SOCIAL SECURITY MEASURES IN INDIA
Sathish Chandra MR1, Veena V2
Social Security is defined by the
International Labour Organization
(ILO) as “The protection which so-
ciety provides for its members
through a series of public
measures against the economic
and social distress that otherwise
would be caused by the stoppage
or substantial reduction of earn-
ings resulting from sickness, ma-
ternity, employment injury, inva-
lidity and death; the provision of
medical care; and the provision of
subsidies for families with chil-
dren” (1984). The security which
society furnishes through appro-
priate organizations against cer-
tain risks to which its members are
perennially exposed.
NEEDS OF SOCIAL SECURITY
In India 90% of families earn
their livelihood from the unor-
ganized sector. Most of the rural
and informal sector workers in the
world do not have any social secu-
rity measures. In most of the devel-
oping countries the rural and in-
formal sectors constitute the bulk
of the population. They do not
have any form of insurance or se-
curity (e.g. Maternity benefits, re-
tirement benefits, health insurance
etc) nor do they have representa-
tive organizations that might help
them by fighting for these benefits.
Poor are particularly vulnerable to
the lack of health security
measures. They spend a greater
percentage of their budget on
health related expenditures. Dur-
ing sickness they need to spend
large amounts of money for treat-
ment and are unable to earn
money while under treatment. Ma-
jority of poor households reside in
remote rural areas where no gov-
ernment or private medical facili-
ties are available and obtaining
treatment at town or district level
hospital involves travel costs,
which are not insignificant. As a
Worker/Employee, you are a
source of social security protection
for yourself and your family. As an
Employer you are responsible for
providing adequate social security
coverage to all your workers.
NEEDS THAT NECESSITATES
SOCIAL SECURITY
1. Physical risks: Sickness, in-
validity, old age, maternity, acci-
dents, death.
2. Economic risks : Unemploy-
ment
3. Economic burden of large
family
SOCIAL IMPACT OF SOCIAL
SECURITY MEASURES
Short term effects:
Provides adequate medical care
and prevents accidents and illness
which will ultimately benefit the
workers and the society.
Long term effects:
More efficient workers. Higher
productivity and a greater feeling
of security. Reduced absenteeism,
labour turnover and stabilized
working class. Improve the living
standards of the people and
strengthen livelihoods.
Significance of Social Security
Methods:
Important step towards the
goal of welfare state and helps in
the formation of stable and effi-
cient labour force. Tends to reduce
the wastage arising out of indus-
trial disputes, sickness, and disa-
bility. Social cost of industrializa-
tion in the shape of unemploy-
ment, disability, frustration and
mass dissatisfaction is considera-
bly minimized.
AIM OF SOCIAL SECURITY
Measures to be taken to im-
prove the condition of work
Reduction in the hours of
work.
Better lighting and ventila-
tion.
Proper disposal of trade
waste and adequate provision for
bathrooms etc.
Improve the safety
measures to reduce accidents and
disability.
Restoration: Early restoration
of the workers to their normal oc-
cupation as early as possible.
APPROACHES TO SOCIAL
SECURITY (Table 1)
There are mainly two types:
1. Social assistance
2. Social insurance
Social assistance:
A method to provide benefits as
of right to persons usually of small
means in amounts sufficient to
meet a minimum standards of liv-
ing from general revenues of the
state. Characteristics feature of this
is the beneficiaries do not make
any contribution towards various
benefits which are made available
to them. It is a “Non-contributory
benefits” towards the maintenance
of vulnerable groups such as chil-
dren, mothers, aged peoples, disa-
bled etc. Very much essential for
the effective working of the eco-
nomic system.
Social Insurance
A method to provide benefits as
a matter of right for persons of
small earnings, in amounts which
combine the contributions of the
beneficiaries with subsidies from
Perspectives
1Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, BGS Global Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore
Correspondence to Dr Sathish Chandra MR (sathi.medico@yahoo.co.in)
ANNALS OF COMMUNITY HEALTH | VOL 2 | ISSUE 2 | APR - JUNE 2014 | Page: 48
