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JOURNALISM STUDIES: AN OVERVIEW
Unit Structure :
1.0 Objectives
1.1 Overview of Journalism
1.2 History of Journalism Research
1.3 Journalists as Gatekeepers
1.4 The Gatekeeping Model
1.5 Criteria of Choosing a News Story
1.6 The Gatekeepers
1.7 Critical Issues (Summary)
1.8 Questions
1.9 References
1.0 OBJECTIVES:
●To trace the origin and d evelopment of journalism studies
●To examine the significance of journalism studies in contemporary
society
●To understand the gatekeeping model of journalism
●To evaluate the criteria for choosing a news story
1.1 OVERVIEW OF JOURNALISM
Journalism has been around since the time people realised the need
to share information about themselves and others.
Journalism is the gathering, organising and distribution of news –to
include feature stories and commentary –though the wide variety of print
and non –print media. The earliest reference to a journalist product comes
from Rome circa 59 B.C.
The study of journalism is significant for the following reasons.
1-The news shapes our perceptions of the world. The stories of
journalists keep us u pdated about the realities and happening.
2-We are able to understand various local, national and global contexts.
3-It plays a significant role in shaping our identities as citizens.
4-Itis important for everyone to understand contemporary culture.munotes.in
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2Today jour nalism is a fast growing field. Many scholars are
identifying them as journalism researchers. The past few years have also
seen the creation of journalism studies. It has also produced its own body
of theories and literature. A large number of books to an audience of
journalism researchers are available in the market.
Let us check your progress
Q. Give an elaboration on overview of journalism
1.2 HISTORY OF JOURNALISM RESEARCH
1. The Pre -history: Normative Theories: Journalism studies can be
viewed as an emerging field and also as an existing area of scholarly
research. Journalism as a profession emerged in the 20th century with the
beginning of scholarly work in the field.
“Prehistory” of journalism research can be found in the work of
German social theorists like Hanno Hardt, Robert Eduaed Putz etc.
Scholars than were more concerned with role of journalism in socio -
political context
2. The Empirical Turn: In the United States journalism studies emerged
from profe ssional education. In countries like U.K Denmark etc. The
journalism training was outside the academic discipline, within news
organisations through skill based courses. Students were taking courses in
short term and journalism law.
Most journalism traini ng and scholarly research in journalism has
come from social sciences and humanities. This is perhaps the main reason
for the interdisciplinary nature of journalism studies.
In the U.S the empirical studies on journalism emerged in the
1950's with the com bined work from the discipline of sociology, political
science and psychology. It’s origin within social science had a profound
impact on production of knowledge about journalism.
3. The Sociologist Turn: The decade of 1970s and 80s saw a strong
influence of sociology and anthropology and journalism research. This is
described as a sociological engagement, professional ideologies and
culture, storytelling and narrative and growing importance of news.munotes.in
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34. The Global -Comparative Turn: The global rise of international
comparative research has been accelerated by political change and new
communication technology; it is still an extremely diverse scholarly
occupation and has unevenly borrowed from social sciences and
humanities.
US schola rships stand out due to its strong empirical quantitative focus
and use of middle range theories.
UK and Australian critical traditions are influenced by British cultural
studies
French journalism research draws heavily on semiology and
structuralism.
German scholarship is influenced by system theory.
Many journalism researchers in Asia have been educated in the US
and have therefore internalized a strong American orientation. In the
growing internalization of the field, however the key English languag e
journals continue to be dominated by Inglo -American scholars. Most
editors and Editorial members are US and UK based and scholars other
than English world are still a minority.
Let us check our progress:
Q. Examine in detail the history of journalism research
1.3 JOURNALISTS AS GATEKEEPERS
Gatekeeping is the process through which information is filtered
for dissemination, whe ther for publication, broadcasting, the Internet, or
some other mode of communication. A news producer decides to cover
one issue but not another or a magazine reporter selects a source to
interview for an article. The gatekeeping function of journalism ha s
shifted under the changes of the digital information age. While the Internet
has forever altered the way we read the news --increasingly on websites
and mobile devices and less in the print publications of the past --the
principles of gate keeping stil l apply in many instances.
Gatekeeping theory is the nexus between two inarguable facts:
events occur everywhere all of the time and the news media cannot cover
all of them. And so, when an event occurs, someone has to decide whethermunotes.in
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4and how to pass the i nformation to another person, such as a friend, an
official, or even a journalist.
Journalists as Gatekeepers
Journalists are bombarded with information from the Internet,
newspapers, television and radio news, news magazines, and their sources.
Their job of selecting and shaping the small amount of information that
becomes news would be impossible without gate keeping. It is the process
of selecting, writing, editing, positioning, scheduling, repeating and
otherwise massaging information to become news. S ince gatekeepers
provide a picture of the world for the rest of us, it is vital for scholars to
understand the gatekeeping process and its impact on the reality presented
to the public.
Gate keeping studies focuses on selection, rejection, shaping and
scheduling of bits of information. Tracking the flow of items dates back to
Kurt Lewin’s (1947) social psychological theory of how people’s eating
habits could be changed. In his theory, items were food products.
1.4 THE GATEKEEPING MODEL
1.Information mov es step by step through channels. The number of
channels varies and the amount of time in each channel can vary.
2.Information must pass a "gate" to move from one channel to the next,
such that...
3.Forces govern channels. There may be opposing psychological forces
causing conflict which creates resistance to movement through the
channel. Further...
4.There may be several channels that lead to the same end result.
5.Different actors may control the channe ls and act as gatekeepers at
different times.
Let us check our progress:
Q. What is meant by gatekeeping model? Discuss.
Q. Write a detailed account on gatekeeping in journalism.munotes.in
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51.5 CRITERIA OF CHOOSING A NEWS STORY
Journalists rely on the five criteria when choosing a news story.
●strong impact
●Violence, conflict, disaster, or scandal
●Familiarity
●Proximity
●Timely and novel.
The following figure illustrates a world of items that may enter the
gatekeeping process. N ot all items are selected. Some make their way into
channels, which are sometimes divided into sections, each of which can be
entered only by passing through a gate. Forces facilitate or constrain the
flow of items through gates, by varying in magnitude an d valence
direction and by working on either or both sides of the gate. Figure shows
three channels and many information items, but only one item makes its
way through a channel and is transmitted to one or more audiences.
Negative or weak forces keep some items from progressing through the
channels, and it is important to note that forces exist both before and after
gates. For example, the expense of microwave remote equipment is a
negative force in front of the gate, slowing a television station’s ability to
cover live events, but once the equipment is purchased and passes the gate,
the purchase has a positive force, leading the news producer to use it often
to justify the expense. The final element shown in Figure is the outcome of
the gatekeeping process , not only the result of being selected, but also the
outcome of many influences on the item as it passes through channels,
sections, and gates.
The gate keeper co ntrols the information passing through the
channel and also the final outcome. Gatekeepers take many forms, for
example: people, professional codes of conduct, company policies, and
computer algorithms. All gatekeepers make decisions, but they have
varying degrees of autonomy. The information management company
Google uses algorithms —sets of formulas that translate the company’s
gatekeeping policies into computer instructions —to select news items for
readers of the news Web page news.google.com. Google’s se lections are
presented as cur -rent news to its many readers, and it might seem that the
human gatekeepers have no autonomy; however, algorithms are the
product of many decisions from the level of management to code writers.
Google News is the outcome of th is process, representing a seemingly
objective picture of the day, but this objectivity is a characteristic of
humans and their understanding of the world, not of computer programs.
In early gatekeeping studies about news events the gate was
understood t o be an in/out decision point. There was no concern for other
aspects of the gatekeeper’s job. Later studies however, emphasize that
gatekeeping is a more complex process, it involves: -munotes.in
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6●The amount of time and space allotted to the news event
●Where to pub lish and place the story
●The use of graphics
●Number of stories about an event in a day or across day
●Whether the story returns in a cyclical pattern
In other words, journalists can frame the story.
Let us check our progress:
Q. Briefly examine the variou s criteria for selection of the news.
1.6 THE GATEKEEPERS
The gate keeping tradition has, by its nature, focused research
attention on the individuals controlling the gates: “Mr. Gates.” A major
line of research has been devoted to describing the characteristics of these
individuals, in an attempt to better understand what decisions they will be
likely to make. Recent theorizing has had to struggle with the very
definition of “who is a journalist,” but gate keeping perfectly locates that
definition directly with the professionals working within news
organizations: those who have editorial responsibility for the preparation
or transmission of news stories or other information, including full -time
reporters, writers, correspondents, col umnists, news people, and editors.
The most recent national survey by Weaver et al. (2007) described
the personal and professional traits of these journalists, comparing them to
the public in general.
Weaver and his colleagues have tracked many of the changing
demographics and practices of journalism. Bleske (1991), in keeping with
the growing number of women in journalism, explored how gatekeeping
changed, or did not change, when the gatekeeper was a woman instead of
a man. Liebler and Smith (1997) fou nd that the gender of the gatekeeper
made little difference in news content. Others have explored the role of
race in the selection and construction of news.
Weaver et al. (2007) have explored how the public or civic
journalism movement of the 1990s has e xpanded journalistic role
conceptions, influencing how gatekeepers understand their work.
However, it has been the arrival of technological and accompanyingmunotes.in
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7institutional changes that has spurred new waves of gatekeeping research.
For example, while early studies examined gate keeping at newspapers,
Berkowitz (1990) explored how the gatekeeping process worked in local
television news.
Abbott and Brassfi eld (1989) compared gate keeping at print and
electronic media and found some similarity in their decisi on making.
Attention has more recently shifted to the online environment in which
news is constructed. The common thread in this line of research is that
technological changes will produce changes in what news organizations
do and how they function. As Sin ger puts it, “Unlike the print newspaper,
the Web is not a finite, concrete media form; instead, its form is
simultaneously fluid and global and supremely individualistic”.
Let us check our progress:
Q. Critically examine the role of a journalist as gate keeper.
1.7 SUMMARY
Lewin held that forces at the gate determine which items become
news and which do not. These forces limit the autonomy of individual
gatekeepers and shape the news in regular ways. Although some of
Lewin’ s gate keeping theory invoked metaphors, such as channels and
gates, “force” apparently has some ontological substance. There are
pressures on gatekeepers to select or not select information. But what are
those forces? For the most part, gate keeping theor izing and research have
raised that question. However, for a variety of reasons, it is a question
worth asking and worth answering.
First, as the society is not satisfied with the news that journalistic
gatekeepers produce, we should empower practitioner s to alter
institutional practices.
Second, the way that Lewin used “force” can obscure the nature
and use of coercive “power” in the gatekeeping process. Hegemonic elites
may exert power over the journalism field as compared to those with little
power.
Thirdly, theorizing requires a usual set of propositions. But without
articulating the nature of the force at the gate, we may hold contradictorymunotes.in
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8assumptions, for example, about the nature of human rationality. Or we
may rely on functionalist assumptions that do not hold up to empirical
scrutiny.
Little has been done in the way of systematically examining the
nature of the “forces” at the gate. It appears that they vary depending on
the level of analysis.
At the individual level for example, research has shown that not all
decision making is driven by conscious reflection —it can just as easily
result from subconscious factors, such as an availability or representative
ness heuristic.
At the social system level, social institutions create “constraints
and opportunities to which media organizations and actors respond”.
These constraints and opportunities emerge on the basis of contemporary
development of economic, political, and media institutions. News cont ent
is similar in a social system because actors respond rationally to the same
constraints and opportunities. To the extent that the institutional
environment may produce more than one rational path, we might expect
variation even among rational actors.
1.8 QUESTIONS
1.Write a detailed note on Journalism studies.
2.Discuss the four phases in the history of Journalism Studies.
3.Elaborate with suitable examples on how “Journalism has become an
upcoming field”.
4.Briefly discuss the role of the journalist as gate keeper in the
gatekeeping process.
5.Define Gatekeeping and explain its significance in Journalism.
1.9 REFERENCES
Karin Wahl -Jorgensen, Thomas Hanitzsh. (2009) Handbook of Journalism.
