The Art of Converting Workers ‘Rights’ Into ‘Benefits’

In the run up to the return of the Narendra Modi government to power in the 2019 general elections, employment and joblessness have once again become a central subject of debate. The government seems to have decided to try to respond to this debate by instituting, and heavily publicising, a pension scheme for unorganised sector workers (the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan Pension Yojana), even as it moves to “consolidate” (and dilute) the country’s labour laws. After the elections, plans have also been announced to extend the pension scheme to small traders and shopkeepers. Read More