THE ROLE OF SOCIAL SECURITY IN PROTECTION OF THE HEALTH OF UNORGANIZED SECTORS IN INDIA: ISSUES, CHALLENGES, AND REFORMS
Mohammed Aslam Khan*
ABSTRACT
Social security means a person's overall safety within the home, at work, and in society. Social security is a mechanism that meets basic needs as well as life contingencies to ensure an acceptable standard of living. Since independence, social security has always been a key focus area of several plans and policies of the government of India. With a steady rise in the population and a rapidly evolving socioeconomic situation, healthcare problems are also included in the social security schemes over the years. However, only 6% of the working population has access to social security benefits, while 94% have little or zero access to social security benefits. It is also noted that social security problems for workers in the unorganized or informal sector are more chronic than those in the formal sectors. This paper aims to raise several key issues regarding social security in a fundamentally changing Indian context. This paper critically reviews and analyses existing social security regulations in India and evaluates how they compare with systems in developed countries. The paper makes an empirical study of India's social security schemes in general and healthcare schemes for the unorganized sector in particular. The study exposes significant issues in the country's social security laws and programs, insofar as they extend to unorganized workers. The paper concludes with recommendations on possible methods to address the shortcomings.
Keywords: Social Security; Healthcare; Informal Sector; Unorganized employees; India.
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