Routledge. New York
https://www.universalclass.com/articles/writing/journalism -a-brief-
history.htm
munotes.in
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92
ETHICS IN JOURNALISM, WOMEN
JOURNALISTS
Unit Structure :
2.1Ethics in Journalism
2.2Duties and Responsibilities of Journalists
2.3Women and Journalism
2.4The future of journalism studies
2.5Summary
2.6Questions
2.7References
2.0 OBJECTIVES
●To critically evaluate the ethics in Journalism
●To examine the duties and responsibilities of Journalism
●To understand the issues and challenges faced by women journalists
●To explore the future of journalism studies
2.1 ETHICS IN JOURNALISM
Five Core Principles of Journalism
1. Truth and Accuracy
Journalists cannot always guarantee ‘truth’, but getting the facts
right is the cardinal principle of journalism. We should always strive for
accuracy, give all the relevant facts we have and ensure that they have
been checked. When we cannot corroborate information we should say so.
2. Independence
Journalists must be independent voices; we should not act,
formally or informally, on behalf of special interests whether political,
corporate or cultural. We should declare to our editors –or the audience –
any of our political affiliations, financial ar rangements or other personal
information that might constitute a conflict of interest.
3. Fairness and Impartiality
Most stories have at least two sides. While there is no obligation to
present every side in every piece, stories should be balanced and add
context. Objectivity is not always possible, and may not always be
desirable (in the face for example of brutality or inhumanity), but impartial
reporting builds trust and confidence.munotes.in
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104. Humanity
Journalists should do no harm. What we publish or broadcast may
be hurtful, but we should be aware of the impact of our words and images
on the lives of others.
5. Accountability
As u r es i g no f professionalism and responsible jour nalism is the
ability to hold ourselves accountable. When we commit errors we must
correct them and our expressions of regret must be sincere not cynical. We
listen to the concerns of our audience. We may not change what readers
write or say but we will always provide remedies when we are unfair.
Let us check our progress:
Q. Discuss the important core principles of journalism.
2.2 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF
JOURNALISTS
Working as a journalist is not a job to be taken lightly. Journalists
have a duty to report the news thoroughly and without bias. If you aspire
to be the mouthpiece for your audience, understand your role, your
audience and the power of your words. Strive every day to uphold the
journalistic integrity that comes with the power of the pen and work to
achieve the goal of delivering the most complete and balanced story
possible to your audience.
1. Upholding the Truth through Verification
A journalist is responsible for reporting the truth, not because he is
inherently unbiased but because he upholds the importance of objective
verification. This means that he should consistently test every fact used in
his story, including researching all information shared with him by his
sources, ac cording to the Pew Research Journalism Project. A strict
adherence to verification ensures that personal and cultural biases don't
sneak in and take over reporting.
2. Unbiased Reporting
A journalist's report should be unbiased, according to Pew's
Princip les of Journalism. This means that if he has a financial interest in
his subject, he should give the report to someone else. If the company that
owns a news agency has a financial interest in a story, the agency shouldmunotes.in
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11take extra care to ensure its reporti ng is not affected. A journalist's report
should present all sides and all viewpoints on a matter. He should seek
more than one source for a story to ensure that multiple sides are
represented. If someone comments on a person, he should seek to get the
other person's response.
3. Serving the Public as a Watchdog
The journalist's duty is to the public, not the government.
Journalists are sometimes referred to as the fourth branch of the U.S.
government for this very reason. They should hold the government a nd
others in power accountable to the citizens. By being independent from the
government, they can monitor power and serve as an information source
and not a propaganda mouth. Journalists serve as a watchdog to balance
government power and hold it accounta ble to its citizens.
4. Forum for Public Comment
The journalist provides a forum for public comment, according to
Pew. It allows an avenue for criticizing the government and corporations.
Journalists help stir up discussions that might later lead to chang ea n d
problem solving. But by serving as a point of public discussion, journalists
must strive to represent all sides of the discussion, not only the richest or
loudest voices.
5. Comprehensive Reporting
As Pew Research states, journalists create a type o fm a po fe v e n t s ,
making it easier for citizens to navigate through the important research.
They must strive for proportion in reporting, not overly sensationalizing
entertaining stories or neglecting important issues for the purpose of
getting more viewers . A news agency that hires a diverse staff can more
easily achieve such diverse reporting.
6. Making Important News Interesting
A news agency must engage its audience to get them to tune in.
But it also must find ways to make significant stories interesti ng, so that
readers and viewers don't miss out on what they need to know, the Pew
Research project states. It should frame important world events in ways
that will be relevant to its audience, while still getting the most important
messages across.
7. Personal Conscience in Reporting
The overarching ethics of journalism should not override each
individual journalist's personal ethics and conscience. A good news
agency should allow reporters to have differences of opinion, as this can
lead to more diverse reporting, according to Pew Research. Individuals
should be able to voice their concerns in the newsroom and be governed
by their personal conscience. Diversity should be sought in this way
without simply trying to get higher ratings from day to day.munotes.in
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12Letus check our progress:
Q. Elaborate on the significant role and responsibility of the journalist.
2.3 WOMEN AND JOURNALISM
More and more women are entering journalism, a profession long
reserved for men. Some have chosen to focus on investigative reporting,
covering human rights violations, corruption or other subjects that are off -
limits in their society. Like their male colleagues, they are the targets of
threats, intimidation, physical violence and even murder because of their
reporting.
But because they are women, the harassment often takes specific,
gender -based forms, including sexual smears, violence of a sexual nature
and threats against their families. The very fact of being a woman
journalist is regarded in some societies as a “violation of social norms”
and may lead to reprisals.
In a profession that is still mainly masculine, many women prefer
not to speak out about the specific difficulties and dangers to which they
are exposed in connection with their work. But a worldwi de study
published last year by the International Women's Media Foundation
(IWMF) spoke for itself.
Nearly two thirds of the 977 women journalists questioned in the
IWMF survey said they had been the victims of intimidation, threats or
abuse in connection with their work. In a third of the cases, the person
responsible was their boss. Nearly half had been subjected to sexual
harassment and more than a fifth to physical violence. Despite the
psychological impact of this abuse, most of the victims say nothin g.
Women journalists (WJ) throughout the world experience specific
obstacles for the mere reason of their gender as well as a result of their
work, including gender -specific threats and attacks that have gender
specific consequences. On a daily basis, wom en journalists are subject to
gender -based censorship, on and offline, on the ground and in the
newsrooms, in the public space and in their homes.
In many countries societal norms and gender expectations continue
to be a major challenge to the safety an d professional development of WJ.munotes.in
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13The social pressure, sometimes so severe that it becomes a form of
violence itself, from relatives, colleagues, employers and audiences, on
and offline, creates a chilling effect on their right to freedom of expression
asmany have to resort to self -censorship or quit their work. While the
majority of journalists killed as a result of their work worldwide in recent
years are men, the gender divide is either leveled or even reversed when
reviewing statistics available for ot her types of aggressions against
journalists. Sexual violence and online harassment are more frequently
linked to WJ, for example.
According to the testimonies and evidence collected by ARTICLE
19 in countries where journalism is a particularly dangerous activity, such
as Mexico, Bangladesh, Brazil, Honduras and Russia, direct treats are the
most recurrent challenge for journalists. In the case of men, threats are
usually directed to their physical and psychological integrity, while in the
case of WJ, thr eats also include reputational smearing campaigns (often of
a sexual nature) and potential physical attacks against members of their
families. When these types of threats are delivered to WJ, the use of sexist
and openly misogynist language is recurrent. According to our
experience, unlike male journalists, WJ rarely share or publicize details of
such incidents for fear of being treated differently by their colleagues or in
the workplace.
Added to these challenges, female journalists are
disproportionatel y subjected to sexual threats and harassment on the
Internet. Certainly this is a threat faced by all women and girls in
cyberspace; in the case of the WJ it also results in a lack of representation
in both media content and opinions pieces, acting as a ki nd of de facto
censorship.
Let us check our progress:
Q. Elucidate on the role of women as journalists.
2.4 THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM STUDIES
We currently live in the era where both journalism and society are
undergoing profound transformation. Anthropologists have been critical of
field tendency to slow down and projection of powerless and culturally
distant groups. In contrast one may argue th e focus of journalism research
has been on “studying up” or engaging in “elite research”. This practicemunotes.in
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14has profoundly influenced which news to be best documented or which are
to be neglected. However it is suggested that the field of journalism
studies mu st go ahead of this narrow framework. Scholars should work in
the direction of broadening the scope of journalism research.
Journalism studies tend to ignore the work at less glamorous
journalism workplace. It is a problematic area as the working conditi ons of
journalists vary hugely depending upon social, economic, political and
technological context. Researchers tend to get approval, money and grants
for more elite and well known organizations than marginalized media
practices.
Neglect of margin alized media practices: The neglect of
marginalized media practices in the newsroom is alarming. It mostly
caters to full time news reporters rather casualized, multi -skilled and
free-lance journalists despite the fact that the journalistic workforce is
mainly based on short term employment and is heavily dependent on
freelancers.
Other journalistic productions which operate on the peripheries are
also equally neglected by researchers in journalism studies.
Specialist journalists are kept away from th e news gathering
process and are considered low in the hierarchy. Even the work of art
journalists, music journalists and features reporters also receive less
attention.
Journalism studies also try to define the boundaries of journalism
by examining talk shows, free sheets, blogs and online news and the
impact of these on understanding journalism.The marginalized journalism
is increasingly becoming visible in journalism research.
Journalism studies can benefit from understanding of the
audiences. Research ers need to link the individual, organizational and
social influence on news production to actual news content and relate this
to the effect of news coverage. Rather than taking the western model for
granted one needs to challenge it from a global perspect ive which doesn't
favour any local point of view.
Journalism studies thus mist truly become cosmopolitan by paying
more attention to regions of the world which have remained unattended by
journalism researchers. Like sub -saharan Africa, parts of the Midd le East,
Asia and South America. Research in less developed regions will provide
an opportunity for academic interaction.
2.5 SUMMARY
Journalism studies have always been inter -disciplinary, deriving
from sociology, history, linguistic, political science and cultural studies.munotes.in
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15Journalism studies often find itself in a difficult position at the
intersection of their different group with frequently clashing and
journalism scholars.
Journalism studies need to pay more attention to transfer of
knowledge, gene rated by scientific inquiry, to the field of journalism
education and practice.
Journalism studies ought to analyze journalism in historical and
cultural context. It should engage in explanatory studies that can go
beyond mere description and can conduct more systematic and
longitudinal studies. This can trace the changes in journalism over a period
of time.
2.6 QUESTIONS
1.Write a detailed account on the ethics in journalism.
2.Define ‘Journalism Ethics’. Bring out the various ethical issues and
concerns in Journalism .
3.Write a detailed note on duties of a journalist.
4.Assess the role and contribution of women journalists in the
newsroom .
5.Critically evaluate the challenges and problems faced by women
journalists.
6.Write a note on the gender differences in value among male and
female reporters .
7.Comment on the role and responsibility of future journalists with
suitable examples.
2.7 REFERENCES
https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/our -research/women -and-
journalism
https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/who -we-are/5 -principles -of-
journalism
https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/resources/publications/ethical -
journalism/journalism -ethics
https://hosbeg.com/duties -and-responsibilities -of-journalists/
https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/our -research/women -and-
journalism
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/146167010 03722444
munotes.in
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163
MEANING OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP,
ROLE AND ATTRIBUTES OF AN
ENTREPRENEUR
Unit Structure
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Meaning of Entrepreneur
3.3 Role of Entrepreneur
3.4 Attributes of an Entrepreneur
3.5 Summary
3.6 Questions
3.7 Reference
3.0 OBJECTI VES
To introduce the learners to the concept of Entrepreneur
To Understand the role of an Entrepreneur
To analyse the role of an Entrepreneur in the economy
3.1 INTRODUCTION
In the growing and constantly changing economy, it has become
imperative for each and everyone to secure their financial status and their
source of earnings. Innovation, strategic planning, proper marketing
techniques is the need of the hour which can lead to growth of new
markets. The revolution in the economy can bring about drastic changes in
the standard of living of the people. However, negligence and lack of
capabilities on the part of industries can affect the lives of the entire
population. Entrepre neurship, therefore, is of utmost importance when it
comes to developing the nation.
3.2 MEANING OF ENTREPRENEUR
Entrepreneurship is defined as the act of starting and running your
own business, or a tendency to be creative and wish to work for oneself in
one’s own ventures. An example of entrepreneurship is a person who is
running his own business.munotes.in
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17Entrepreneurship is the process of identifying and developing
economic and social opportunities through the efforts of individuals
and organizations which in turn result in starting and building new
businesses which can be either an independent enterprise or within an
incumbent organization. The most prominent example of Entrepreneurship
is Starting one’s own business.
