ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT – PART 2

Gig Economy/Gig workers

• A labour market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs.
• It’s also referred to as the “freelancer economy,” “agile workforce,” “sharing economy,” or “independent workforce.”

Platform workers

• The companies that connect the worker to the consumer in a direct manner, including app-based technology platforms- workers are called Platform workers– examples-Uber,Ola etc
• According to the Oxford Internet Institute’s ‘Online Labor Index’, India leads the global gig economy with a 24% share of the online labour market, with demand for software developers, creative and marketing professionals.

Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF)

It was set up with NABARD in 1995-96 by the RBI out of the shortfall in lending to priority sector by scheduled commercial banks for supporting rural infrastructure projects.

One Nation One Ration Card

• Migrant families are not able to access food in other states.
• This scheme will enable a migrant beneficiary to access Public Distribution System from any Fair Price Shop in the country (Intra-State portability introduced in 20 States)
• Part of the PM’s Technology Driven System Reforms
• 67 crore beneficiaries in 23 states covering 83% of PDS population will be covered by national portability by August, 2020
• 100% National portability will be achieved by March, 2021
• All the States/UTs will complete full FPS automation by March, 2021.

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana

• Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) is a flagship scheme of Government of India to “fund the unfunded” by bringing such enterprises to the formal financial system and extending affordable credit to them.

• It enables a small borrower to borrow from all Public Sector Banks such as PSU Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks, Private Sector Banks, Foreign Banks, Micro Finance Institutions (MFI) and Non Banking Finance Companies (NBFC) for loans upto Rs 10 lakhs for non-farm income generating activities.

• The scheme was launched on 8th April, 2015 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister.

• Under the aegis of Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, MUDRA has already created the following products / schemes.

  • Shishu : covering loans upto 50,000/-
  • Kishor : covering loans above 50,000/- and upto 5 lakh
  • Tarun : covering loans above 5 lakh and upto 10 lakh.

Sectors Covered under the scheme:

• Land Transport Sector / Activity
• Community, Social & Personal Service Activities
• Food Products Sector
• Textile Products Sector / Activity 

CAMPA

Supreme Court of India ordered for establishment of Compensatory Afforestation Fund and Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) in 2001.

In 2006, adhoc CAMPA was established for the management of Compensatory afforestation fund.

CAMPA Act:

1. To compensate the loss of forest area and to maintain the sustainability, the Government of India came up with a well-defined Act, known as CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority).
2. The law establishes the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India, and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state.
3. These Funds will receive payments for: (i) compensatory afforestation, (ii) net present value of forest (NPV), and (iii) other project specific payments. 
4. The National Fund will receive 10% of these funds, and the State Funds will receive the remaining 90%.
5. According to the Act’s provision, a company diverting forest land must provide alternative land to take up compensatory afforestation.
6. For afforestation, the company should pay to plant new trees in the alternative land provided to the state.
7. In April 2019, the Ministry of Environment notified that states which have a forest land of more than 75% of their geographical area need not provide non-forest land for compensatory afforestation.

Regional Rural Banks

• Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) are banks which comes under NABARD.
• These are designed to cater the needs of the rural area people.
• These are commercial banks which helps to bring the financial inclusion in the primary level of the nation. 
• Currently there are 43 RRBs in India and each RRB is sponsored by Government of India along with State Government and Sponsor bank. 
• Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) were set up under the provisions of 26 September 1975 ordinance and the RRB Act of 1976 to allocate banking and credit services for agriculture and other rural sectors. They were established on the recommendation of Narshimham Working Group.

Kisan Credit Cards

• The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme is a credit scheme introduced in August 1998 by Indian banks.
• This model scheme was prepared by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on the recommendations of R.V.GUPTA committee  to provide term loans for agricultural needs.
• Its objective is to meet the comprehensive credit requirements of the agriculture sector and by 2019 for fisheries and animal husbandry by giving financial support to farmers.
• Participating institutions include all commercial banks, Regional Rural Banks, and state co-operative banks.
• The scheme has short term credit limits for crops, and term loans.
• KCC credit holders are covered under personal accident insurance up to ₹50,000 for death and permanent disability, and up to ₹25,000 for other risk.
• The premium is borne by both the bank and borrower in a 2:1 ratio.
• The validity period is five years, with an option to extend for up to three more years.
• Kisan Credit Card (KCC) offering credit to the farmers in two types viz, 1. Cash Credit 2. Term Credit ( for allied activities such as pump sets, land development, plantation, drip irrigations).

ESIC

• Employees’ state Insurance Corporation of India is a multidimensional social system which provides socio-economic protection to the worker population and immediate dependent or family covered under the ESI scheme.
• The Employees’ State Insurance Scheme (ESI) is an integrated measure of social Insurance embodied in the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948.
• ESI is designed to accomplish the task of protecting employees against the impact of incidences of sickness, maternity, disablement and death due to employment injury and to provide medical care to insured persons and their families.
• Coverage of the scheme : The ESI Scheme applies to factories and other establishment’s viz. Road Transport, Hotels, Restaurants, Cinemas, Newspaper, Shops, and Educational/Medical Institutions wherein 10 or more persons are employed- workers deployed on construction sites are also covered.
• The ESI Scheme is financed by contributions from employers and employees.

MGNREGA

The scheme was introduced as a social measure that guarantees “the right to work”. The key tenet of this social measure and labour law is that the local government will have to legally provide at least 100 days of wage employment in rural India to enhance their quality of life.

Objectives:

1. 1. Generation of paid rural employment of not less than 100 days for each worker who volunteers for unskilled labour.
   2. Proactively ensuring social inclusion by strengthening livelihood base of rural poor.
   3. Creation of durable assets in rural areas such as wells, ponds, roads and canals.
   4. Reduce urban migration from rural areas.
   5. Create rural infrastructure by using untapped rural labour.

Important Details :

• Eligibility: Any person who is above the age of 18 and resides in rural areas is entitled to apply for work. (Remember here- no SC/ST/BPL etc type criteria- has been asked in past Prelims)
  

• Entitlement: Any applicant is entitled to work within 15 days, for as many as he/she has applied, subject to a limit of 100 days per household per year.(per household is the keyword )
  

• Distance: Work is to be provided within a radius of 5 kilometres of the applicant’s residence if possible, and in any case within the Block. If work is provided beyond 5 kilometres, travel allowances have to be paid.

• Wages: Workers are entitled to the statutory minimum wage applicable to agricultural labourers in the state, unless and until the Central Government “notifies” a different wage rate.

• It is the Gram Sabha and the Gram Panchayat which approves the shelf of works under MGNREGA and fix their priority.

Note- Read the changes done in Labour codes from the PDF file shared in the beginning of article.