Realising Rights: A Handbook of Welfare in India

Centre for the Study of the Indian Economy, Azim Premji University,

Abstract

This handbook maps the major interventions of the Union government that together constitute India’s welfare regime. India’s welfare architecture affects the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people.  Understanding how these programmes were created, how they have functioned, and the extent to which they achieve their stated objectives is a matter of considerable economic, social, and political importance. This volume seeks to provide a systematic assessment of these interventions and their place within India’s broader development trajectory. The handbook brings together 18 chapters across the major welfare domains and a set of cross-cutting themes. In addition to the macroeconomics of welfare, the domains covered are: maternity entitlements, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), mid-day meals, the Public Distribution System (PDS), rural employment guarantee, social security pensions, school education, health, PM-JAY, the Right to Education Act, PM-KISAN, and state-level unconditional cash transfers. Chapters on social justice, social accountability, decentralisation and digitisation address the cross-cutting dimensions that shape delivery across the entire architecture.

Editors: Bhargav B S, Dipa Sinha, Rajendran Narayanan, Revati Mathai, Vijay Ram S

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Contents

  1. Realising Rights: An Introduction by Rajendran Narayanan and Dipa Sinha
  2. Financing Rights: The Macroeconomics of Social Welfare Programmes by Jayati Ghosh
  3. Social Inclusion in India: History, Shifts and Contemporary Jurisprudence by Annie Namala and Aditi Anand
  4. Recognising Reproductive Labour: Maternity Entitlements by Sejal Dand and Neeta Hardikar
  5. Nurture and Nourish: Ensuring Early Childhood Development by Sudeshna Sengupta
  6. The Welfare State at Lunch: India’s School Mid-Day Meal Programme by Dipa Sinha and Bhargav BS
  7. The Right to Education Journey: From Access to Quality by Amarjeet Sinha and Anuradha De
  8. Reservations in Private Schools: Towards a Common School System? by Tarun Cherukuri and Ankur Sarin
  9. Diagnosing Health Care Delivery: History and current status by Vandana Prasad and Indira Chakravarthi
  10. Public Health Insurance: Does Coverage Mean Care? by Indranil and Richa Chintan
  11. Combating Hunger: The Public Distribution System by Nandini Nayak and Dipa Sinha
  12. The Promises of the Right to Work: Achievements and Challenges by Rajendran Narayanan and Vijay Ram S
  13. Whither State Care? India’s Non-Contributory Pension System by Asmi Sharma and Nancy Pathak
  14. Cultivating Income: Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi by Chakradhar Buddha and Rahul Swaero
  15. Whose Direct Benefit? Cash Transfers for Women by Dipa Sinha and Vijay Ram S
  16. Citizen’s Watch: Principles of Social Accountability by Anindita Adhikari
  17. Localising the State: Decentralisation and Democratic Governance by Avani Kapur
  18. Clouding Citizenship: The Digital State by Rajendran Narayanan and Padmini Ramesh