Peter F. Drucker defines an Entrepren eur as one who always
searches for change, responds to it and exploits it as an opportunity.
Innovation is the specific tool of entrepreneurs which refer to the means
by which they exploit change as an opportunity for a different business or
service.Accord ing to McClelland, entrepreneurs do things in a new and
better way and make decisions under uncertainty. Entrepreneurs are
characterized by a need for achievement or by an achievement orientation,
which is a drive to excel, advance, and grow. Therefore, an yp e r s o nw h o
starts his/her own business and is capable of taking risks to make profits is
an Entrepreneur. Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata, Dhirubhai Ambani.
Dhirubhai Ambani, Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy are examples of
successful Indian Entrepreneurs to name a few.
Check Your Progress
1.Can you define an Entrepreneur ?
2.Can you give recent examples of entrepreneurs apart from ones
mentioned above?
3.3 ROLE OF AN ENTREPRENEUR
An entrepreneur is someone who starts and runs a business. They
combine several production components (such as land, labour, and capital)
in an attempt to develop a new viable economic endeavour. Entrepreneurs
are significant 'factors of production' and a necessary component of a
healthy free market econ omy.
The evolution of the free market -In a free market, entrepreneurs are
crucial because they assist the market in responding to changing pricing
and consumer preferences. For example, with the increased usage of the
internet, an entrepreneur may perce ive the opportunity to launch a new
home delivery service that allows customers to purchase using an app.munotes.in
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18Product markets without entrepreneurs would become stagnant and slow
to respond to new technologies and trends.
Improvements in efficiency. As u c c e s s ful entrepreneur may be able to
profit from an existing business. This has the potential to lead to ‘creative
destruction.' A term used to characterise economic changes that may result
in the closure of businesses and/or the loss of jobs in the short term. This
risk of creative destruction, on the other hand, provides an incentive for
established businesses to adapt and improve their own efficiency. In
reaction to Ola/Meru/Uber cab services, for example, traditional taxi
companies were encouraged to develop their own applications.
Dynamism -Entrepreneurs have the ability to make substantial
improvements and introduce new technologies having a significant impact
on an industry. Henry Ford's innovative use of assembly lines, for
example, resulted in a signif icant reduction in the average cost of creating
an automobile. Other carmakers were forced to follow suit as a result of
his cost -cutting efforts.
Generating New values. An entrepreneur is not only related to price and
profits. An entrepreneur may be moti vated to enter an industry to offer a
more ethical product or provide a service to a community. For example,
Anita Roddick set up a Body Shop at a time when many cosmetics were
tested on animals. Her new set up eschewed animal testing. It proved a
successf ul business strategy.
Catalyst -Entrepreneurs serve as a catalyst in boosting the economy of a
nation as well as that of the world. They set up innovative ideas to earn
huge profits by using technology which results in boosting up the national
as well a s world economy.
Capital Formation -Entrepreneurs seek out and seize possibilities. They
contribute to the increased Net national Product and per capita income in
the country, both of which are essential indicators of progress.
Improvement in standard of living -New business ideas along with
production of goods, especially at affordable prices results in services
being accessible to common man. This results in improvement of the
standard of living of the people.
Check Your Progress
1.What is meant by Capital Formation ?
2.Explain any 4 roles of entrepreneurmunotes.in
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193.4 ATTRIBUTES OF AN ENTREPRENEUR
Innovation -If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you must be able
to set yourself apart from the competition in some way. This can be
accomplished in a variety of ways. You could either enter new markets or
a new variant on existing ones. You can create an ico nic brand or provide
ao n e -of-a-kind customer service experience. Whichever you choose to do,
if you want to be successful, you must find a way to differentiate yourself
and attract clients to your firm.
Passion -An important attribute of an entrepreneur is to be passionate
towards his/her work. Driving your business through passion is of utmost
importance to make profits and connect with the customers.
Hardwork -It is only through hard work which is the result of passion to
achieve goal and success. Without hardwork, it is impossible to grow a
business no matter how large investments are or how big the portfolio or a
profile of a company is .
Risk Taking -Setting up a business is a high risk activity since and there's
always the possibility that it will fail. Not only that, but expanding your
business, expansion into new areas, investing funds, and adding new staff
may require you to take numerous risks. You can never be able to expand
your business or make it successful if you hesitate or are hesit ant to go in
with both feet.
Tenacity -Most entrepreneurs will suffer failures that will put their
commitment to the test, with up to 80% of new enterprises failing within
first five years. Developing a new concept entails a period of trial and
error, wi th plans being redrafted in response to feedback from suppliers
and customers.
As dreams are broken, time passes, and money disappears, it is just
too easy to grow melancholy. Those that have the perseverance to stay the
course, on the other hand, will le arn from their mistakes and go on to
become the next, erroneously called "overnight success."
Focus -It is a human tendency to try and complete as much as possible in
a given time. What differentiates an Entrepreneur from a common man is
his/ her focus i n trying to differentiate what is needed and what is not.
Often, the important skill is continuously redefining your priorities so that
it reaches its zenith.munotes.in
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20Check Your Progress
1.What are the attributes of an entrepreneur?
2.If you wish to become an entrepreneur, what attributes would you
consider for yourself.
3.5 SUMMARY
Entrepreneurship is the process of identifying and developing
economic and social opportunities through the efforts of individuals
and organization swhich in turn result in starting and building new
businesses which can be either an independent enterprise or within an
incumbent organization. The most prominent example of Entrepreneurship
is Starting one’s own business. An entrepreneur plays an import ant role in
the progress of an economy. Vision, Passion, Innovation, Risk
management and risk taking are few important attributes of an
Entrepreneur. For an economy to grow it is important to boost the
entrepreneurial skills of the youth .
3.6 QUESTIONS
1.What is Entrepreneurship ? Explain the role of an Entrepreneur
2.What are the attributes of an Entrepreneur? Discuss an Entrepreneurs
role in the developing economy of a nation .
3.7 REFERENCES
https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/143207/economics/the -importance -
and-role-of-an-entrepreneur/
https://smallbusinessbc.ca/article/5 -key-attributes -successful -
entrepreneurs -possess/
https://docs.g oogle.com/document/d/1o7GV1jmpii -
R2ncBcrHWztKZSJUcoXun39AoDiZJOQE/edit#
munotes.in
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214
WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR'S
Unit Structure :
4.0 Objectives
4.1 Introduction
4.2 The rising need for Entrepreneurship
4.3 Women Entrepreneurs
4.4 Women Entrepreneurs in India
4.5 Challenges faced by Women Entrepreneurship
4.6 Contributions of Women Entrepreneurs
4.7 Suggestions to overcome th e challenges
4.8 Conclusion
4.9 Summary
4.10 Questions
4.11 References
4.0 OBJECTIVES
●To understand the role of Women in Entrepreneurship
●To know the challenges faced by women in Entrepreneurship
●To suggest changes that can help women to overcome the challenges
4.1 INTRODUCTION
Needless to say, Entrepreneurship has always been a male -
dominating field from ancient times However, the situation has changed
drastically making women innovative and inspirational entrepreneurs. The
urge of women to be economically self dependent and The spread of
education encouraged the entry of women in entrepreneurship .Earlier
people looked strangely at the women who worked outside the realm of
their houses. But today the scenario has changed and we see women
entrepreneurs in almost every type of industry. One cannot overlook the
role of women in economic development, rather their contributions are
quite significant. Still there is a lot of scope in the developmen to fw o m e n
entrepreneurship. Women entrepreneurs need to be properly trained to
acquire the entrepreneurial skills and traits so that they can face the
challenges in the changing global scenario .
4.2 THE RISING NEED FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Women entrepre neurship is a recent phenomenon which came into
existence in 1970. But this concept became prominent in the year 1991,
when the new industrial policy came into existence. This policy promotedmunotes.in
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22globalization, liberalization and privatization which created ma ximum self
-employment opportunities to both men as well as women. The schemes
and incentives offered by the government played a significant role in the
development of women entrepreneurs, the list of which in India is
extremely long.
The reasons these women entered into entrepreneurship may be
different. Some might have entered to support their families or to develop
the family business or to be financially independent. Irrespective of the
problems, the women entrepreneurs are known to be efficient risk bearers
innovators and organizers.
The fast moving global scenario has brought about major changes
in our economy. The competition in the environment is going to limit the
employment opportunities thus creating a necessity of self -employment.
The self -employment and the entrepreneurship development opportunities
will have to be extended to both the male and female entrepreneurs
without any gender discrimination. Thus entrepreneurship development
will be a powerful tool in fighting th e problems of unemployment.
Entrepreneurship is one of the major factors which contribute to the
development of the nation. The enterprising spirit of the people boosts the
economic development.
4.3 WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
A woman entrepreneur is a woma no rg r o u po fw o m e nw h o
initiate, organize and operate business enterprise for personal gain. The
concept of woman entrepreneur is related to the concepts like women
empowerment and emancipation. Today we find women in different fields
as compared to the e arlier days where the activities of the women were
limited only to domestic work. Today we find women in not only in
papad, pickles and powder businesses but also in manufacturing, trading
and service sectors. No doubt the speed is very low, but women are
entering into the entrepreneurial field and certainly they are creating their
impact.
Check your Progress
1.How does Entrepreneurship help to boost economic growth?
2.Can you explain the meaning of women entrepreneurs?munotes.in
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234.4 WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN INDIA
During the period between 70s & 90s, women were attracted
towards various opportunities of employment in teaching jobs, banking
sector, etc. There were also women who were found in low productive
activities like agricultur e. They were perceived as a homemaker and an
idea that a woman can take up entrepreneurial activity was considered as a
joke.
After the introduction of the new industrial policy, the women
started responding to the changes and began entering the entrepr eneurial
markets. Women began with homemade products like papds, pickles, etc.
But later the focus was shifted towards the entrepreneurial activities of
medium enterprises related to the manufacturing, trading and service
related sector.
The planning commission and also the Indian Government has
recognized the need for the women to participate in the mainstream of
economic growth .The Government of India through different policies and
programmes is encouraging the Indian women to come forward.
For example Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment
(TRYSEM), Prime Minister Rojgar Yojna (PMRY), Development of
Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWRCA), The Integrated Rural
Development Programme (IRDP). The Government has also extended
subsidies, tax w aiver schemes and concessions for the women
entrepreneurs. Following are a few schemes offered by the Government.
1.Integrated Support Scheme provided by the National Small
Industries Corporation (NSIC)
2.Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme ( KV IC ) and
Coir Board
3.Priyadarshini Yojana Scheme by Bank of India
4.Trade Related Entrepreneurship Assistance and Development
(TREAD) Scheme for women, provided by the ministry of Micro,
Small & Medium Enterprises.
5.Micro & Small Enterprises Cluster Developme nt Programme ( MSE
-CDP )
6.Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (
STEP )
7.Assistance to Rural Women in Non -Farm Development ( ARWIND
)s c h e m e s
8. Swayam Siddha provided under Schemes of Ministry of Women
and Child Development
9. Credit Guarantee Fund scheme
10.SIDBI Marketing Fund for Women
11.Management Development Programsmunotes.in
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2412.Mahila Samiti Yojna
13.Indira Mahila Yojna
14.National Banks for Agriculture and Rural Development Schemes
15.SBI’s Stree Shakti Scheme
16.NGOs Credit Schemes
17.Micro Cred it Schemes
18.Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)
19.Women ' s Development Corporations (WDCs)
20.Marketing of Non -Farm Products of Rural Women (MAHIMA)
The efforts of the Government of India, Banks, NGOs and various
other associations have encou raged women to startup their own
enterprises. Though women have travelled a long journey in this field , the
future is difficult and extremely demanding.
4.5 CHALLENGES FACED BY WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Just as a woman faces challenges in her everyday lif e, the situation
is not at all different for her when she enters the economic market. In Fact
the challenges increase at every stage while entering into any
entrepreneurial activity and also while they are continuing with their
business. No doubt even men entrepreneurs also have to face challenges
but simply being a woman ' or the womanhood has created a number of
challenges which are limited to women.
Conflicts between domestic and entrepreneurial commitments:
The biggest challenge a woman faces is how to manage domestic
work along with the entrepreneurial activities. A woman primarily has to
look after domestic work. Her family obligations are obstacles for her
most of the time for conducting her entrepreneurial Activities. Her
responsibilities t owards her children and the old members and family as a
whole, results in very little time left for her to engage herself in any
business activity. Majority of them cannot compromise with their
domestic work so end up compromising with their economic activ ities.
