Promotion of Sustainable Livelihood through Skill Development Among Rural Youth - Role of Micro-Finance in Developmental Paradigm

The present paper attempts to analyze the process of sustainable livelihood through skill development and its conceptual and theoretical understanding in India with reference to rural youth. In India skill development is demanded for economic growth and inclusive development, hence rural population cannot be overlooked. It also tries to highlight that employable skills alone have not been able to sufficiently generate employment among rural youth despite it wont address/promote the well-being process and sustainable livelihood. It is also based on the assumption that various frameworks associated with skill development leave scope for reforms as the gaps prevails that weaken implementation addressed by various policy shift in rural development paradigm and government/non-government organizations. The paper also aspires to look into the process of skill development towards rural youth through establishments of institutions, launch of policy/programmes and their linkages with micro-finance. It also look into the distinctive nature/features of micro-finance against the dominant forces of societal structure, social relationships, social interactions leading towards collective interests and norms that shape the quality and quantity of lives of individuals. Lastly analysis and conclusion have been made on the basis of discussion.

MIDC Role in Infrastructural Development in Navi Mumbai

The BID (Board of Industrial Development) framed the legislation and it was introduced before the state legislation and passed in the form of Maharashtra Industrial Act which gave birth to Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), as a separate corporation on August 1, 1962. The BID was the first personnel strength of MIDC. A small ceremony at Wagle Estate Thane, under the Chairmanship of the Chief Minister Shri Y.B. Chavan, marked the birth of MIDC on August 1, 1962. The Board of Industrial Development during its existence between October 1, 1960 and August 1, 1962 has done enough spade work to identify the locations for setting up industrial areas in different parts of the state. Thus, right in the first year of establishment MIDC came up with 14 industrial areas, to initiate action for infrastructure and help entrepreneurs set up the industrial units in those areas. Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation is the nodal industrial infrastructure development agency of the Maharashtra Government with the basic objective of setting up industrial areas with a provision of industrial infrastructure all over the state for planned and systematic industrial development. MIDC is an innovative, professionally managed, and user friendly organization that provides the world industrial infrastructure. MIDC has played a vital role in the development of industrial infrastructure in the state of Maharashtra. As the state steps into the next millennium, MIDC lives up to its motto Udyamat Sakal Samruddhi i.e., prosperity to all through industrialization. Indeed, in the endeavor of the state to retain its prime position in the industrial sector, MIDC has played a pivotal role in the last 35 years. MIDC has developed 268 industrial estates across the state which spread over 52653 hectares of land. The growth of the Corporation, achieved in the various fields, during the last three years, could be gauged from the fact that the area currently in possession of MIDC has doubled from 25,000 hectares in 1995.

CSR Initiatives for Children - Exploring the Practices in Selected Companies in India

Of late, the concept of corporate social responsibility has gained prominence from all avenues. Across the globe, most of the prominent leading corporations seem to have realized the importance of being associated with socially relevant causes as a means of promoting their brands. Corporate have started moving from what is our share mode to what is our environmental impact and how much we are accountable mode. Nearly all leading organizations in India are involved in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes in areas like education, health, livelihood creation, skill development, and empowerment of not just the weaker sections of the society but the society in large. This paper examines the concept of few notable firms sacrificing profits in the social interest within the environmental realm especially for children. Although the analysis of goodwill and quality of different initiatives within the umbrella of CSR is challenging, an attempt can be made to fulfill the social responsibility. The authors have tried to take four Indian firms who are exclusively into a robust CSR strategy, where child rights are being respected and protected. These programmes aim at holistic development of the concerned. The objective, sector, modus operandi and the scope of the programmes are investigated. Also a small effort has been made to understand the needs of children in India, scope of the corporate in fulfilling those needs and facilitate long term change in the lives of the marginalized children. A brief analysis regarding the best practices by the authors suggests that integrated empowerment is needed for sustainable development in the society. Moreover protecting the rights of children should be integral to every CSR strategy. Corporate can impact the access to the necessities, which are essential for survival and development of children in many ways.

Industrial Hygiene: A Study in Coir Spinning Units in Tamil Nadu

Coir yarn spinning as a micro entrepreneurial venture is promoted extensively in rural areas particularly in regions where coconut as a crop is prominent, with the twin objectives of employment generation particularly among women and meeting the global demand for coir and coir related products. Of late, both the State and Central governments have launched several schemes and programmes for extending liberal supports for the promotion of coir based entrepreneurial activities. The study conducted among a few coir yarn spinning units in the sample geographical area in Tamil Nadu discloses the state-of-affair on the health and safety hazards in coir yarn spinning units. Coir yarn spinning entrepreneurs have taken up adequate precautionary measures against safety hazards in the workplace while the measures relating to caring the health and hygiene of the workers employed in the production process are inadequate. The workers are reported to be affected by ailments such as headache, back pain, respiratory problems, skin diseases, and ailments in eyes more frequently. These call for very immediate appropriate solutions. The feasibility of extending the welfare measures as applicable to workers in the formal/organized sectors may be gauged and worked out without hampering the initiatives of the coir yarn entrepreneurs at the grass roots.

