Identities of the World

Episode 1: Falling Through The Cracks

In India, Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana, more simply known as Jan-Dhan, is the name for the financial inclusion program of the present government, which was launched in 2014. It allows anyone above the age of ten to open a basic, no-frills bank account without any charge. Today, 98 percent of Indian households are said to have a bank account.

Episode 2: Falling Through the Cracks

One of the reasons that so many low-income urban residents must regularly borrow money is that they’re forced to manage a multitude of small income sources, and the financial rhythm of each is different – wages are paid daily, weekly or monthly, depending on the job. Kannika makes and sells household cleaning products to augment her income from maid work, for example. In an attempt to ease the financial burden of people working in the unorganized sector, the government of India launched Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. This massive financial inclusion drive, which kicked off in 2014, allows citizens to open a special account that does not require a minimum balance.

Episode 3: Falling Through the Cracks

Ganesh Dattatrey Shinde’s employment is with a contractor, who is in turn employed by the richest municipal body in India, the MCGM. Contractors hire workers for seven months, or 210 days, to avoid adhering to the Industries Disputes Act of 1947 which stipulates permanent positions if a worker works continuously for 240 days. Even though the principal employer (the MCGM) and the employees like Shinde stay constant, there is a new contractor every six months. However, Shinde has no document to prove his employment, because of this tangled web of legal provisions which the contractors circumvent. Shinde was aware of the deduction from his pay for a pension fund, and in 2007 he tried to access it. But after his contractor only mumbled a response, he learned from his colleagues that there was no such fund.