Gender gaps in education : In many families in India girls / women are
avoided to go to schools and colleges due to various reasons . The family
members stop their education at different levels before graduation, thus
the question of higher educati on doesn't come into picture. There is a lack
of combination of education, vocational courses and other courses
necessary for taking up any entrepreneurial activity.
Not Being Taken Seriously : Women who take up any business are not
taken seriously . The People around her feel that it is her hobby or any side
project to her family duties. Women's opinions and advice are not always
viewed as —expert compared to a man's opinion. (Dr. Vijaykumar A. and
Jaychitra S). Most of the time their ideas are even rid iculed, just becausemunotes.in
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25she is born as a female. This leads to de -motivation .This gender bias
becomes a major hindrance for a woman entrepreneur.
Wanting to please everyone: In a patriarchal society, Women are always
socialised to fulfill the demands of everyone and keep them happy. They
tend to compromise and adjust themselves to the demands of their society.
Majority of them give up their talents, their dreams for their families.
Patriarchal Society : Even today, women fall victims to male ego. Most
of the time they are deliberately kept inside their houses and are not
allowed to take part in the business activities. It is extremely difficult for a
woman to take up entrepreneurship in such societies. Patriarchal societies
are responsible for destroyin g not only the dreams of a woman but also
their talents.
4.6 CONTRIBUTIONS OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
The role of women in the economic development of the nation
cannot be neglected. In fact they have to be encouraged and motivated to
take active part in an y business activity. Women occupy a larger share of
the informal economy and also in the micro and small enterprise sector in
India.
The acceleration of economic growth requires an increased supply
of women entrepreneurs (Shah, 2012). Women entrepreneurs play the role
of change makers not only in the family nut also in the society and inspire
other members of the society to take up such activities. Women
entrepreneurs are assets of the nation as they are engaged in certain
productive activity and also crea te job opportunities for others. This leads
to poverty reduction and minimising the problem of unemployment. Their
contributions can be summarised as follows :
Capital Formation :
An economy grows rapidly if the idle savings are invested in some
producti ve activities. The idle funds invested in the industry and thus
optimum utilization of national resources are done. This phenomenon of
capital formation accelerates economic growth.
Improvement in per capita income :
The exploitation of the opportunitie s to convert the idle resources
like land, labour and capital into national income and wealth in the form of
goods and services is the outcome of increasing entrepreneurial activities.
The per capita income and the net national product will be increased.
Generation of employment :
Entrepreneurial activities give rise to employment opportunities.
The women entrepreneurs become the job creators and not job seekers.
The economic growth gets accelerated by generating employment.munotes.in
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26Balanced regional developmen t:
The regional development of the nation is balanced as the women
mostly start their business activities in the rural and underdeveloped
regions. Government also encourages the entrepreneurs to start businesses
in these areas through different schemes a nd subsidies.
Improvement in standard of living :
Various products are produced by the women in their small scale
businesses, which are offered to the people at reasonable rates. New
products are introduced and the scarcity of essential commodities are
removed. This facilitates the improvement in standard of living.
As we have seen above, the enterprise leads to acceleration of
economic growth through different angles. Women entrepreneurs are
transforming families and society, besides business develo pment. Women
are also more likely to save and reinvest their profits.
Despite of all these contributions the number of women
entrepreneurs is very low. Although the women are entering into the field
of enterprise at lower speed, we see a number of women s uccessfully
running their businesses both in domestic markets and also international
markets. Kiran Mujumdaar Shaw, Shehnaaz Hussain, Ekta Kapoor, Jyoti
Naik, Rajni Bector (Cremica) etc. This is a very long list.
Check Your Progress
1.Can you mention a f ew Government schemes offered to the woman for
taking up entrepreneurship?
2.Mention a few challenges faced by women entrepreneurs ? Can you
mention a few more apart from those mentioned above?
4.7 SUGGESTIONS TO OVERCOME THE
CHALLENGES
We have already looked at the challenges. Does that mean women
should not take up the activities? Let us look at a few measures that would
help the woman to overcome the challenges.munotes.in
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27Believing Them:
This is one of the biggest steps to help women enter into the
business market. When she comes up with an idea, rather than ridiculing
her, if society starts supporting her, the fate of the women would be
different.
Finance cells :
Finance cells should be opened so that the women entrepreneurs
will get finance and also appropriate guidance regarding the financial
schemes available to them.
Education and awareness :
The negative social attitude of the society can be changed by
conducting different awareness program s and educating the women and
also the society regarding the fruits of women indulging in entrepreneurial
activities. Women also should be made aware of the importance of
education, different vocational courses, so that they can make up their
mind for star ting enterprise.
Training Facilities :
Women lack different skills like the managerial skills,
communication skills, language problems, etc. Various training programs
can be developed so that the women take full advantage and confidently
engage themselv es into any business activity.
Planning :
Women should never enter into any business without proper
planning. They have to create appropriate strategies. A blueprint of the
activities to be undertaken should be prepared which will specify the
product / service, the target customers, the mode of financing and the way
the business will be undertaken on a daily basis. This will give a proper
idea to the woman entrepreneur of her responsibilities and her
commitments.
Team Building :
The woman entrepreneur has to forget the fact that she is the only
person who will do the particular task perfectly. She should have a team,
the members of which have different skills and strengths and the women
should be able to coordinate with the team and thus bring out all the
strengths and skills in the members for the success of the business.
Avoiding to get too close with the employees :
Women, naturally, are family oriented. She gets too close to her
employees which will make it difficult many times to maintain a
professional relationship with them. Thus women should be able to be
professional and practical always and be informal at some times.
4.8 CONCLUSION
There is direct relationship between the economic growth, poverty
reduction and women entrepreneurship. It has been correctly stated by ourmunotes.in
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28first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, that when women move
forward, the family moves, the village moves and the nation moves. The
above discussion reveals that though women entrepreneurs are gaining
recognition réce ntly, still there is a long way they have to go.
The transition from homemaker to woman entrepreneur is not so
easy and in the same way it is also difficult for a woman to succeed and
sustain in her business. She has to learn from her experiences, adapt
herself and overcome the challenges in her field. She has to creatively
utilize her strengths to overcome the threats and grab all the opportunities
to minimize her weaknesses. And most importantly, she has to fight back
with the society that ridicules her . This will certainly be a mantra for her
to develop and grow her business successfully.
4.9 SUMMARY
With the advent of Liberalisation, Privatisation & Globalisation,
women started entering the markets by developing their self employment
skills. The Government of India has taken up many measures to facilitate
and encourage women entrepreneurs. Women play a major role in the
development of the economy of a nation. However, there are a number of
challenges that a woman faces while taking up entrepreneurship. Most of
the time, society itself becomes a hurdle for a woman. But a woman has to
battle with all the odds and take up business activity, either as a job or as
an entrepreneur, in order to be independent and earn for her family.
4.10 QUESTIONS
1.Explain the role of women in the development of Economy. Explain
the initiatives taken by the Government in f acilitating women for
developing entrepreneurial activities.
2.Explain the contributions of the women Entrepreneurs and the
initiatives taken by the Government in facilitating women for
developing entrepreneurial activities.
3.What are the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs? Suggest
measures to overcome the same.
4.Explain the role of women Entrepreneurs in developing the economy.
4.11 REFERENCES
https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/143207/economics/the -
importance -and-role-of-an-entrepreneur/
https://smallbusinessbc.ca/article/5 -key-attributes -successf ul-
entrepreneurs -possess/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o7GV1jmpii -
R2ncBcrHWztKZSJUcoXun39AoDiZJOQE/edit#
munotes.in
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295
PLAN AND GROWTH OF SMART CITIES -
CRITIQUE CASE STUDY (KOCHI)
KERALA, (JAIPUR) RAJASTHAN
Unit Structure :
5.0 Objectives
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Smart City Plan adopted by cities in India
5.3 Smart City Concept
5.4 Features of Smart City
5.5 Need for smart cities
5.6 Pillars of smart cities
5.7 Challenges Ahead
5.8 Case study of Kochi and Jaipur
5.9 Summary
5.10 Questions
5.11 References
5.0 OBJECTIVES
●To understand the concept of smart city.
●To identify the need for a smart city.
●To critique the smart city of Kochi and Jaipur.
5.1 INTRODUCTION:
India’ s urban population has increased from 26 million in 1901 to
377 million in 2011 and would increase to 590 million by 2030. This
massive shift in the growth of the urban population is less inclusive for
marginalized groups. At present, the metropolitan citi es in India are
swelling with population resulting in the collapse of infrastructure and
emergence of urban problems such as pollution, poverty, housing
shortage, water problems, urban conflict the list is endless. These urban
problems also pose a challeng eto the city manager and the policy -
makers.
To sustain rapid urbanization the Govt. of India launched a very
ambitious project ‘Smart Cities Mission’ in 2015 with the objective tomunotes.in
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30improve the quality of life of the city dwellers through citizen centric,
sustainable and inclusive growth and development of the cities.
Gupta and Hall (2017) explain three components of Smart Cities
Missions as follows:
●Area -based development that is going to transform the existing region
even slums into planned areas , by retrofitting and redevelopment so
that the city becomes livable.
●Green field projects that aim to develop new areas within the city to
accommodate ever increasing population of the city.
●Pan city development that foresees the application of the smart
solutions to the already present city -wide infrastructural problems.
Through the Smart Cities Mission the Government of India aimed
to provide better urban infrastructure and promote smart city models for
other cities in the country. The government planne d to develop 100 such
cities over a five year period of time.
5.2 SMART CITY PLAN ADOPTED BY CITIES IN
INDIA
Moses and Elango (2017) expound smart city plan adopted by
Indian cities as follows:
1.Redevelopment: slum redevelopment, upgrading old city bus s tands,
development of light rail transit system.
2.Retrofitting: management of smart open spaces, restoration and
development of water -front, development of CBD and markets,
beautification of beaches, restoration of the shore, development of
creeks, conserva tion and preservation of heritage area, improving the
interconnectivity of the open spaces, upgrading of parks, waterways
and public plazas, logistic hub, disaster management, expansion of
intermodal hub etc.,
3.Mega Projects : construction of new internatio nal Convention Centre
and stadium
4.Unique projects : building unique projects such as incubation centers,
museums, rental housing and properties with GIS.
Under the Pan city plan, the projects that are undertaken includes
Smart parking system, common card f or payment and operations, mobile
app for traffic information, area -based traffic control, leakage
identification system, CCTV surveillance, internet connectivity, a mobile
app for solid waste management, waste water management and monitoring
of cleanlines s, rainwater harvesting, GPS tracking, smart street lights,
emergency response system, sewerage treatment plants, tourist app,munotes.in
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31shopping app, smart e -rickshaw, using solar energy and sensor technology
etc.,
5.3 SMART CITY CONCEPTS
Rathi et al (2015) stat e that the concept ‘smart growth’, emerged in
1992 to suggest an alternative paradigm to the urban sprawl, disconnected
housing and reliance on automobiles. It was primarily propelled by
planners, activists, architects and historic preservationists. The co ncept
meant mixed land use and compacted growth of city, walkability, the
participation of the community in decision making. At this point, the
concept of urban planning design emerged and became very popular.
However gradually the concept disappeared and a new concept evolved
that is “intelligent cities”. Against this background, the concept of smart
city transpired. The smart enterprises such as IBM and CISCO contributed
to the smart cities discourse beside this technology titans such as
Microsoft and Hit achi also came up with the concept of smart technology
cities. Even MIT laboratories also contributed to this discourse. But the
discourse on Smart cities gained momentum due to the economic crisis of
2008. In the view of Paroutis, Bennett and Heracleous ( 2014) this period
experienced cuts in urban finances and social welfare and took the support
of the private sector to provide public urban services. This led to the
emergence of a Smart City Model. The smarter cities’ trademark was
officially registered to IBM in 2011. According to Hollands (2008), Smart
city is an emerging concept that means different to different people. Thus
there is no universal definition of the term smart city.
Barrionuevo et al (2012) explain the smart city to be a city that
utiliz es all the available technology and resources in an intelligent and
coordinated way to develop urban centres that are integrated, habitable
and sustainable.
In 2014, the Government of India defined Smart City as those
cities that a re sustainable in terms of economic growth, employment
generation to a wider section of its citizens, irrespective of their level of
skills, education and income.