Education Scenario: A Study of Malwa Region

In India, education is provided by the public sector as well as private sector, with control and funding at three levels: federal, state and local. Education in India falls under the control of both union government and the states, with some responsibilities lying with the union and the states having autonomy for others. Education has been made too easy for the students so that more and more students can enter into the scope of education system of the country. The announcements like abolishing compulsory CBSE board exams for Class 10th from session 2010-11, introduction of grading system, the passage of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, reservation policies etc. are a few efforts taken by the government. Now the question arises as to what extent such efforts in the field of education have succeeded in different states of the country. Punjab is served by several institutions of higher education, including 32 universities which provide undergraduate and postgraduate courses in all the major arts, humanities, science, engineering, law, medicine, veterinary science, and business. Primary and secondary education systems are mainly affiliated to Punjab School Education Board. According to the 2011 Indian Census, the population of Punjab is 27,704,236 (males 14,634,819 & females 13,069,417). The literacy rate is 75%, male literacy being 80.23% and female literacy 68.36%. The present paper is an attempt to study the literacy level of the male and female in the various districts of Malwa region of the Punjab. This paper concludes that literacy rate in Punjab increased to 76.7% as per 2011 census, out of which maximum literacy rate has been found in the district Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali) (83.8%) and the lowest in district of Mansa (62.8%) of Malwa region. Male-female literacy rate shows an improvement sign. Sex ratio improved in all the districts of Punjab but found to be maximum in the district of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshar) (95%).

Unit-Wise Ranking of Inventory Control Techniques Used in Small Scale Cement Enterprises: A Small Scale Entrepreneurial Perspective

The present research divulges the different inventory control techniques used small scale cements enterprises operated by small scale entrepreneurs through the assistance of primary data collected from eight small scale cement enterprises operating in SIDCO & SICOP, under DIC (District Industries Center) in District Udhampur of Jammu & Kashmir State. The various inventory control techniques identified and quested for in the research were: Always Better Control (ABC), Economic Order Quantity (EOQ), Material Requirement Planning (MRP), and Just-in-Time (JIT). The results of the ranking table quoted that Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) was awarded first rank by almost all the units representing overall mean score of 1.71, Always Better Control (ABC) was denoted by rank two repressing overall mean value as 2.00, Material Requirement Planning (MRP) was quoted rank three as depicted by its mean ranking (2.25), and Just-in-time (JIT) was accorded rank four (3.71) by almost all the small scale cements entrepreneurs/owners.

Understanding Rural Retailer at the Base of the Fortune Pyramid

The literature in the field of rural marketing has paid little attention to intra-rural transaction. However, approaches towards inclusive marketing and rural market development are incomplete without clarity on rural to rural transaction. In this article an attempt has been made to understand the rural to rural transaction in the context of rural retail units. Identification of the supportive features, appreciation of organizational limitations of the business, and design of alternative revenue options were found as three strategies adopted by rural retailers to build a profitable enterprise. Compatibility and desirability of the revenue alternatives have been discussed to be the indicators determining the importance of each of these strategies. Implications are discussed both for commercial ventures involved in rural marketing as well as for agencies concerned with the design and implementation of income generating programmes in rural areas.

Growth and Performance of Agriculture Sector in India

The growth of agriculture and allied sectors is critical for the Indian economy as about 49 percent of the population is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture. During the last decade and so, the agriculture sector has undergone profound changes resulting in sharp deceleration in its growth. The study has attempted to analyze growth and performance of the agriculture sector in India since 1980-81 and tries to comprehend some of the factors responsible for the deceleration in growth. The study has shown that agriculture sector has been able to show tremendous improvement in expansion of area and production of food grain and non-food grain crops. However, there are so many underlying factors responsible for slowdown of the agricultural growth. Some of the factors identified include: Increase in area under non-agriculture uses, excessive dependence on rain fed farming, increase in number of agricultural labourers, reducing size of the operation holdings, over use of agri-inputs, inequity in the distribution of agriculture credit along with sharp deceleration in public gross capital formation in agriculture etc. The study pointed in order to achieve higher growth rate, there is a need to enhance the gross capital formation in agriculture sector particularly on irrigation so that more area can be brought under assured irrigation. Bringing equity in distribution of agricultural credit coupled with judicious and need-based agricultural inputs are some of the other recommendations drawn based upon the study.

An Empirical Study on Farmers Club Programme: An Innovative Initiative of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)

For sustainable growth in agriculture, there is a need to improve productivity and reduce the costs. Farmers Club programme initiated by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in 1982, is one such initiative. These clubs are grassroots level informal forums. Such clubs are organized by rural branches of banks with the support and financial assistance of NABARD for the mutual benefit of the banks concerned and rural people. The programme is aimed at transmitting the latest agriculture techniques to the farmers field, orienting them to establish better relationship with banks, adoption of latest post-harvest handling technology, value addition and enjoy the benefits of collective bargaining power for procuring inputs and select their produce. In view of the utility of such informal forums of Farmers Clubs, an initiative is undertaken to study the impact of these clubs on the agriculture performance. The present study aims to analyze the working, growth and development of Farmers Clubs in Gujarat along with empirically examining the perspective of member and non-member of Farmers Club programme in Anand district. The study also aims to analyze the awareness and satisfaction level of the respondents towards the Farmers Club programme.

IT Penetration in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

Information technology (IT) has become a vital and integral part of every business plan. From multinational corporations who maintain mainframe systems and databases to small businesses, IT plays an important role. The principal objective of the present research is to know the Information Technology (IT) penetration in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector. The study is conducted as field survey of 62 discrete manufacturers of MSMEs around the industrial areas of Hyderabad. Survey is conducted with the help of questionnaire designed to understand the level of IT usage (concentrating on web technology) in their day-to-day operations. Data are analyzed with the help of statistical tools and the results show that the MSME sector is resistant to Information Technology (IT) for their day-to-day operations. There is a wide scope for technological growth in MSMEs which is suitable for the sector. The final part provides some future policy framework for the sustainability of the sector.