Indian Economy | Topic: Issues Relating to Growth & Development - Public Finance, Taxation & Black Money Incl

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Indian Economy | Topic: Issues Relating to Growth & Development - Public Finance, Taxation & Black Money Incl Page 1 Grim Sovereign Tangle: The Hindu Editorial on GST compensation standoff2 India ranked in the top 50 nations in the Global Innovation Index5 A labour law, more beneficial7 RBI alters priority sector norms to help start-ups, farmers avail loans10 GST reform needs a new grand bargain12 Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) is propelling enterprises in rural areas and building rural entrepreneurs16 Press Note on Global Multidimensional Poverty Index and India24 Reorganising debt28 Larger and better29 Cabinet approves asset monetization of subsidiaries of Power Grid Corporation of India limited through infrastructure investment trust31 The twisted trajectory of Bt cotton34 What is the TCS on foreign remittances?38 Atal Innovation Mission Launches Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-ANIC Initiative40 Delhi set to receive Kisan Rail43 PM to launch Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana on 10th September46 Post-COVID ‘new normal’ might be marked by greater economic, social and political divisions52 Government of India Expands the support to Artisans manifold, for making Agarbatti, to make India Aatm- Nirbhar54 An agriculture-led revival as flawed claim57 The Code on Social Security, 201961 India Post launches Five Star Villages Scheme to ensure 100% rural coverage of postal schemes72 Draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 202078 Prime Minister launches PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, e-Gopala App & several initiatives in Bihar86 Shri Mansukh Mandaviya launches ‘SAROD-Ports’ today93 Smothering the housing rights of the urban poor97 For a different yardstick: on 'Doing Business' report101 Urban employment as the focal point104 The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020108 The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020112 FDI IN DEFENCE SECTOR114 Government Initiatives for Steel Industry120 Finance minister introduces Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha122 The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020124 The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020130 National Research Centre on Camels136 Page 2 Source : www.thehindu.com Date : 2020-09-03 GRIM SOVEREIGN TANGLE: THE HINDU EDITORIAL ON GST COMPENSATION STANDOFF Relevant for: Indian Economy | Topic: Issues relating to Growth & Development - Public Finance, Taxation & Black Money incl. Government Budgeting Three years after India’s new indirect tax regime was introduced with a slogan of ‘One Nation, One Tax’, it faces an existential crisis. Despite its patchy structure with too many rates, complex compliance requirements and multiple mid-course changes, the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), overseen together by the Centre and the States, had begun to almost serve as an exemplar of co-operative federalism. All of those gains have quickly unravelled as the slowdown in the economy, exacerbated by the COVID-19 lockdowns, has thrown all revenue calculations to the wind. The Centre is obliged to pay to the States, for a period of five years, compensation for revenue shortfalls in return for their having ceded the power to levy the multiple taxes that were subsumed into the GST. Last week, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asserted, at what may have been the most tenuous GST Council meeting so far, that the Centre will not be able to meet the compensation shortfall. With GST collections sharply undershooting all targets this year, the Centre estimates compensation payable for the full year at 3-lakh crore. But just 65,000 crore is expected in the cess kitty used to pay out the compensation. In July, the Centre paid out the last instalment of compensation for the last fiscal and is, so far, yet to pay anything for this year. States have now been given two options, both requiring them to borrow from the market. The Centre contends that only 97,000 crore of the revenue shortfall is from implementation of the GST, while 1.38-lakh crore is due to extraordinary circumstances posed by an ‘Act of God’ (the pandemic). States can either borrow 97,000 crore, without having it added to their debt and with the principal and interest paid out from future cess collections, or they can borrow the entire 2.35-lakh crore shortfall, but will have to provide for interest payments themselves. The Finance Ministry has argued that higher borrowing by the Centre will push up interest rates and dent India’s fiscal parameters. At best, this is specious — total government debt, including States’, is what rating agencies look at. Several States have rejected both options and some, including Tamil Nadu, have urged the Centre to rethink in view of their essential and urgent spending needs to