Marsal Llacuna et al (2014) asserts that smart cities initiatives
attempt to improve urban performance by tapping data and information
technology to deliver efficient services to its citizens, to enable optimal
use of existing infrastructure, to encourage collaboration among different
economic players and to promote innovative business models bo th the
sectors i.e the private and the public.
Some of the essential elements of the smart city are adequate
supply of water, guaranteed supply of electricity, proper sanitation that
will include management of solid waste, well organized urban mobility
and public transport, housing for all, strong IT connectivity and
digitalization, e -governance and enhance participation of citizens,munotes.in
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32emphasis on sustainable development and health and education, security
and safety of citizens especially elderly, children a nd women.
5.4 FEATURES OF THE SMART CITY
●To promote mixed land use in area -based developments. It aims to
plan for unplanned areas having a series of congruent activities and
land uses that are adjacent to one another so that land use becomes
more effici ent. The States will facilitate flexibility in land use and
developing laws that are adaptable to change.
●To make housing inclusive. The significant feature of smart city
mission is to open housing opportunities for all.
●To decongest the city, boost the lo cal economy, tackle air pollution,
depletion of resources, stimulate interactions and ascertain security
smart city mission aims to create walkable localities. The road
networks would be developed which are pedestrians and cyclists
friendly.
●To preserve a nd develop open spaces such as playgrounds, parks and
recreational spaces to enhance the quality of life of citizens.
●To promote a range of transport options.
●To create cost effective and citizen friendly governance. Increasing the
dependence on online ser vice to bring in accountability and
transparency such as e -groups to get feedback, use of mobile to reduce
the cost of services, online monitoring of programmes etc.,
●To give a unique identity to the city based on its culture, education,
sports etc.,
●To ap ply smart solutions to city problems like infrastructure and
services in area -based development to make the city livable.
Check your progress:
1.What is a smart city?
2.Explain elements of Smart city.
3.What are important features of Smart City?munotes.in
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335.5 NEED FOR SMART CITIES
India has a long history of cities dating back to 3rdcentury AD. It
has cities of varied nature like religious, trade and manufacturing centers.
However, with the increasing population and also due to lack of any
systematic planning and vision along with colonization urban development
occurred in a scattere d manner not aligned with the needs of the locals and
concerns for the environment. With Smart City Mission the Government
of India took a pan India scheme to tap the locally available resources
effectively and integrate it with the requirement of the loca ls. The role of
the state is that of facilitator to identify the short as well as long term
projects to embark on and to select fitting technologies, with the
participation of people. The state also aimed to achieve sustainable growth
to be measured in ter ms of well -defined indicators of smartness. The smart
cities are going to benefit its citizens due to better planning and
development, E -governance, development of local economy, better
productivity and waste management system based on the concept of reuse ,
recycle and reduction . It will also have a smart city water system such as
smart meters, identification of leakages and its prevention. Green building,
smart parking, intelligent management of traffic and integrated multi -
modal transport.
The guiding fo rce for building smart cities would be the wellbeing
of all, well connectivity, equity, efficiency and foresight.
5.6 PILLARS OF SMART CITIES
●Smart Governance:
For smart governance the smart cities would require around $ 1.2
trillion over a period of tw enty years. For this purpose the government
relaxed the FDI norms. The government allotted $ 83 million for
digitalization. The PPP model was developed to upgrade the infrastructure
of 500 urban centers. The Ministry of Urban Development plans to build
two smart cities each in twenty nine States.
MUD planned to develop two cities each in India’s 29 states.
●Smart Grid :
The crucial aspect of smart energy systems is electricity to all,
establishment of smart grid test bed and smart grid knowledge center,
implementation of eight smart grid projects. Beside this addition of 88,000
MW of power generation for the period 2012 -2017. Installation of around
130 smart meters by 2021.
●Smart environment
To ensure sustainable development the Ministry of New and
Renewa ble Energy aims to add 30,000 MW in the twelfth five year plan.
Similarly, the Indian Ministry of Water resources plans to invest in themunotes.in
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34water sector for water and wastewater management. For sanitation, the
Government of Indian along with the World Bank in itiated rural water
supply and sanitation projects in various States such as Assam, Uttar
Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar.
●Smart transportation:
To support ever i ncreasing urban population the Government of
India aims to develop a smart transportation system. To achieve this the
Government has approved a plan to accelerate electric and hybrid vehicle
production by 2020 and charging stations for such vehicles in all state and
national highways by 2027. The government also aims to invest in the
construction of metro, mono rails and high -speed trains.
●Smart ICT:
The Union Ministry under the Safe City project aims to make
seven cities of India such as Mumbai, Delhi, C hennai and Ahmedabad
etc., to concentrate on technological advancement.
●Smart Buildings:
As m a r t building that would save nearly thirty percent of water
usage, forty percent of energy and reduce the cost of building maintenance
by ten to thirty percent.
●Smart Health:
The government increased the health budget by twenty seven
percent in 2014 -15 focussing on improving the affordable health care for
all and also proposed to establish twelve government medical colleges in
the country and six AIIMS like insti tutes. The government aims for an
accessible , affordable and effective health care system for its citizens.
●Smart Education:
Foreign countries and organizations are collaborating with the
government of India for smart cities programmes. In the education s ector,
the government of India has allowed 100 percent FDI. The MHRD aims to
establish thousand private universities for training the manpower to meet
industrial and service sector requirements.
5.7 CHALLENGES AHEAD
Urban sustainability is a big challen ge for India’s Smart City plan
due to the number of factors such as overcrowdedness, congestion,
inadequate and poor quality infrastructure, pollution and decaying living
environment. This poses challenges to retrofitting and the development of
new smart c ities. Beside this, the urban local government in India enjoys
restricted financial autonomy and the capacity to build resources. They are
dependent on fiscal transfers. Thus fragmented institutional set up and
overlapping judicial responsibilities hinder the smooth implementation of
the programmes and delivery of services to the citizens. Along with thismunotes.in
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35the poor upkeep and functioning of the existing assets aggravate the
problems faced by the urban areas.
To tackle these issues the government needs to r estructure to begin
its smart cities projects. The government needs to adopt a more inclusive
approach to the growth and planning of smart cities. For this, the urban
local bodies need to be empowered to be financially sustainable and find
effective local solutions. Those in government should be trained and
equipped for quick responses to the problems, flexibility and
imaginativeness to deal with citizen’s demand.
India’s complex social structures is another challenge as it consists
of people from various socio -religious and economic backgrounds . Also in
India big cities house the majority of its citizens in the slum. Smart cities
need to serve these diverse categories of people ensuring their privacy is
safeguarded and security maintained. At the same time , the services and
infrastructure provided by smart cities should be within the reach of all
sections of the society.
Check your progress:
1.Why do we need Smart City?
2.Explain the pillars of Smart City.
3.What are the challenges to develop Smart Cities in India?
5.8 CASE STUDY OF KOCHI AND JAIPUR
The city of Kochi lies near the western coast of Indian State
Kerala. It is a commercial, industrial, tourist and educational capital and
one of the major port cities of Kerala. The city has tran sformed from a
European colony to a regional urban center. The economy of Kochi is
based on exports of coconut derived products, cashews, rubber and fish. It
has the largest industrial concentration with fifty five agricultural and food
producing, chemical s, textiles, latex products, electronic hardware and
software, biotechnology and engineering industries. In recent times the
major development activities in Kochi are Metro Rail, LNG, world class
container trans -shipment hub etc,. But the city faced challe nges such as
transport and infrastructural facilities which resulted in wastage of
resources, traffic congestion and pollution.munotes.in
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36To tackle the problems, the Smart City Kochi PP initiative was
undertaken by the Kerala Government and Dubai, TECOM. It is one of the
20 cities selected by the Government of India for the development of 100
smart cities under Smart City Mission.The project enjoys single SEZ’s
status and is sprawled on 246 acres of land, it is expected to create job
opportunities for around 90,000 people. The project is developed in line
with Dubai Internet City and Dubai Knowledge City. The smart city plan
was launched in 2011 and was planned to complete in 2015. After the
completion the city would provide modern commercial spaces and
residential u nits to the people and strong support infrastructure in the form
of the educational institutions and hospitality industries. The commercial
sector would gain from SEZ incentives as the project is developed as SEZ.
The important elements of these projects are as follows:
1.Easy access to high bandwidth and secure remote connection
2.High speed internet for residential and commercial units.
3.Environment sustainability by preserving the flora and fauna, walk to
work, construction of cycle track, installation of t he bicycle docking
station, modern footpath rain water harvesting system, digitized
telecommunication networks etc,.
4.Saving energy by use of solar powered lights, natural ventilation and
green building.
However, smart cities are not without challenges. Many of the
projects undertaken by CSML are entangled in controversies. Even the
locals are protesting against the project (Sushil Kumar, 2020).
Jaipur:
Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan is also known as the Pink city
of India. Maharaja S wai Jai Singh II was the founder of the city. The city
has a magnificent building and breathtaking architecture, for instance,
Hawa Mahal, Ambar Kila and City Palace and also organizes festivals
which are major tourist attractions such as Gangaur Festival. The city’s
population according to the 2011 census is 6,663971 and is spread over
484.64 sq.km. The city is not only famous for its tourist spots but now
growth in the IT sector is also gaining momentum. It ranks 6thin ease of
doing business in India and therefore attracts investment, provides better
job opportunities to people, boasts of prestigious educational and training
institutes. It has textiles industries, gems and minerals industries and the
largest IT SEZ. With an international airport, intercit y buses and metro
trains the city’s better infrastructure will boost the real estate market such
as Mansarovar, Vivek Vihar etc.
The Jaipur city w as selected for Area Based Development
underneath the Smart City Mission. It is an amalgamation of tradition and
modernity as it aims to develop a world class smart heritage city along
with a smart and sustainable infrastructure to elate tourist experience .munotes.in
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37Besides this, it aims to be innovative by using ICT for providing better
infrastructure and services, socially inclusive as it aims to cater to citizens,
tourists and the underprivileged section of the society. Thus enrich the
quality of life of people b y promoting multimodal mobility to decongest
the city and providing better hygiene and cleanliness in the city.
The important elements of this project are as follows:
1.Improvement and beautification of facades
2.Restoration of heritage buildings and conservation of Rajasthan School
of Arts in Kishanpur Bazaar.
3.Smart and sustainable infrastructure such as Smart roads with the
integrated traffic management system, CCTV, WIFI, safe pedestrian
movement, charging points, intelligent lights and parking system,
promoting walkability, public bike sharing etc.,
4.Smart solid waste management.
Jaipur which was chosen in the first list of twenty cities has failed
to go beyond beautification and restoration of some places in the cities.
With JSCL in finan cial crunch and no support from the successive
government, the project undertaken is just a white wash. The life of city
dwellers of Jaipur have not experienced any change in the quality of their
life (TNN, 2019).
Check Your Progress:
1.Write a note on Smar tC i t y‘ K o c h i ’ .
2.‘Smart City Jaipur an amalgamation of tradition and modernity’.
Comment.
5.9 SUMMARY
The cities in India are facing problems such as overcrowdedness,
unemployment, pollution and crumbling infrastructure. The solution to
these problems is people -centric urban planning and not technology
centered. Technology, in fact, should bring about positive change for the
marginalized urban population.
In the context of India’s smart cities projects aimed at providing a
comprehen sive development through the process of augmenting physical,munotes.in
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38social, economic and institutional infrastructure. It focused on urban
retrofitting, improved infrastructure and service delivery. One of the aims
of smart city plans was to improve the quality o f life of the people and
attract investment and generating employment opportunities thereby
leading to growth and economic development. But the implementation of
a smart city plan in its present form comes with a social cost.
Das (2019) argues that I ndia’s 100 smart cities mission reduces
cities into a commodity, better standard of living and sustainability of
cities are just an eye wash as it looks at growth from a narrow economic
perspective, contributing to urban privatization. In the long run, thi s
approach is going to weaken the democratically elected government
leading to fragmented growth benefiting only the rich and marginalizing
the urban poor.
There is a need to devise human rights indicators in a similar
manner as the liveability indicato r is developed for cities. The government
should consult the experts, civil society organizations, citizens, NGOs and
others to ensure that the holistic human rights index is developed. The
smart city plan should focus on the needs of SC, ST, Women, Childr en,
Senior citizens, street children, homeless, migrants, religious minorities
and others.
5.10 QUESTIONS
1.What is a smart city? Discuss the features and needs of smart cities in
India.
2.Write a short notes on Smart cities of Kochi and Jaipur
3.Critically analyse Smart Cities plan and growth in India.
