India that thousands of women are being given unnec-
essary caesareans and hysterectomies by doctors and hospitals that can significantly
profit from the operations. Victims are usually poor women with limited education or
who are completely illiterate. These women are then left “in pain, infirm, unable to
work to earn a living and in horrendous debt.” The private sector accounts for 93% of
hospitals and 85% of doctors, a huge jump from just 8% representation in 1949.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/sarah-boseley-global-health/2013/feb/07/india-healthcare
Bangladeshi health sector corruption hits poor hardest
February 12, 2013
[Bangladesh] Healthcare activists in Bangladesh are calling for stronger action against
rising levels of corruption in the country’s public healthcare system. Nitai Kanti Das,
member secretary of the Health Rights Movement, said, “The government must
strengthen its monitoring system to check corruption in public hospitals to ensure
health access to under-privileged people.” According to Transparency International
Bangladesh, 40.2% of surveyed people were victim to “various irregularities” and cor-
ruption, compared to 33.2% in 2010.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97454/Bangladeshi-health-sector-corruption-hits-poor-hardest
News summaries continued
22. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
22
Menstruation taboo puts 300 million women in India at risk
February 20, 2013
[India] According to Geneva-based Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Coun-
cil, more than 300 million women and girls in India do not have access to safe men-
strual hygiene product, thereby endangering their health. Many girls and women are
forced to use old rags, husks, dried leaves, grass, ash, sand or newspapers because they
do not have access to sanitary products. At least 23% of girls leave school when they
start menses and the rest miss an average of five days each month.
http://southasia.oneworld.net/news/menstruation-taboo-puts-300mn-women-in-india-at-
risk#.UTaeZKVe9a8
Health insurance to reach 630 million Indians by 2015
February 21, 2013
[India] A new World Bank report, entitled Government-Sponsored Health Insurance
in India: Are you Covered?, states that the Government of India’s efforts to increase
health coverage has “yielded encouraging results.” Over the last five years, govern-
ment schemes have contributed to a “significant increase in the population covered
by health insurance in the country.” More than 25% of India’s total population, or 300
million people, has gained access to some form of health insurance by 2010, up from
just 55 million people in 2003-2004. The report projects that more than 630 million
people – or half of the country – will be covered by health insurance by 2015.
http://southasia.oneworld.net/news/health-insurance-to-reach-630-million-
indians-by-2015#.UTaeaqVe9a8
Energy & the Environment
India and Bangladesh discuss plans for a new dam. Bangladesh continues to top climate sci-
ence’s list of very vulnerable to climate change. Nepal will build a new hydropower plant.
India and Bangladesh hold talks on water issues
February 1, 2013
[South Asia] India and Bangladesh are reviewing approaches to study the impact and
modeling of India’s proposed cross-border hydroelectric Tipaimukh Dam. Sajjad Hos-
sain, a member of the Joint Rivers Commission of Bangladesh and India, said, “We
are discussing the inception reports by the two consultants outlining the approaches
they took to study the water modeling and the impact of the mega project on the
other side of our northeastern borders.” India announced plans for the Dam in 2011,
but Bangladesh was concerned about how it would affect its land.
http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/india-and-bangladesh-hold-talks-on-water-
issues_826421.html
How bad can climate change get?
February 9, 2013
[Bangladesh] According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, rising sea
levels could flood 17% of Bangladesh, or cause devastating land erosion, resulting in
20-30 million refugees by 2050. The country has been susceptible to changing, fierce
weather patterns, such as shorter, stronger monsoon seasons and longer droughts.
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/02/09/bangladesh_faces_mass_migration_loss_
of_land_from_climate_change.html
News summaries continued
23. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
23
ADB lends Nepal US$150m for hydropower plant
February 26, 2013
[Nepal] The ADB will issue a US$150m loan to Nepal towards a US$500m project
dedicated to building a 140MW hydropower plant. Demand for electricity in Nepal is
growing at an average of 10% per year, yet the country is only able to meet a fraction
of current demand. Yongping Zhai, director of the energy division at ADB’s South
Asia department, said, “Nepal has an energy crisis, and this is affecting badly eco-
nomic prospects. This energy project is a means to stop that crisis.”
http://southasia.oneworld.net/news/adb-lends-nepal-150-million-for-hydropower-plant#.
UUDnbqXycmS
Government & Policy
India launches a new volunteer program via social media channels, and one of its states
will distribute free laptops to high school graduates.