curb the pandemic and spur growth. A staring match is in the offing. It is up to the Centre to resolve this impasse in a way that future GST reforms do not fall victim to the trust deficit engendered by this standoff, the pandemic response is strengthened and all-round government capital spending to bolster sagging demand not derailed. For now, the only certainty is that the compensation cess levied on demerit goods will stay on beyond 2022, and may even be raised, affecting several businesses, including the jobs- intensive auto sector. You havecrackIAS.com reached your limit for free articles this month. To get full access, please subscribe. Already have an account ? Sign in Start your 14 days free trial. Sign Up Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list. Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly. Page 3 Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations. A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences. A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes. We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day. *Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience. Dear reader, We have been keeping you up-to-date with information on the developments in India and the world that have a bearing on our health and wellbeing, our lives and livelihoods, during these difficult times. To enable wide dissemination of news that is in public interest, we have increased the number of articles that can be read free, and extended free trial periods. However, we have a request for those who can afford to subscribe: please do. As we fight disinformation and misinformation, and keep apace with the happenings, we need to commit greater resources to news gathering operations. We promise to deliver quality journalism that stays away from vested interest and political propaganda. Dear subscriber, Thank you! Your support for our journalism is invaluable. It’s a support for truth and fairness in journalism. It has helped us keep apace with events and happenings. The Hindu has always stood for journalism that is in the public interest. At this difficult time, it becomes even more important that we have access to information that has a bearing on our health and well-being, our lives, and livelihoods. As a subscriber, you are not only a beneficiary of our work but also its enabler. We also reiterate here the promise that our team of reporters, copy editors, fact-checkers, designers, and photographers will deliver quality journalism that stays away from vested interest and political propaganda. Suresh Nambath Please enter a valid email address. SubscribecrackIAS.com to The Hindu now and get unlimited access. Already have an account? Sign In Start your 14 days free trial Sign Up You can support quality journalism by turning off ad blocker or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to The Hindu. Sign up for a 30 day free trial. Page 4 END Downloaded from crackIAS.com © Zuccess App by crackIAS.com crackIAS.com Page 5 Source : www.pib.gov.in Date : 2020-09-04 INDIA RANKED IN THE TOP 50 NATIONS IN THE GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX Relevant for: Indian Economy | Topic: Issues relating to Growth & Development - Demographic Economics & Various Indexes India has climbed 4 spots and has been ranked 48thby the World Intellectual Property Organization in the Global Innovation Index 2020 rankings. In midst of the Covid -19 pandemic, it comes as an uplifting news for India, and is a testament of its robust R&D Ecosystem. India was at the 52nd position in 2019 and was ranked 81st in the year 2015. It is a remarkable achievement to be in a league of highly innovative developed nations all over the globe. The WIPO had also accepted India as one of the leading innovation achievers of 2019 in the central and southern Asian region, as it has shown a consistent improvement in its innovation ranking for the last 5 years. The consistent improvement in the global innovation index rankings is owing to the immense knowledge capital, the vibrant startup ecosystem, and the amazing work done by the public & private research organizations. The scientific ministries like the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Biotechnology and the Department of space have played a pivotal role in the enriching the national innovation Ecosystem. The NITI Aayog has been working tirelessly to ensure optimization of national efforts in this direction by bringing policy led innovation in different areas such as EVs, biotechnology, Nano technology, Space, alternative energy sources, etc. The India Innovation Index, which was released last year by the NITI Aayog, has been widely accepted as the major step in the direction of decentralization of innovation across all the states of India. A constant thrust in monitoring and evaluating India’s position in global rankings has be provided by the NITI Aayog, including the global innovation index. India must aim high and double its efforts in improving its ranking in the global innovation index.