5.11 REFERENCES
1.Albino. V, Berardi. U and Dangelico. R, 2015, Smart Cities:
Definitions, Dimensions, Performance, and Initiatives, Journal of
Urban Technology 22(1).
2.Barrionuevo J.M, Berrone P., and Ricart J.E., 2012, ‘Smart Cities,
Sustainable Progress, IESE.
3.Bhattacharya. S and Rathi. S, 2015, ‘Reconceptualising Smart Cities:
A Reference Framework for India, CSTEP -Report.
4.Das. D. 2019, ‘In Pursuit of being Smart? A critical analysis of
India’s Smart cities endeavour, Urban Geography.
5.Dr.Moses and Dr.Elango, 2017, ‘A critical analysis of Smart Cities
Approaches in India, IJARIIE, Vol.3, Issue 4.
6.Exploratory Research on Smart Cities, 2015, cidco -
smartcity.niua.orgmunotes.in
Page 39
397.Gupta. K and Hall. R, 2017, ‘The Indian Perspective of Smart
Cities’, https://www.researchgate.net/pubication/318410262
8.Hollands. R, 2008, ‘Will the real smart city please stand up?
Intelligent, Progressive or Entrepreneu rial?’ City, Vol.12, Issue 3.
9.India’s Smart Cities Mission: Smart for Whom? Cities for Whom?,
2018, Housing and Land Rights Network, New Delhi
10.Kunkulol, M.K and Waghware. A, 2016, ‘Smart City Development
and Progress Indian Scenario’, Vol.8, Issue 7.
11.M.L M,arshal Llacuna, J. Colomer Llima’s and J. Mele’ndez -
Frigola, 2014, ‘Lessons in Urban monitoring taken from sustainable
and livable cities to better address the smart cities initiative: Need
for Intelligent Indexes’, Tech nological forecasting and social
change.
12.Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Govt. of India.
13.Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, 2015, Smart
Cities Mission Statement and Guidelines.
14.M.K Sushil Kumar, 2020, ‘Smart City projects face uncer tain
future’.
15.Paroutis.S, Bennett. M and Heracleous. L, 2014, ‘A strategic view
on Smart City Technology: The Case of IBM smarter cities during a
recession’, in press at Technological forecasting and social change,
special issue upgrading a city via Techno logy.
16.Rumi. A, 2016, ‘Challenge of Making Smart Cities in India’, Asie
Vissions, Vol.87, ifri.
17.TNN, 2019, ‘ Jaipur: No ‘smart work’, projects fail to pep up city
life’.
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406
LACK OF AVAILABILITY OF OPEN
SPACES, STREET VENDORS AND
HAWKERS -THE STREET VENDORS ACT
2014
Unit Structure :
6.0 Objectives
6.1 Introduction
14.1.1 Historical Background of Open Space
6.2 Classification of Open Space
6.3 Role of Open space in Cities
6.4 Lack of availability of Open Space
6.5 Street Vendors and Hawkers struggle for space
6.6 Street Vending in India
6.7 The Street Vendors Act, 2014
6.8 Review of the Act
6.9 Summary
6.10 Questions
6.0 OBJECTIVES
●To understand the concept of open space and street vending.
●To identify the problems of street vendors.
●To evaluate the Street Vending Act, 2014.
6.1 INTRODUCTION
Open spaces are an important part of urban settings with specific
functions to perform. Open space in urban areas is essential for quality
urban living. Open space satisfies the various needs of the city dwellers. It
improves the quality of life of the urban dwellers (Burke and Ewan, 1999).
It not only contributes ecologically but also gives social -psychological
solace t o the city dwellers and makes city life livable. Open spaces
provide a place to celebrate the cultural diversity of the city and allow city
dwellers to engage with natural processes and conserve their memories
(Thompson, 2002). But open space is not easily available and its
distribution and accessibility are also major issues for cities.munotes.in
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41The term open space can be defined as a portion of land that is not
developed. It does not have any built up structures and buildings. The
meaning of the term open space is not limited to parks and natural areas
but it extends to non -natural public spaces as out -door sports complexes,
streets, schoolyards, cemeteries, playgrounds, vacant plots, public seating
areas, and public squares. It also includes green space that is land covered
with shrubs, trees, grass and other types of vegetation such as parks and
community gardens. Open spaces are open for the members of the society
and are based on sound planning and design that make it appealing. Some
scholars think that open spaces are neglected as it caters to the natural,
recreational and cultural needs of the city dwellers unlike the residential,
commercial and transportation spaces (Hall,1998).
6.1.1 Historical Background of Open Space:
Balogh and Takacs (2011) present the historical evolution of open
space. According to them the history of open space started from the
ancient period, for instance, Greek holy Garden. Ancient cultures such as
Egyptian, Rome, Greeks, and others have used it consciously. The
significance of open space for the settlements has been evolving
continuously as the civilization developed based on the needs of the
people and social rules of that time. Even in India, the Vedic sources point
to the existence of open spaces either private or a common co urtyard. The
Islamic cities also had the concept of open space meant for mosques and
madrassas.
In modern times due to urban architecture attempts of beautifying
and enhancing specific part of the cities through developing open space
became a common featu re of the urban regeneration program. It started
with the building and regeneration of streets, green covers and parks. In
recent times beside the government sector the private sector is also playing
a significant role in the development and management of open space.
6.2 CLASSIFICATION OF OPEN SPACE
Open spaces can be classified into traditional and modern creative
open space. Following are the types of traditional open space:
●Residential Level : Open spaces that are developed in residential areas.
These open spaces are looked after by the local government as part of
the zoned open space of cities such as a playground.
●Neighbourhood Playground : It is neighbourhood playground
consisting of amenit ies for the kids and the adults such as exercise
equipment, swings, see -saw and slides.
●Public Space: It is developed and managed by a local government
located in the center of the city. Mostly this type of open spaces is
large in size as compared to neigh bourhood parks.munotes.in
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42●Pedestrian Malls : These are street closed to auto traffic located on the
main street in the downtown area. Generally it acts for social,
recreational and civic purposes making it vibrant open space in the
city.
●Creative Open Space :T o d a ym o re and more city dwellers wish to
have community connection and are coming up with innovative ideas
for open space include:
●Community open space :T h e s ea r es p a c e sc r e a t e d ,o w n e da n d
managed by local residents for instance playground, community
gardens. It is developed on private land and therefore not viewed as
part of an open space system of cities.
●Farmers Market : Farmers markets reflect innovative open space
systems . It is found in a variety of settings such as vacant lots,
sidewalks, parks and streets. In farmer markets, farmers sell their
agricultural produce. Sometimes it functions as restaurants and grocery
shops.
●Streets: Streets are easily accessible open spaces of the cities. It is
emerging as the core of economic activity, social space and place f or
civic engagement.
●Transit Mall: Transit Malls are different from the pedestrian mall. It
refers to the place reserved for public transit such as light rails and
buses. It aims at transportation management, city revitalization, better
public transit, and enhanced pedestrian experience.
●Water Front : There is increased awareness to develop water bodies
such rivers, ponds and lakes as the place for social gatherings,
recreation and enjoyment. It enhances the life of city dwellers socially,
economically and c ulturally.
●Found Spaces : Found space are informal open space in urban areas.
It includes street corners, bus stops, sidewalks etc,.
Check your progress
1. What is Open Space?
2. Explain types of open space in cities.munotes.in
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436.3 ROLE OF OPEN SPACE IN CITIES
Sustainable development of cities is possible only through
balancing social, cultural, ecological and economic functions of the cities.
To achieve these open spaces play a crucial role.
●Ecological:
The cities have developed through exploitation of land. Due to
rapid urbanization, natural landscape and ecosystems are changing
(Barnosky, 2012). Therefore it affects the other elements of the ecosystem
such as lakes, rivers, salt panes, forest, trees and animals. Due to the
anthropocentric approach to development humans indiscriminately
damage the environment leading to air pollution, water pollution, water
scarcity, land -slide, loss of natural habitat, and extinction of species floods
and so on. Pollutio n is one of the major challenges faced by cities today,
for example Delhi and Mumbai. It is essential to reflect on how we
manage land use and shape our cities (Steiner, 2014).
Open spaces, if managed properly can play a significant role in
managing the e nvironment aspect of the city. Open space with green
covers benefit the city dwellers by making it sustainable and livable. It
mitigates the threat of global warming, offers shading and cooling,
improve the quality of air, reduces noise pollution etc.,
●Social -Psychological:
Rapid urbanization has reduced the access to and engagement of
city dwellers to open space. Open space is crucial for making the city
livable and for wellbeing of the city dwellers. City life is full of challenges
as a result the cit y dwellers suffer from depression, mental distress and
anxiety. Open spaces such as parks and playgrounds act as a buffer and
provide recreation and relaxation to the people.
Open spaces are not only beneficial for physical and mental
wellbeing but also a re an important part of community and city
development. It removes social barriers. People belonging to diverse
socio -economic and religious groups interact with each other.
●Cultural role:
Open space as cultural space gives multicultural and multiethnic
character to the city. It provides facilities to conduct various cultural
events. Cities open space provide the opportunity to conduct events under
open area such as food festivals , fun fair, cultural festivals etc., example
Seafood festivals by the Koli community in Andheri and Kala Ghoda
festival at Kala Ghoda.munotes.in
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446.4 LACK OF AVAILABILITY OF OPEN SPACE
Indian cities and urban agglomeration are attracting investment
resulting in the development and growth of industries, service sectors,
generation of employment and population growth due to migration. This
burgeoning population in the cities and expansion of built up areas beyond
the city boundaries is negatively affecting the open space available in the
cities of India. Rivers, lakes, creeks, ponds, gr een covers, wetland, hills,
mangroves, playground, coastal lines etc., Over the years the open spaces
are shrinking in all the major cities of India for instance Mumbai. With
over 25 million estimated population, Mumbai is one of the congested and
overcrow ded cities. Other densely populated cities of the world such as
New York have large open spaces to balance for the lack of private space.
According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Environment
Improvement Society, Mumbai has just six percent open space an do u to f
it only forty percent are developed and accessible. Mumbai offers mere
0.88 square meters per person open space while cities like Bangalore and
Delhi have 6.4 and 15 square meters respectively.
Mr. Ajoy Mehta, Municipal Commissioner (BMC) said in a
conference on ‘Transforming Urban Livability’ that one of the crucial
challenges faced by the city of Mumbai is lack of open space (The Hindu,
2019). Most of the open spaces in Mumbai are either inaccessible or
partially accessible and encroached. Reali zing the significance of open
space various citizen groups are voicing their concern about lack of open
space for instance Save Open Space and Citi Space.
P.K Das an activist and architect conducted a massive mapping
survey of Open Spaces in Mumbai to rev amp the open space in Mumbai
called the ‘Open Mumbai’. His work ended in an exhibition at the
National Gallery of Modern Art. This gained the attention of the heads of
the state and city government. The ‘Juhu Vision Plan’ which was
conceived in the ‘Open Mumbai’ project was later approved by Municipal
Corporation. It included the development of public space in Juhu,
conservation of the beach at Juhu and improving the social amenities and
connectivity.
6.5 STREET VENDORS AND HAWKERS STRUGGLE
FOR SPACE
Carr (1992) view street as most “public” as it is responsive,
accessible, diverse, democratic and multipurpose. Street in the present
scenario has become a contested space due to social and political
movements that bring about undue pressure on urban infrastr ucture.
Lefebvre (1991) stresses the way space is produced to marginalize urban
poor. He argues that the state and capitalism play critical roles in the
production of space. Deore and Lathia (2019) point out that the contested
nature of streets criminalize s and excludes the urban poor such as traders,munotes.in
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45porters, hawkers and street vendors. The process of exclusion is often
approved and facilitated by the government.
Street vendors are the most ignored, socially and economically
deprived section of the urban informal economy. The large number of
women and children are street vendors. They face problems concerning
the utilization of public open spaces. They are deprived of their basic
human rights that are right to livelihood, right to utilize public places, r ight
to live with dignity etc., They work in most difficult conditions due to
which they are vulnerable to poor health and diseases. They work in a
hostile, uncertain and insecure environment. Most of them do not have an
identity card and license to conduc t their business and are often harassed
by local authorities and police. They face the threat of eviction, extortion,
humiliation and confiscation of their goods.
