Sanghmitra S. Acharya – författare

This book analyses how developmental projects in a globalizing Delhi have brought about neglect, exclusion and alienation of certain sections of population, while benefiting others. It discusses the physical, economic and social displacement of people in the city in recent times, which has deprived them of their lands, livelihoods and access to health care. In Delhi and the National Capital Region, beyond the obvious and apparent image of wide roads, flyovers, the metro rail network, high-rises and glittering malls, globalization has brought about skewed and uneven development. A growing middle class and a significant group of an extremely rich section of population steer the ways in which development strategies are planned and implemented. Furthermore, with government control reducing as is inevitable and consistent with a neoliberal policy framework, private players have entered not only the consumer goods sector, but also basic goods and services such as agriculture, health and education.   This book explores the effects of such processes, with a specific focus on equity, on the marginalized sections of population in a globalizing megacity. It addresses the themes of land, livelihoods and health as overarching, drawing upon their interlinkages. It traces the changes in the growth of the city in context of these themes and draws inferences from their interconnectedness to examine the current situation of development in Delhi.

This book focuses on the core problems of occupational health, safety and well-being of workers in the informal sector in developing countries, where it accounts for most of the rural labour force and a substantial percentage of the urban labour force. The sector is characterised by low incomes, unstable employment and lack of protection in the form of legislation/policies or trade unions. Though some health and problem-solving measures have been introduced, a focused academic effort to address the problems confronting workers in the unorganised sector, or informal economy, is lacking.

The book evaluates workers’ physical and mental health in the context of labour migration, social inclusion of minorities and the differently abled, provisions for women workers, demonetisation, occupational safety for hazardous work, and in connection with various areas of informal work, e.g. agriculture, construction, transportation, sanitation, tanning, the tobacco industry, powerloom industry, surrogacy, and self-employment. It provides a well-rounded description of an analytical reflection on the challenges these workers face and focuses on social policy changes to help alleviate them. Accordingly, it offers a valuable asset for researchers and students interested in development studies, the sociology of work, health and labour economics, public health, and social work.

This book discusses the issues of inequality and marginalization in India. The first section of the book contextualizes sociological traditions for the scrutiny of subaltern discourse on discrimination.  The chapters in the section explore self-identity, ‘margins’ in sociological traditions, subalternity and exclusion, citizenship issues of de-notified tribes, the role of religion for scheduled tribe Dalits and Ambedkar’s ideas on tribes. The second section deals with the political economy of higher education, health and employment. The efforts of BR Ambedkar and the consequences of those efforts, his critique of education policies during British time and its alteration for independent India have been meticulously dealt with. The third section illustrates an application of theoretical understanding through narratives of labour bondage in Varanasi, sanitation workers in Mumbai and rickshaw pullers in Delhi. The last section establishes that unequal access to resources is a consequence of discrimination and marginalization induced by social identities. The book argues for equitable access to resources and opportunities to ensure health equity. The audience for this publication includes academics, researchers, health professionals, policymakers engaged with discrimination, exclusion, marginalization and inequity in health.