Recommended publications
  • Phd. Student: City, Culture and Community Tulane University
    Dustin Robertson PhD. Student: City, Culture and Community [email protected] [email protected] Tulane University WORK EXPERIENCE Research Analyst Kaarak Enterprise Development Services Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi (December 2013-May 2016) Social development consulting on numerous development issues including public health, WASH, bonded labor, gender, education and corporate social responsibility (CSR) Clients: UNICEF, International Labour Organization, CARE India, Oxfam India, International Justice Mission, Institute for Reproductive Health (Georgetown University) and Free the Slaves Major contributions: Document revision, formatting and finalization for UNICEF Hyderabad and Oxfam India LANGUAGES Project management including conceptualization, data collection, messaging and evaluation for ‘Viability Study for Use of Mobile English: First Language Phones for Awareness Generation on Bonded Labour’ Research and report creation for ‘Analysis of NITI Aayog’ French: Highly Proficient Data collection, analysis and report writing for ‘E-Commerce of Reproductive Health Products : India Case Study’ Data collection, analysis and report writing on ‘Gender Baseline Study Spanish: Highly Proficient in Madhya Pradesh Nutrition Project’ Report revision of ILO’s ‘Vulnerability Assessment of Brick Kiln Workers’ in the state of Bihar Data collection, analysis and report writing for ‘Baseline Study to Assess Reading Competencies of Students in Classes 1-4 in Uttar Pradesh and Odisha’ Led study and report on health-related CSR in India Data collection,
    [Show full text]
  • NIPM Research Compendium
    Vol 1 | Issue 3 | April 2021 NIPM ISSN(PRINT) : 0970-8405 SPECIAL ISSUE ON INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS BACKBONE OF BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY Editor Dr. Santosh Vishnu Bhave (Fellow Member - NIPM) Director - HR & IR, Bharat Forge Limited, Pune (India), Pincode - 411036 Editorial Board Members Mr. Vishwesh Kulkarni National President-NIPM Dr. Santosh Vishnu Bhave (Fellow Member-NIPM), Director-HR & IR, Bhar at Forge Limited, Pune (India), Dr. Shivaji D.Mundhe Director, IIMS Chinchwad, Pune Dr. Vandana Mohanty Assistant Professor, IIMS Chinchwad, Pune Dr. Sachin Misal Assistant Professor, IIMS Chinchwad, Pune Mr. Pavan Sharma Chief Librarian, IIMS Chinchwad, Pune Mr. Sushilkumar Warkar Asst. Manager HR, Bharat Forge Ltd, Pune Mr. Parth Jadhav HR Partner, Bharat Forge Ltd, Pune Board of Reviewers Name Profession Dr. Santosh V. Bhave Director- HR & IR, Bharat Forge Ltd. (Fellow Member NIPM) Dr. Smita Singh (Dabholkar) Associate Professor HR & OB, IMT Nagpur (Life Member NIPM - Nagpur Chapter) Dr.S.R.Chandak Management Consultant (Life Member NIPM - Pune Chapter) Dr.Rajesh Jawlekar General Manager, ER, Endurance Ltd., Aurangabad (Life Member - NIPM Aurangabad Chapter) Dr. Abhijeet Shah V.P.- IR & Admin, Bharat Forge Ltd. (Life Member - NIPM - Pune Chapter) Dr. Subir Bikas Mitra Executive Director (Law & HR), GAIL (India) Limited (Life Member - NIPM - Delhi Chapter) Dr. P.R.K. Raju Director, GIET (Autonomous), Rajahmundry, AP & NC MEMBER, NIPM Dr.Shivaji Mundhe Professor and Director , International Institute of Management Science, Pune Dr. Leena Guruprasad Asst. Professor Dept. of Management Studies and Research Center, B.M.S. College of Engineering, Bengaluru & Life Member NIPM, Karnataka Chapter. President, HR & Administration - Garware Polyester Ltd (Life Member - NIPM Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • India COUNTRY STARTER PACK Country Starter Pack 2 Introduction to India India at a Glance