6.6 STREET VENDING IN INDIA
Street vending is an urban phenomenon that is space bound and
mobile in nature. The street vendors do their business mainly at sidewalks,
pushcarts, footpaths, and bridges, outside railway stations, vacant open
spaces and outside privately owned shops, malls and marts. They sell a
variety of goods such as clothes, lea ther items, food, plastic items and
other fancy items. Most of the items sold by the street vendor are made in
small -scale industries or home based industries. Thus by selling the goods
produced in these industries they provide employment opportunities to
many. They cater to the lower income groups thereby decreasing food
insecurity for the urban poor and provide goods and services for the
middle income groups. Besides they make public space vibrant and secure.
They are self -employed who don’t depend on the government to create job
opportunities for them, neither like other poors they engage in begging or
rob and steal. They lead their life with self -respect and dignity. Generally
working for 10 to 12 hours a day in very harsh conditions under constant
fear of being evicted, troubled by local goons who extort money from
them and municipal authorities.
Thus, street vending provides employment opportunities for many
who are not absorbed in the formal sector and it is a source of revenue
generation. They consti tute approximately 6 percent of the population in
cities of India. Access to public space, public procurement and public
services are important for their livelihood. Though many recognise their
contribution there are some businesses, residents and politici ans who see
them as a threat, encroachers and nuisance at urban public space. In the
city public space is a scarce resource which is further reduced due to
mounting pressure of privatization, commercialization and securitization.
For almost six decades str eet vending was considered to be illegal activity
in India. It was legalised by the implementation of the Street Vendors Act
in 2014.munotes.in
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466.7 THE STREET VENDORS (PROTECTION OF
LIVELIHOOD AND REGULATION OF STREET
VENDING) ACT, 2014
Street vendors are those individuals who offer their services and
goods for sale to the public from a temporary structure or a mobile stall.
The street vending comes under the jurisdiction of traffic police or the
BMC which regulates the pavement. The Supreme Court verdict of 198 9
held that the street vendors have the right to do their trade and business on
street under Article19 (1) (g) and they were subjected to a reasonable
restriction only. In 2004, the National Policy on Urban Street Vendors was
adopted but it was ignored by municipal corporations as it was not legally
binding. Following this, the model law for street vending was prepared in
2009, which was to be adopted by States based on their geographical and
local conditions. Only a few States like Rajasthan, MP, Andhra Pr adesh
and Orissa enacted street vending laws and policies based on the model
law 2009.
As the model law of 2009 was not binding. Many activist groups
such as NASVI -National Association of Street Vendors in India
demanded a central law which would be appl icable to all the states and
would also give pan India recognition to the economic activities conducted
by the street vendors. This led to the drafting of the bill by the Ministry of
Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. The Street Vendors Act, 2014
gives security to the street vendors and also regulates street vending by
demarcating the street vending zones.
Salient features of the act:
●Defining Street Vendors: Any person engaged in selling goods and
services or offering services to the general public o n streets, sidewalk,
footpaths, pavement, public parks, or any other public space or private
space including the peddlers, hawkers and squatters.
●Age: Any person above the age of fourteen years, who is a street
vendor has to register himself or herself wit h the TVC -Town Vending
Committee.
●Representation: The TVC will be represented by forty percent of the
street vendors, ten percent from the civil society and rest from the
local authorities and residential associations etc.,
●Certificate for vending: All th e street vendors need to obtain a
certificate from the TVC to carry their businesses. TVC would issue an
identity card to carry their businesses.
●Street vending plan: The street vending plan would be framed by the
local authorities. The plan would be revis ed every five years. The planmunotes.in
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47would contain free vending zones, no vending zones and restricted
vending zones.
●Relocation: Street vendors will not be relocated from natural markets
where they have been doing business for the last 50 years.
●Nuisance: In ca se the street vendors create a public nuisance, the local
authorities can relocate the street vendors and have the power to
confiscate the goods of the vendors as per the street vending schemes.
●Monitoring and Supervising: The role of the local authority i s to
supervise the street vendor scheme and monitor the effectiveness of
TVC and take decisions over appeals.
●Credit insurance and welfare schemes: Provision is made to provide
credit insurance and welfare schemes for the street vendors by the
state.
●Griev ance Redressal: Provision is made for independent grievance
redressal mechanism. The retired judicial officer is appointed to
redress the grievances. Provisions are made for the timely return of the
seized good of the street vendors, the perishable goods t o be returned
on the same day.
●Protection: The act also makes provision to protect the street vendor
from harassment by the police and other authorities.
●Duty: Under the act, the duty of the street vendor is to maintain
cleanliness and public hygiene, take care of civic amenities in vending
zones and pay for the civic amenities provided in the vending zones.
●Penalty: The act provides for the penalty of Rs.2000 on the street
vendors for non -compliance to the regulating provisions.
6.8 REVIEW OF THE ACT
●Legalise street vending: The act attempts to fill the regulatory lacuna,
recognise and regularise street vendors and open doors for negotiation
for all the stakeholders.
●Representation: The act provides for representation of street vendors in
TVC. It allo ws them to participate in decision making to facilitate
street vending and form a strong chain of supply in the urban informal
economy.
●Planned pavements: The act provides for zoning of the locality in
terms of planned pavements where the street vendors ca n do their
business without creating overcrowding and congestion in the city.munotes.in
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48●Mainstreaming street vending: Under the act, the street vendors are
provided with certificates and identity cards. This has mainstreamed
street vending, they are free to trade wi thout any fear of eviction by the
local authorities and the police.
●Grievance redressal: Provisions for timely redressal on matters related
to forced eviction and confiscation of vendors’ products.
●Social Security: Provision for social security through wel fare schemes.
●Cleanliness and hygiene: Mandatory on the part of the vendors’ to
maintain cleanliness and public hygiene. If they do not follow it then
they would be penalised.
Problem with the Act:
●The act has not laid down the principle to be followed t o develop street
vending plans, demarcation of vending zones, and numbers of vendors
to be allotted per zone.
●Many of the states have not adopted the act in its true spirit.
●The act is silent over the railway owned and controlled area under the
Railway Act ,1 9 8 9 .
●The term public nuisance is not defined in the act, as a result, the
police evicts the street vendors by charging them as a public nuisance.
●No proper channel to approach for grievance redressal.
Solutions:
●Provision of time limit for issuance of a vending certificate to the
vendor so that they are not harassed by the authorities.
●Prior notice of at least one month to be given to the street vendors for
eviction and confiscation of their goods. The decision to evict should
be taken in consultation with TVC.
●The tenure of the TVC should be fixed to 5 years.
●The States should conduct a survey to get the exact figures of the street
vendors so that it can provide a certificate.
Check your progress:
Q.1. Write a note on the significance of open space in the cities.
Q.2. Discuss the status of open space in the cities.munotes.in
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496.9 SUMMARY
Open space plays a significant role in making cities sustainable. It
has both natural and non -natural elements. It makes the city liveable and
reduces the negative effect of isolation in the urban surroundings. It
reflects the diversity and vibrant culture of cities that create beautiful
memories for the city dwellers. Streets are emerging as public open
spaces, engines of economic growth, social and cultural centre s and stage
for civic participation. They bring people from a different socio -economic
and ethnic backgrounds on one platform and build a cohesive society.
Street vending not only in India but throughout the globe provides
employment opportunities to mill ions of people who do not get
opportunities in the formal sector. In 2014, the government of India passed
the law protecting the rights of the street vendors. Thus the town planners
should recognise the contribution of street vending to the informal
econom y, realize the potential and understand the urban poor struggle for
spatial justice.
6.10QUESTIONS
1.Discuss the impact of lack of availability of open space in cities with
example.
2.Examine the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation
of Street Vending) Act, 2014.
3.Write a note on types of open space.
4.Briefly discuss the problem of open space in Mumbai.
6.11REFERENCES
1. A. Rengan, 2019, ‘The Hindu’.
2.B.W. Stanley., B.L. Stark., K.L. Johnston., and M.E. Smith., 2012,
‘Urban Open Spaces in Historical Perspective: A Trans disciplinary
Typology and Analysis’, Urban Geography.
3.Barnosky A.D et al , 2012, ‘Approaching a state shift in Earth’s
Biosphere’, Nature.
4.Burke J and Ewan J, 1999, ‘Sonoran Preserve Master Plan for the
Phoenix Sonoran Desert, City of Phoenix Parks, Recreation and
Library Department.
5.C.K. Rupa., 2015, ‘Importance of Public Space in Cities’,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281749329
6.Carr S., Francis M., Rivlin L.G and Stone A.M., 1992, ‘Public
Space’, CambridgeUniversity Press.munotes.in
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507.Chiesura. A., 2004, ‘The role of urban parks for the sustainable city’,
Land Scape and Urban Planning.
8.Deore P., and Lathia S., 2019, ‘ Streets as Public Spaces: Lessons
from Street Vending in Ahmedabab, India, Urban Planning
9.H. Esbah., B. Deniz and E.A Cook., 2005, ‘Isolation Trends of
Urban Open Space’.
10.Hall P., 1998, ‘Sociable Cities: The Legacy of Ebenezer Howard’,
Wiley, Chichester.
11.J. Yung., F. Zhang and B. Shi., 2019, ‘Analysis of Open Space
Types in Urban Centers Based on Functional Features’, E3S Web of
Conferences.
12.Jha R., 2018, ‘Strengthening Urban India’s Informal Economy: The
case of Street Vending’, ORF, Issue 249.
13.M. Chen., J. Harvey., C.W Kihato and C. Skinner., 2018, ‘Inclusive
Public Spaces for Informal Livelihoods: A Discussion Paper for
Urban Planners and Policy Makers’, WIEGO.
14.Mark Francis., 2011, ‘The meaning and design of farmers markets as
public space: An issue based case study’, Landscape journal.
15.O. Adama., 2020, ‘Abuja is not poor: Street Vending and Politics of
Public Space’, GeoForum, Vol.109.
16.P.I. Balogh and D. Takacs., 2011, ‘The Significancce of Urban Open
Space and Green areas in Urban Property’, A griculture and
Environment Supplement.
17.R. Mehdi., Md. Yosuf., Md. Johari., A. Roozbeh and P.
Mohammad., ‘The Environment Benefit of Urban Open Green
Spaces’, http://www.researchgate.net/publi cation/322775387
18.S. Roever and C. Skinner., 2016, ‘Street Vendors and Cities’,
Environment and Urbanization, Vol.28, Issue 2.
19.Steiner F., 2014, ‘Frontiers in urban ecological design and planning
research, Landscape Urban Planning.
20.Thompson C.W., 2002, ‘ Urban Open Space in the 21stCentury’,
Landscape and Urban Planning, Vol.60, Issue 2.
21.Bhowmik, S. K., (2007). “Street Vendors in Urban India: The
Struggle for Recognition”, in A. Morales and J. Cross (ed), Street
Entrepreneurs: People, Place and Politics. New York: Routledge.
22.Lefebvre, H., 1991. The Production of Space . Translated by Donald
Nicholson -Smith. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, Ltd.
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517
GERIATRIC CARE: PHENOMENON OF
AGEING OLD AGE HOME, SENIOR
CITIZENS ASSOCIATIONS, DAY CARE
CENTRE
Unit Structure :
7.0 Objectives
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Geriatrics and Gerontology
7.3 The phenomenon of ageing
7.3.1 Definition and dimensions of ageing
7.3.2 Socio -demographic profile of the elderly
7.3.3 Issues related to the aged
7.4 Suggestions and recommendations
7.5 Support services for the elderly
7.5.1 Old age homes
7.5.2 Senior citizens associations
7.2.3 Day care centre
7.6 Conclusion
7.7 Summary
7.8 Questions
7.9 References
7.0 OBJECTIVES
●To introduce the learner to the concept of Gerontology and Geriatrics
●To understand the issues faced by the elderly population
7.1 INTRODUCTION
Ageing is a universal phenomenon. The ageing of the global
population is one of the biggest challenges facing the world in the 21st
century. In all societies with varying degrees of probability, individuals
survive childhood, grow to maturity and become old. India is also
experiencing its demographic transition.
An ageing population puts an increased burden on the resources of
a country, which is of concern to the government of India. The ageingmunotes.in
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52population is a medical as well as a sociological problem. The elderly
population in India suffers high rates of morbi dity and mortality due to
communicable and infectious diseases. Research shows that there is
unevenness and complexity within different states. This could be because
of the varying levels of socio -economic development, cultural norms, and
political situa tions. Policy makers will have to keep in mind all the above
determinants when addressing geriatric care.
