Reconnect and Rebound: A webinar on migrant workers, employment and economy

The world is faced with the unprecedented outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease (or COVID 19) which presents an alarming humanitarian crisis at the wake of a declining world economic outlook. The situation is even more profound in developing countries such as India, which are engaged in tackling issues on multiple fronts including healthcare, employment, migration, behavioural change, safeguarding the vulnerable and juggling economic stimulus with fiscal leverage.

The country has seen a large movement of migrant workers returning to their native States as a result of this pandemic. Moreover, experts feel that migrant workers leaving big cities may not return quickly. This might lead to a situation of jobless workers looking to go back to work in rural areas while businesses crawling back to full capacities and looking for manpower to employ (skilled, semi-skilled or unskilled).

In addition to the previous stimulus, the Prime Minister announced a stimulus package of Rs 20 lakh crore – close to 10% of the Indian GDP on 12th May, 2020 having a mix of fiscal support, monetary support, ease of doing business processes, as well as some fundamental reforms.

This raises the following questions that need to be discussed:

• Can institutional and policy interventions turn the tide of this mismatched labour market to create a flexible, national, labour market that enables labour to find skill indexed jobs that suit their abilities?
• Can these interventions assist to reconnect the jobless with the jobs and help the economy Rebound faster?
• What role can MSDE play in supporting States/ Union Territories ?

IIMB’s Centre for Public Policy along with Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and National Skills Network – NSN presents “Reconnect and Rebound: A Webinar on Migrant Workers, Employment and Economy” on 24 June 2020 at 11:00 AM (IST).

Link to register : https://bit.ly/2YjCfIQ

To discuss this, SANKALP Team, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Center for Public Policy, IIMB brings on board a set of stakeholders who have been closely working on different aspects.

Reconnect and Rebound: A webinar on migrant workers, employment and economy | Details about the speakers:

Prof. Arnab Mukherji is a Professor with the Center for Public Policy at IIM Bangalore. His research and teaching interests are in Public Policy, Governance and Health Policy.

Ms. Deepti Srivastava is Director, SANKALP, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. She is a 2000 batch officer of the Indian Statistical Services, Government of India.

Dr. Maneesh Mishra is Lead Consultant, SANKALP Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. He is capability building expert with skills in impact measurement and teaches and consults in the areas of HR, L&D, sustainability and CSR.

Prof. Amit Basole is Associate Professor of Economics at Azim Premji University, Bangalore, where he heads the Centre for Sustainable Employment. He is the lead author of State of Working India, an annual report that surveys the Indian labour market.

Mr. D. Balamurugan, IAS, is the CEO and State Mission Director, Jeevika, Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS), Bihar. He is an 2005 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service, Government of India.

Mr. Kunal Silku, IAS, is currently the Mission Director of the Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission (UPSDM). He is a 2011 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service, Government of India.

Mr. Supreet Singh Gulati, IAS, is currently the Mission Director of the Gujarat Skill Development Mission (GSDM). He is a 2007 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service, Government of India.

Mr. Sanjay Awasthi heads the Office of the International Organization for Migration. He is senior development professional with cross-sectoral experience in working across Asia and Africa on complex program that pose development and humanitarian challenges.

Prof. Sankarshan Basu is a Professor in the Finance and Accounting Area at IIM Bangalore. His areas of interest are Financial Calculus, Option Pricing, Bond and Portfolio Valuation and has interests in India’s development process.

Related article: How SANKALP meets administrative data requirements for skill development in India – Read more: https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/how-sankalp-meets-administrative-data-requirements-for-skill-development-in-india/