Home › News ›

Social Security For 1 Cent A Day

Posted by: Nate Berg

30 May 2007 - 5:00am

A bill facing parliament in India would provide a broad social security program for nearly 400 million poor workers in India. Some say the $22 billion program will cost too much to sustain.

"Once passed by parliament, the scheme will provide the country's 390 million poor and non-unionized workers with life insurance and disability protection."

"More than a third of India's population of one billion-plus people lives on less than $1 a day."

"More than 90% of India's workforce is not represented by organised trade unions."

"These workers earn their living as farm labourers, construction workers, brick kiln workers, and many are self-employed, with no access to social security benefits."

"Under the new scheme, the non-unionised, casual worker will be entitled to life insurance and health and disability benefits by contributing just one rupee (one cent) a day."

Full Story: Social security for Indian poor
Source: BBC, May 24, 2007
»
Bookmark and Share
“
The areas where we have severe blight and indications of more blight to come are basically the same as they ever were. How in the world are we ever going to move our community development selves into an alternative future that thinks differently about the challenges we face in our cities and low-income suburban and rural communities?
”