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Urban Labour
Markets and the
Return to
Migration:
Destination
Surat
Gagan Bihari
Sahu
and
Biswaroop Das,
The Centre for
Microfinance
Research,
Institute of
Development
Studies, Jaipur
and the Centre
for Social
Studies, Surat.
Abstract
The paper deals
with labour
market
mechanisms and
the earnings of
Oriya migrant
workers in the
city of Surat.
It explores the
importance of
remittances in
the original
rural household
income. Whether
as single
migrants, a part
of a family,
working on daily
or piece rate
basis, these
migrant workers
earn poorly and
live miserably.
Their jobs are
characterized by
lower wages,
irregular income
and employment,
frequent
retrenchment and
a pronounced
absence of any
social
security.The
financial needs
back home force
them to deal
with and
negotiate a
distorted labour
market and
inhuman living
conditions.
Trapped within
this duality,
the migrants
economize on
their living and
provide
financial
support to
families back in
their rural
homes. Though
remittances
account for over
half the total
income of
families back
home owing to
landlessness and
chronic
indebtedness,
remittances
hardly add to
the wellbeing of
the families.
The process, at
best creates an
environment
where younger
members of
migrants’
families keep
joining the
up-country
labour markets
in cities like
Surat.
Openness and
Basic Motives of
Foreign
Portfolio
Capital Flows
into India
Nirmal Roy V P,
Research
Scholar, MIDS
Abstract
This study
argues that, it
is essential to
understand the
present openness
and the basic
motives
underlying the
financial flows
before fully
liberalizing
them. In this
case, an
empirical
analysis to
understand the
openness and to
identify whether
the foreign
portfolio flows
to India are
driven by the
capital gains
motive or the
income gains
motive is
attempted. It
has been found
that most of the
controls on
foreign
portfolio flows
are relaxed and
these flows to
India are driven
primarily due to
the capital
gains motive and
in the Indian
case it is the
change in stock
prices. Before
the analysis the
econometric
methodology has
confirmed the
long lasting
relationship
between the
variables.
Moreover, the
causality checks
also reveal that
stock prices are
causing the net
foreign
portfolio flows
and not
vice-versa.
Key Words:
Short-term
capital flows,
Foreign
Portfolio
Investments,
Openness
JEL
Classification:
F32, F36, F41
Economic
Valuation of
Health Impacts
in a Coal Mining
Region
Prajna Paramita
Mishra,
Faculty
Associate, ICFAI
School of Public
Policy
Abstract
Development
projects like
mining always
have a negative
impact on
health. The
costs are in
terms of
externality and
often excluded
from financial
appraisals of
the project. In
this paper an
attempt has been
made at economic
valuation of
health impacts
of coal mining
in the Ib valley
coalfield of
Orissa. Data are
collected from
260 households
from 5 mining
villages and 100
households from
2 control
villages. Our
study found that
those villages
near both
underground and
opencast mines
are the worst
affected
followed by
villages near
underground
mines or
opencast mines.
Cost of Illness
(COI) and
Willingness to
Accept (WTA)
methods have
been used for
the economic
valuation of
health impact.
In terms of
value, WTA
appears to be
six times
greater than COI
value. There is
some debate in
existing
literature about
choosing between
both values. We
suggested a
sensitivity
analysis to take
into account
both the values.
The external
costs should be
included in the
balance sheet of
the company.
They should
provide free
medical
facilities not
only to the
employee’s
family but also
to the community
as a whole. If
these external
costs are added
it could be
enough to reduce
the economic
viability.
Gender Equity in
Private
Tuitions: A Case
Study of Delhi
Neeru Snehi,
Assistant
Professor,
Department of
Higher and
Professional
Education,
National
University of
Educational
Planning and
Administration,
New Delhi
Abstract
The paper on
Gender equity in
private tuition
attempts to
explain how
private tuition
in Delhi is
flourishing
though it is not
legally
approved. The
investment on
private tuition
of children
studying in
government as
well as private
schools
constitutes a
significant part
of household
expenditure. The
study shows that
there is gender
bias in the
attitude of
parents when
availing private
tuition for
their children.
Despite the fact
that more and
more parents are
now interested
in educating
their daughters,
they still
invest less on
the private
tuitions of
daughters than
their sons. More
girls than boys
opt for group
private tuitions
where tuition
fees are less
while more boys
are taught by
private tutors
in their homes
paying higher
fees. Parental
preference for
sons’ education
leads to
inequality in
investment on
extra coaching,
the author
reveals. It has
also been
suggested that
Teacher Student
Ratio and
classroom
situation need
to be improved
substantially to
address the
learning needs
of the students,
particularly
girls.
Urbanization,
Housing and the
State of Living
of Urban Poor in
India
Rajkishor Meher,
Reader in
Industrial
Sociology,
Nabakrsuhna
Choudhury Centre
for Development
Studies, Odisha,
Bhubaneswar
Abstract
Urbanization in
the largely
populated
developing
countries like
India is
observed to be
expanding mainly
due to forced
migration of
rural poor
seeking
livelihood in
the urban
informal sector
economy. The
slums and
squatter
localities in
which these
urban poor
reside are found
deficient in
supply of
minimum basic
civic services.
In this
scenario, unless
adequate steps
are taken to
solve the
housing problem
and to improve
the earning
capacity of
urban poor, the
rapidly growing
large cities of
India will face
enormous urban
environmental
management
problems in
terms of
breakdown of
basic civic
services,
increasing
pollution and
deteriorating
quality of urban
life. Using
population
census data,
survey of slums
in a growing
capital city,
Bhubaneswar and
the observation
of the
environmental
scenario of
Indian cities,
the paper makes
a holistic
analysis of the
living of the
urban poor in
India with some
prescriptive
policy measures
to improve the
‘quality of
life’.
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