    India COUNTRY STARTER PACK Country starter pack 2 Introduction to India India at a glance POPULATION - 2014 GNI PER CAPITA (PPP) - 2014* US$1,610 1.267 INCOME LEVEL billion Lower middle *Gross National Income (Purchasing Power Parity) World Bank GDP GROWTH 2014 CAPITAL CITY 7.2% GDP GROWTH FORECAST (IMF) New Delhi 7.4% (2015), 7.4% (2016) & 7.5% (2017) RELIGION CLIMATE CURRENCY FISCAL YEAR apr-mar HINDUS: 80%, MUSLIMS: 13%, CHRISTIANS: 2%, SIKHS: 1% Extremely diverse Indian Rupee (INR) 1 April - 31 March ARID DESERT IN THE WEST, GLACIERS IN THE NORTH, TROPICAL AND HUMID IN THE SOUTH > TIME DIFFERENCE AUSTRALIAN IMPORTS AUSTRALIAN EXPORTS EXCHANGE RATE FROM AUSTRALIA FROM INDIA (2014) TO INDIA (2014) (2015 AVERAGE) 4.5 hours A$4.31 A$10.46 (inr/AUD) behind (AEST) billion billion A$1 = INR 47.06 SURFACE AREA 3.3 MILlion Contents 1. Introduction 4 square kmS 1.1 Why India? Opportunities for Australian businesses 5 1.2 India at a glance 11 1.3 India and Australia: the bilateral relationship 18 2. Getting started in India 22 GDP 2014 2.1 What you need to consider 24 2.2 Researching India 37 2.3 Possible business structures 41 US$2.067 trillion 2.4 Manufacturing in India 46 3. Sales and marketing in India 48 3.1 Agents and distributors 50 POLITICAL STRUCTURE 3.2 Online sales 52 3.3 Direct selling 54 Constitutional 3.4 Franchising 55 3.5 Marketing 55 democratic republic 3.6 Labelling requirements 58 4. Conducting business in India 60 GENERAL BUSINESS HOURS 4.1 Indian culture and business etiquette 61 4.2 Building relationships with Indians 65 Monday to Friday 4.3 Negotiations and meetings 70 9am to 4.30pm 4.4 Due diligence and avoiding scams 74 Saturday 9am to 2pm 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Global Issues
    Global Issues Labour Reforms in a Neo-liberal Setting: Lessons from India Anamitra Roychowdhury, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India Kingshuk Sarkar, Independent Researcher, India On 26 November 2020, ten central trade unions in India went on a nation-wide strike to protest against anti-working-class policies of the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre. Their main grievances were directed towards the recently passed four labour codes and three farm laws, among others. In fact, farmers are currently holding a historic demonstration and have occupied the expressways near the nation’s capital at Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur and Palwal; they plan to march into the capital on 26 January 2021. It appears then, every section of the working population is opposing the economic policies of the government, which incidentally has resulted in low to negative output growth and an unprecedented surge in open unemployment rates. Although we shall briefly discuss the resistance emerging against the farm laws, our main concern in this article is about the political roots and implications of labour law changes. The Context of New Labour Laws So what is the background to the changes in labour laws? Essentially, it springs from the neo- liberal thinking that promoting the interests of private capital (alongside withdrawal of the state from the policy arena) is the best way of managing the economy. Insofar as well-being of the people at large is concerned, it firmly believes in trickle-down economics and that “a rising tide lifts all boats”. These ideas have dominated the Indian policy circle for three decades now and over the years resulted in the state actively undertaking a number of market-oriented reforms like: (a) promoting free trade by reducing tariff rates; (b) encouraging private sector participation in essential services (such as health, education and banking); (c) creating markets in newer areas (water, infrastructure), among others.