Government launches ‘My India Initiative’
February 8, 2013
[India] Manish Tewari, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, launched the ‘My
India Initiative,” a volunteer program that disseminates development messages across
social media channels. Citizens can register as volunteers to contribute towards nation
building. Tewari called upon Indian youth to be part of the Digital Volunteer Family that
would enable the government to have more personal interactions with everyday people.
http://www.igovernment.in/site/government-launches-‘my-india-initiative’?utm_
source=newsletter-core&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20130208
Uttar Pradesh to distribute free laptops to school
passouts
February 20, 2013
[India] The State Government of Uttar Pradesh will distribute free laptops to stu-
dents who have passed the 12th
standard in 2011-2012. The budget of INR2,800 crore
(~US$517.18m) will be allocated to 1.5 million recipients.
http://www.igovernment.in/site/distribute-free-laptops-school-passouts?utm_
source=newsletter-extended&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20130220
People & Poverty
India’s homeless children continue to be overlooked and marginalized. Human rights
groups criticize Nepal for its oversight in 2012, while local organizations demand rights for
domestic workers. Nearly 50% of missing children in Nepal disappear without a trace.
HRW censures Nepal on human rights abuses
February 1, 2013
[Nepal] Human Rights Watch (HRW) has criticized the Government of Nepal
for failing to protect the human rights of its citizens in 2012. A new HRW report
shows that women, children and Tibetan refugees’ rights have been overwhelmingly
neglected. Brad Adams, Asia Director for HRW, said, “2012 was a sorry replay of
Nepal’s past seven years of impunity and government unwillingness or inability to
deliver on its commitments to human rights. There appears to be collective amnesia
among Nepal’s policymakers about the inequalities and injustice that helped fuel the
conflict in the first place.”
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=HRW+raps+Nepal+on+human+ri
gAhts+abuses+&NewsID=364366
News summaries continued
24. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
24
Half of the missing children go untraced
February 2, 2013
[Nepal] Nearly 50% of all missing children in Nepal go untraced. Between mid-July
2012 and January 2013, 788 children went missing (397 boys and 391 girls). Accord-
ing to Deputy Inspector General Keshav Adhikari, 398 of the missing were found and
reunited with their families; one-third of this number was boys. “More girls go missing
for good in comparison to boys.” On average, 2,000-3,000 children have gone missing
in the last few years, but there is no formal mechanism in place to track them.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=49244
Home-based workers unite for rights
February 4, 2013
[Nepal] About 70 member-based organizations of the informal sector in Nepal have
collectively launched a campaign to ratify the ILO Convention 177 and Give Justice
to Domestic Workers. There are an estimated 2.2 million domestic workers contribut-
ing to the Nepalese economy, but there is no official accounting being done. Bindu
Shrestha, president of the Nepal Home-Based Workers’ Association, said, “We have
launched the campaign to make people aware about the informal sector and get poli-
cymakers to include them in labor laws.”
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Home-based+workers+unite+f
or+rights+&NewsID=364757
‘Slumdog’ children of India fighting lonely battle to make
£3.50 a day
February 8, 2013
[India] In New Delhi, there are 100,000 homeless children, and 33% of them are
between the ages of six and 10. Police officers tend to treat homeless children like
criminals and not as a vulnerable population that needs looking after. These children
have to somehow survive the bitter cold of this winter, which has already seen some of
the coldest days experienced in 44 years. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences
has received 26 unclaimed child bodies in the wake of the winter.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2275730/Slumdog-children-India-fight-just-
make-just-3-50-A-DAY-Heartbreaking-images-boys-girls-fighting-survival-shadow-booming-
economy.html
News summaries continued
25. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
25
Events
1st
International Conference on Business Innovation
and Management
April 27-28, 2013
Abbottabad, Pakistan
http://isurs.org/viewjc.php?id=c6
Global Vision 2020
May 3-4, 2013
Palayamkottai, India
http://www.eastrust.org
International Conference on Management, Business and
Economics 2013
June 7-8, 2013
Vijayawada, India
http://www.imrf.in/icmbe2013.html
6th
International Conference on Global Studies
September 5-7, 2013
New Delhi, India
http://onglobalisation.com/the-conference/call-for-papers
Education for Achieving Millennium Development Goals
November 16-18, 2013
Varanasi, India
http://www.aaebhu.com/FIRST%20CIRCULAR2013.pdf
26. Searchlight SOUTH ASIAmarch 2013 Vol. 4 Issue 6
26
Editorial Team
Editors
Nisha Kumar Kulkarni
Shree Ravindranath
Usha Ganesh
Contributors
Noopur Desai
Uthara Ganesh
Design
HNH!digital
Subcription
Free of charge
Frequency
Monthly
About Intellecap
Intellecap is a pioneer in providing innovative business solutions that help build and
scale profitable and sustainable enterprises dedicated to social and environmental
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We seek to build institutional capacity and channel investments in the development
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Note Uthara Ganesh’s name was missing from the February issue’s credits. We regret
the omission.