India
has ranked 74 among 90 countries in the first-ever index
on economic security prepared by the International Labour
Organisation (ILO). India was placed above its neighbours
Pakistan and Bangladesh, which ranked 84 and 88 respectively,
but below China (58). The US, the global economic superpower,
ranked 25, way behind countries such as Sweden (1),
France (7), the UK (15) and Japan (18).
The
report ‘Economic security for a better world’,
warned that increasing economic insecurity would soon
grow into a global crisis. The findings have been calculated
on the basis of an economic security index covering
over 48,000 people and 10,000 enterprises, including
India.
The findings show that “only countries that provide
a coherent set of policies that strengthen all seven
forms of labour security (labour market, employment,
job, work, skill, income and representation) have a
high score.”
Releasing
the report, Delhi University vice-chancellor Deepak
Nayyar said it was time for governments and policymakers
to shift their attention from the bottomline to poverty
line. He said globalisation had created unprecedented
opportunities for a few but continued deprivation for
many. While India and China had been recording economic
growth, it could not be termed as egalitarian as far
as a vast section of the people was concerned. The mandate
in the recent elections in India was a pointer to this
trend, he added.
Guy
Standing, the director of ILO’s socio-economic
security programme said economic insecurity was one
reason for growing stress and negative behavioural tendencies,
like increasing social violence in the world. “Bombing
and military options do not solve problems related to
structural insecurity,” he said.
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