    [Show full text]
  • Trade Unions
    CHAPTER 41 TRADE UNIONS 41.1 Trade Unions are voluntary organization of Workers as well as Employers formed to protect and promote the interest of their members. They are the most suitable organizations for balancing and improving the relations between the employer and the employees. Trade Unions have made headway due to rapid industrial development. The workers come together to maintain and improve their bargaining power on wages and working conditions. The first organized Trade Union in India named as the Madras Labour Union was formed in the year 1918. From the beginning itself, Trade Unions were not confined to workers alone. From 19thCentury itself there were Employer’s associations in the form of Chamber of Commerce, Industrial Associations etc. to protect and promote the interests of their members in a concerted manner. After independence, expansion of industrial activity and grouping worker’s Trade Unions acted as a spur for strengthening and expansion of employers’ organization 41.2 In industrially advanced countries, trade unionism has made a great impact on the social, political and economic life. India, being an agricultural country, trade unionism is restricted to industrial areas and it is still in a stage of growth. The earliest known trade unions in India were the Bombay Millhand's Association formed in 1890, the Amalgamated Society of railway servants of India and Burma formed in 1897, Printers' Union formed in Calcutta in 1905, the Bombay Postal Union which was formed in 1907, the Kamgar Hitwardhak Sabha Bombay formed in 1910. 41.3 Trade Union movement began in India after the end of First World War.
    [Show full text]
  • Organising Experiences and Experiments Among Indian Trade Unions: Concepts, Processes and Showcases
    The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Vol. 55, No. 4, 2012 ORGANISING EXPERIENCES AND EXPERIMENTS AMONG INDIAN TRADE UNIONS: CONCEPTS, PROCESSES AND SHOWCASES Pong-Sul Ahn and Yeonju Ahn* In India, the expansion of the informal economy has been attributed to the decline of the unionisation rate and the weakening of collective bargaining power. With more than 92 per cent of all workers engaged in informal employment where labour rights are rather repressive, what is the guiding principle for trade unions and the ILO that can provide decent employment, legal protection and adequate social security to India’s informal workers? ‘Organising’, which refers to a method of recruiting new union members and making them more conscious of their rights through awareness-raising, education, advocacy, vocational training, campaigning and networking, is perceived as an entry point for increasing collective voice and representation of informal workers, and for empowering them to fight for social justice. It also intends to strengthen the organisational capacity of trade unions and to increase their bargaining power. This paper, which illustrates the experience of Indian trade unions’ organising over decades, aims to motivate both trade unions and the ILO to reach out to informal workers, and to promote and realise the goal of decent work in the informal economy. I. INTRODUCTION Informal workers primarily engage in non-contractual and irregular employment that is not protected by law. Workers who are self-employed or temporarily employed typically do not have a written contract and thus no statutory employment relationship with an employer, which denies them legal protection of their labour rights.
    [Show full text]
  • ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19 J3TI)Q \Jill D :Q~L1&I~ W{~Jfr~ (PM-SYM) ~T1~1Fdt1 Cbl'i~Llu Cfj ~ Qffi 'Ll\I111 F3iotep'): ~D G"M Cpi Anen~
    ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19 J3TI)q \Jill d :q~l1&i~ W{~JfR~ (PM-SYM) ~t1~1fdt1 Cbl'i~llu cfj ~ qffi 'll\i111 f3Iotep'): ~d G"m cPI anen~. dotcP1: tf.mo~ cPI 'HQOII '81Cbl~ Incentives to Employers @ National Child Labour Project o Mainstreaming of Children National Career Service Connecting Talent withdrawn from work directly in regular schools (5-I yrs); bridge with Opportunities education in NCLP STCs (9-14 yrs) Register on NCS o Withdrawal of adolescent in portal to avail all benefits hazardous appropriate occupations Download 'ncs' App 0 Awareness11enerat1on and 0 CPindia_NCS 0 § NallonalcareerServlce · tracking of child anti adole~"-nt, , Toll Free Number: 1800-425·1514 A www.ncs.gov,/n :'=.IBbour ~.... ~· -'14 ? . ' ,., ~~ ~w~· () OL.abourMinlstry 0 /L.abourMinlstry () Otndla_NCS 0 ONatfonaltaroatServlco O @LabourMinistry G /LabourMinistry @) @Ministryoflabour@Employment @LabourMinistry Ministry of Labour & Employment Government of India Annual Report 2018-19 CHAPTER-1 HIGHLIGHTS OF IMPORTANT ACTIVITIES Introduction essential for ec onomic grow th and development and for the dignity of the labour force of the 1.1 Work is part of ev eryone’s daily life and is country. crucial to one’s dignity, w ell-being and development as a human being. Economic New Initiatives / Important Activities development means not only creation of jobs but also w orking conditions in w hich one can w ork in Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PM- freedom, safety and dignity. Ministry of Labour & SYM ): Employment, one of the oldest and important Ministries of the Government of India, is 1.3 Government of India has introduced a functioning to ensure that it remains focus sed on pens ion sc heme f or unorganised w orkers in the improving life and dignity of labour f orce of the name of Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan country by protecting & s afeguarding the interest (PM-SYM) to ensure old age protection for of workers, promotion of their w elfare and Unorganised Workers.
