Chapter 9 – Urban Livelihoods

Page No 84:

Question 1:

Read and discuss the following description of the living conditions of workers who come to the labour chowk.

Most workers that we find at the labour chowk cannot afford permanent accommodation and so sleep on pavements near the chowk, or they pay Rs 6 a night for a bed at a nearby shelter run by the Municipal Corporation. To compensate for the lack of security, local tea and cigarette shops function as banks, moneylenders and safety lockers, all rolled into one. Most workers leave their tools at these shops for the night for safekeeping, and pass on extra money to them. The shopkeepers keep the money safely and also offer loans to labourers in need.

Source: Aman Sethi, Hindu On-line

Answer:

The living conditions of the labourers as presented in the given paragraph put forward a very bleak picture. Most of the labourers who come to the labour chowk do not have a permanent accommodation because their incomes do not allow them to afford one. Sleeping on pavements is a desperate measure though not a good and safe option. Since most of these workers would be daily wage earners, they cannot always afford spending Rs 6 per night for sleeping in the night shelter run by the government. Borrowing money from local cigarette and tea shops is not a good option as these would be charging exorbitant amount of interest for very small sums of money. One can sum up by saying that the given paragraph is successful in showing us the adverse conditions that these labourers survive in order to live their lives one day at a time.

Hence, it is imperative that the government took significant measures to provide these people with proper accommodation and living conditions.

Page No 85:

Question 2:

Complete the following table and discuss how their work is different.

Name	Place of work	Earnings	Security of work	Benefits received	Work on their own or employed
Bachchu Manjhi	–	Rs 100 a day	–	–
Harpreet, Vandana	–	–	–	–	Work on their own
Nirmala	–	–	No security	–	–
Sudha	Company	Rs 30,000 p.m.	–	–	–

Answer:

Name	Place of work	Earnings	Security of work	Benefits received	Work on their own or employed
Bachchu Manjhi	Bus stop	Rs 100 a day	No security	None	Works on his own
Harpreet, Vandana	Readymade garments showroom	2-3 lakhs p.m.	Have licence to do business	Profits	Work on their own
Nirmala	Garment factory	Rs 80 a day + Rs 40 extra for working late	No security	None	Employed
Sudha	Company	Rs 30,000 p.m.	Job security	Savings for old age, Paid holidays, Medical facilities	Employed

Question 3:

In what ways is a permanent and regular job different from a casual job? Discuss.

Answer:

The following table lists the differences between a permanent/regular job and a casual job.

Permanent/Regular Job	Casual Job
Job security	No job security
Fixed working hours	Working hours unfixed
Regular monthly salary	Irregular wages
Form a part of the organised labour	Form a part of the unorganised labour
Benefits	No benefits

Question 4:

What benefits does Sudha get along with her salary?

Answer:

Apart from a regular salary every month, Sudha gets the following benefits.

(i) Savings for old age: A part of her salary is kept in a government fund on which she earns regular interest. She can utilise this money when she retires.

(ii) Paid holidays: She gets leave on Sundays and national holidays. She also gets some days as annual leave. She gets medical leave if she falls ill.

(iii) Medical facilities: Her company pays the medical expenses up to a certain amount for her and her family members.

Question 5:

Fill in the following table to show the services provided by people in the markets which you visit frequently.

Name of the shop or office	Nature of the service provided
–	–
–	–
–	–
–	–
–	–

Answer:

Name of the shop or office	Nature of the service provided
Khanna Stores	Selling groceries
Dwinkle Opticals	Making and repairing spectacles
Roxy Dry Cleaners	Dry cleaning
Bindra Cables	Cable operator
Bangla Sweet House	Bakery

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