    [Show full text]
  • Trade Union Strategy and Responses to Changes in Employment Structure and Forms in India
    India Trade Union Strategy and Responses to Changes in Employment Structure and Forms in India Manoranjan DHAL I. Abstract II. Introduction III. Trade unions in India IV. Trade union strategy V. Strategic choice of trade union in India VI. Structural reforms and response of trade union VII. Conclusion I. Abstract Decline in trade union membership is a global phenomenon, particularly in the era which is impacted by the free movement of production, capital and labour. However, unions have revitalized themselves by shading their evolutionary role of confrontation between capital and labour and adopting various strategies to survive and grow. The strategic response includes organizing new members, extending cooperation, focusing on up- skilling of their members, ensuring productivity and protecting consumer interest. Against this backdrop, this paper tries to evaluate the major trade unions of India and their response to the changes in the employment structure in India. II. Introduction The world is experiencing the fourth industrial relations which have a focus of creating the cyber physical system, a step ahead of the computer and automation. The industrial relations is in transition with the globalized economy, and free movement of capital and labour, profound changes in the production system, occupational and organizational structure and forms of labour institutions and approach of government. Thorough analysis of the secondary data, this paper tries to analyse whether trade unions in India are trying to seek new roles and methods of working in this changing economic, social and political conditions. Payne (2001) defines this modern environment as a new economic condition where globalized capitalist transformation has forced the trade unions to find common cause with the national government and national arms of the transnational firms to prevent shift of production from one country to other.
    [Show full text]
  • Trade Unions in India 2008
    TRADE UNIONS IN INDIA 2008 LABOUR BUREAU MINISTRY OF LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT GOVERNMENT OF INDIA CHANDIGARH/SHIMLA PREFACE Trade Unions have proliferated due to rapid economic development and development in particular. The setting of industrial units involving wide spread use of machinery, changes in working and living environment of workers, concentration of industries in large towns have brought the workers together to maintain and improve their bargaining power and hence their employment conditions. The first organized Trade Union in India named as the Madras Labour Union was formed as early as 1918. Since then, a large number of Unions came up in almost all the industrial centers of the country. The government of India passed the “Trade Unions Act,1926” to regulate conditions governing the registration of Trade Unions, obligations imposed on a registered Trade Unions and right and liabilities there of. The Rules Framed under the “Trade Unions Act,1926 impose obligation on the registered Trade Unions (Workers & Employers) to submit annual statutory return in the prescribed format to the Registrar of their respective States/ Union Territories. These State/U.T. Authorities in turn furnish the consolidated data in respect of the entire State/U.T. to the Labour Bureau. The Labour Bureau compiles and disseminates these statistics at All India level. The present biennial review presents comprehensive statistics on the working of the Trade Unions Act, 1926 during 2008. It is based on the Annual Returns received from the Registrar of Trade Unions of the respective States/Union Territories. I am thankful to the Registrar of Trade Unions of all the responding State Government/Union Territory without whose support it would not have been possible to bring out this Report.
    [Show full text]
  • Trade Unions in India: Changing Role & Perspective
    sas Trade Unions in India: Changing Role & Perspective J.S. Sodhi Introduction Unions in India have been preoccu- The paper presents trade unions’ pied with protecting the interests of the economic contribution in the con- workers. The government worked in tan- text of the strong historical dem with the unions in setting up labor legacy. The thrust of trade union standards. In the process unions became activities has been to engage in strong and began asserting themselves the traditional functions of wel- not by contributing to the economic per- fare and economic improvement formance but by organizing a large num- of workers; they do not take an ber of strikes at the national and the en- active role in improving produc- terprise levels. The globalization process, tivity and economic perfor- since 1991, has adversely affected la- mance. Unions, working in tan- bor. There has been jobless growth for dem with the government in the many years. Most of the additional em- first thirty years after indepen- ployment has been of an informal na- dence, ensured that workers ture, even in the formal sector. At the were well protected and given all enterprise level, management’s quest for the benefits. In view of the glo- a lean and mean organization has led to balization challenges, there is a a reduction in workforce, replacement gradual change and the man- of permanent workers with causal or agements and unions are enter- contract workers. The employer is also ing into collective bargaining merrily into union bashing or resisting the agreements with clauses of im- formation of unions and taking a tough provements in productivity of the posture in collective bargaining.
    [Show full text]
  • Doing Business in India 2016
    Doing Business In India 2016 www.moorestephenssinghi.com A Legacy of Values Doing Business in India 2016 Preface This Guide has been prepared by Moore Stephens Singhi Advisors LLP (‘MSSA’), an independent member of Moore Stephens International. It is designed to provide information on a number of subjects important to those considering investing or doing business in India. Moore Stephens International is the world’s 10th largest branded accountancy and business advisory network by combined fee income (over USD 2.7bn) and is represented by 299 firms in 106 countries and over 27,000 personnel worldwide. Its members are high quality, independent accountancy and business advisory firms, all of whom are committed to provide the best possible service to their clients, both in their own marketplace and across the world. This guide is one of a series of country profiles compiled for use by Moore Stephens International member firms’ clients and professional staff. Doing Business in India has been designed for the information of readers. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, information contained in this guide may not be comprehensive and recipients should not act upon it without seeking professional advice. Up-to-date advice and general assistance on Indian matters can be obtained from Moore Stephens Singhi Advisors LLP; contact details can be found at the end of this guide. We hope that you find this publication useful. We would be happy to hear your comments and suggestions at [email protected]. This publication does not constitute professional advice. The information in this publication has been obtained or derived from sources believed by MSSA to be reliable but MSSA does not represent that this information is accurate or complete.
    [Show full text]
  • Neoliberal State, Austerity, and Workers' Resistance in India
    Interface: a journal for and about social movements Article Volume 6 (1): 416 – 440 (May 2014) Sarker, Austerity and workers’ resistance in India Neoliberal state, austerity, and workers’ resistance in India Kanchan Sarker Abstract Despite being divided on the consequences of liberalization, people of India put up significant resistances against the neoliberal state and its austerity policies under the leadership of the Left and the broader Left. Some of the battles were won, some were lost. Yet, struggles are continuing to win the war. This paper is an empirical and analytical description primarily of workers’ resistances against the state’s withering away from its responsibilities in a pluralistic society like India as well as some of the other movements against these neoliberal policies. Keywords: Economic reforms, austerity, workers’ resistance David Harvey in his A Brief History of Neoliberalism (2005) has given a wide- ranging definition of neoliberalism: Neoliberalism is in the first instance a theory of political economic practices that proposes that human well-being can best be advanced by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedoms and skills within an institutional framework characterized by strong private property rights, free markets and free trade. The role of the state is to create and preserve an institutional framework appropriate to such practices… Furthermore, if markets do not exist (in areas such as land, water, education, health care, social security, or environmental pollution) then they must be created, by state action if necessary. But beyond these tasks the state should not venture. However, the term ‘neoliberalism’ is not as commonly used in India as in the West.
    [Show full text]