7.2 GERIATRICS AND GERONTOLOGY
Gerontology is a field of science that seeks to understand the
process of ageing and the challenges encountered as seniors grow old.
Gerontologists investigate age, ageing, and the aged. The science of
gerontology has evolved over time as there has been an improvement in
longevity. The scope of this field is diverse as it involves physiology,
social science, psychol ogy, public health, and policy. Gerontology is
multidisciplinary and is concerned with physical, mental and social
aspects and implications of ageing. Geriatrics is a medical specialty
focused on care and treatment of older persons. The field of geriatric sh a s
evolved with the evolution of the society. A number of sub -disciplines or
sub-specialties have emerged within the domain of geriatrics, such as
medical, surgical, etc. Although gerontology and geriatrics have varying
emphases, they are both commit ted to the understanding of ageing so that
people can maximize their functioning and achieve a high quality of life.
Geriatrics or geriatric medicine is a speciality that focuses on
health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing a nd
treating diseases and disabilities in older adults. Geriatrician or geriatric
physician is a person who specializes in care of elderly people. The term
‘geriatrics’ was first proposed in 1909 by Dr. Ignatz Leo Nascher, former
Chief of Clinic in the Mo unt Sinai Hospital Outpatient Department, New
York City. He is rightly called as the ‘father’ of geriatrics in United
States.
Geriatrics is not a modern concept. Its reference can be found in
the Ayurveda as well. The history of geriatrics can be trac ed right back
from the discovery of Ayurveda. Among the eight branches of Ayurveda,
geriatrics holds its place as ‘Jara / Rasayana (Geriatrics)’. The ‘Canon of
Medicine’ was written by Avicenna in 1025, and is considered as the first
book to offer instru ctions in the care of the aged.
Elderly people have needs that are different from other groups.
Geriatrics is a domain that focuses on the unique requirements of elderly
people. The aged people are subjected to poly pharmacy, which means
they are presc ribed multiple medicines at a time. This is because they
suffer from multiple medical problems. Old people often tend to take self -
prescription or non -prescribed medicines which lead to adverse long term
drug reactions. Geriatric care comes to the rescu e of elderly people in
areas of medical needs and challenges.munotes.in
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53Geriatrics also needs to be understood in terms of ethical and
medico -legal implications. Old age brings with itself multiple medical
disorders such as, immobility, instability, incontinence a nd impaired
intellect or memory. As a result the elderly are rendered dependent and
helpless. To avoid such scenario, elderly people have to prepare the
power of attorney or advance directives in relation to their care and
wellbeing, handling of financia l and property matters. Geriatricians must
see to it that they respect their privacy and provide whatever services are
required. They must consider whether the patient has the legal
responsibility and competence to understand the facts and make decisions.
The elderly people often become victims of elder abuse in many
forms. At such point of time, adequate training, support and service can
reduce the likelihood of elderly abuse and proper attention can often
identify it. It is also the responsibility of the geriatricians to recommend
legal guardianship or conservatorship for the elderly people who cannot
take care of themselves.
Check your progress :
Define –
1.Aging
2.Gerontology
7.3 PHENOMENON OF AGEING
Ageing can generally be described as the process of growing old
and is an intricate part of the life cycle. It is a multi -dimensional process
and impacts almost every aspect of human life. ‘Ageing of population’ is
a trend which has characterized industr ial societies throughout the
twentieth century but in recent decades, has become a worldwide
phenomenon.
Population ageing is the most significant result of the process
called as demographic transition. Demographic transition has two
important dimension s:
a)Reduction of fertility that leads to a decline in the proportion of the
young in the total population.munotes.in
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54b)Reduction of mortality which means longer life span.
Though the phenomenon of demographic transition is universal, it
occurs in various c ountries in different points of time.
7.3.1 Definition and Dimensions of Ageing
Becker (1959) defines ageing ‘as those changes occurring in an
individual, which are the result of the passage of time’. These may be,
according to him, anatomical, physiolog ical, psychological and even
social and economic.
There are four dimensions of ageing, viz: Chronological,
biological, psychological and social ageing.
i)Chronological ageing: refers to the number of years since someone
was born. This determines the ro les and relationships, behavior and
expectations from an individual.
ii)Biological ageing: also known as senescence (decline of a cell or
organism due to ageing) and sometimes call functional ageing. It
refers to biological events which impair the physiolog ical system
making it susceptible to death.
iii)Psychological ageing : deals with changes that occur during adulthood
to an individual’s personality, mental functioning (memory, learning
and intelligence) and sensory and perceptual processes.
iv)Social agein g: refers to the changing experiences that individuals
encounter as members of society.
Age is not merely a biological function of number of years one has
lived, or of the physiological changes the body goes through during the
life course. It is also a product of the social norms and expectations that
apply to each stage of life. Age represents the wealth of life experiences
that shape whom we become. With medical advancements that help
humans live longer, old age has taken on a completely new meaning in
societies. However, many aspects of ageing experience will differ on the
basis of social class, race, ethnicity, gender and other social factors.
There are different connotations and understanding of the term
‘ageing’. In the West, all people over the age 18 are considered adults.
More specific breakdowns and groupings are helpful in understanding the
elderly. The older adult population can be divided into three life -stage
subgroups:
i)the young -old (approximately 60 -69)
ii)the middle -old (ages 70 -75),
iii)the old -old (over age 75)
iv)the very -old (over age 80)munotes.in
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55Each person experiences age -related changes based on many
factors. Biological factors such as molecular and cellular changes are
called primary ageing, while ageing that o ccurs due to controllable factors
such as lack of physical activity and poor diet or neglect of health is called
secondary ageing.
One of the obstacles to society’s fuller understanding of ageing is
that people rarely understand it until they reach old ag e themselves. This
gives rise to myths and assumptions about the elderly. Many stereotypes
relating to race, gender, and class are accepted without question. Each
culture has a certain set of expectations and assumptions about ageing, all
of which are a part of our socialization.
Many media portrayals of the aged people reflect negative cultural
attitudes towards ageing. In Western society, youth is glorified and
associated with beauty and sexuality. The elderly are often associated
with grumpiness o r hostility. In contrast, the eastern world reveres old
age. Old people are valued for their wealth of knowledge and wisdom.
This reflects varying value systems in both societies.
7.3.2 Socio -demographic profile of the elderly
India has an elderly pop ulation of over 80 million. Statistics show
that there has been an increase in aged population from 12 million in 1901
and 77 million as per the 2001 census. It is further estimated to rise to 137
million by 2021. It stands second next to China. It has also been
projected that the sex ratio for the elderly which was 1,029 in 2001 would
increase to 1,031 by 2016. The proportion of elderly widows stands at
51% in comparison with males (15%). Rural areas have greater
proportion of the elderly with three -fourths living there compared to urban
areas. Future projections show that the proportion of Indians aged 60 and
older will rise from 7.5% (seven point five) in 2010 to 11.1% in 2025. In
2010, India had more than 91.6 million elderly and the number of el derly
in India is projected to reach 158.8 million in 2025. It is estimated that by
2050, the population of children will be overtaken by this group.
7.3.3 Issues related to the aged
a) Medical Problems: There is a connection between health and
adjustment. A number of factors such as, family, social, financial and
emotional, determine how much an aged person will adjust post
retirement. Involvement in leisure pursuits, health and social support are
considered as strong indicators of adjustment.
It is necessary to provide health care amenities like safe drinking
water and sanitation to the elderly. The health status of the aged will
improve with positive changes in terms of treatment in hospitals, provision
of transportation, mobile geriatric unit s, enhanced family support, better
nutrition, aids like spectacles, walking sticks, etc. Medical camps in rural
areas, recreational outlets, geriatric courses in medical and nursing schools
will help to address the problem.munotes.in
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56The society generally views th e elderly as unproductive and
useless which may lead to issues of low self esteem and stress. Various
factors could lead to stress among elderly men and women. Occupations,
physical and psychological factors and family relationships can be major
sources. Individuals who have good social support appear to suffer from
less anxiety and hence less stress.
b) Socio -economic factors : The aged face problems of adjustment in
economic, social and personal areas. Rigidity/flexibility, marital
satisfaction, re tirement issues, health family structures and relationships
are some of the factors influencing adjustment. The decline of the joint
family system due to education, urbanization and industrialization
aggravates the problems of the aged. The forces of glob alization and
liberalization have led to an erosion of traditional welfare institutions and
values. This has lead to negative consequences in terms of relationships
between the young and the old.
Youth tend to become more individ ualistic and materialistic and
this impacts their attitude towards the aged in their families. The role and
needs of the elderly are in sharp contrast with the youth. The elderly find
it difficult to accept new ideas. One of the main reasons for physica la n d
psychological disturbance stems from the fear of loss of personal
authority. All this may contribute to structural imbalances within the
family. Verbal abuse by the youth can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction
and despair among the old.
Family s ituation also impacts the overall health of the aged. The
old people are prone to abuse in their families or in institutional settings.
This includes physical abuse (inflicting pain or injury), psychological or
emotional abuse (inflicting mental torture and exploitation), and sexual
abuse. Chronic verbal abuse was the most common followed by financial
abuse, physical abuse and neglect. A significantly large number of
women faced abuse as compared to men. Common perpetrators of
violence against the aged were identified as adult children, daughters -in-
law, spouses and sons -in-law.
c) Psychological Problems: The onset of ageing is marked by
psychological issues. After 50 years, generally there is a decline in
reasoning; impaired memory, waning enthusias m and disturbed sleep
patterns begin to surface in the early phase and become severe in the later
phases. The extent of happiness depends on several factors such as, the
extent of involvement in activities, health status, financial status and social
suppor t. Participating in religious activities, catching up with friends of
same age helps in better adjustment of the aged. This is in sharp contrast
to mental health of an individual within institutionalized care systems.
The aged may suffer from varied ps ychological problems, but research has
indicated that financial paucity and perception of crises within the family
has a direct bearing on depression. In other words, the elderly with good
financial support are less likely to be stress or depressed.munotes.in
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57d)Changing Family Structure: The traditional joint family system has
been instrumental in safeguarding the social and economic wellbeing of
the elderly. The traditional normative and value system emphasized on
showing respect and providing care to the age d . However, with the
disintegration of the joint family system, the elderly are more likely to be
exposed to emotional, physical and financial abuse in the years to come.
e) Lack of Infrastructure : With increasing lifeline and debilitating
illnesses, may elderly people need better access to physical infrastructure
in the coming years. Lack of aged -friendly infrastructure is a major
hurdle in providing comfort to the elderly. Many elderly people need
better access to physical infrastructure in their own homes as well as in
public spaces. There are limited affordable health care institutions entirely
dedicated to the concerns of the elderly. Additionally, the public health
system suffers from limited manpower, poor quality of care and
overcrowding o f facilities.
f) Problem of availability, accessibility and affordability of health
care: As families become nuclear, care of elderly is becoming more
difficult. Managing home care for the aged is a massive challenge as
multiple service providers suc h as; nursing agencies, physiotherapists and
medical suppliers are small, unorganized players who only extend the
basic level of care. The concept of geriatrics has remained a neglected
area of medicine in the country. This is evident from the fact tha tt h e r ea r e
very few takers for the geriatrics courses. Most of the government
facilities such as; day care centres, old age residential homes, counseling
and recreational facilities are urban based.
g) Lack of Social Support : The situation for the e lderly in India is grim
because the government spends a negligible amount on social security
system. The elderly in urban areas rely on hired domestic help to fulfill
their basic needs and complete daily chores in an increasingly chaotic and
crowded city . In India, medical insurance is essentially limited to
hospitalization facility. Insurance cover that is elderly sensitive is
virtually non -existent in India. In addition, preexisting illnesses are usually
not covered which makes insurance policies unvi able for the elders.
Pension and social security is also restricted to those who have worked in
the public sector or the organized sector of industry.
Ckeck your progress :
1)Mention any 2 issues faced by elderly.munotes.in
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587.4 SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDA TIONS
a.Health security should be extended by the government to the elderly.
b.Provision of aged friendly infrastructure should be installed.
c.Accessible, available and affordable geriatric health facilities to all
aged people.
d.Special attention should be give n to rural areas, women, destitute and
disabled persons.
e.Every medical college should have a dedicated ward for
chronic/terminal care of aged patients.
f.Professional training in geriatric and gerontology needs to be
promoted.
7.5 SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY
7.5.1 Old Age Homes :
Old age homes are proposed as a solution to the problems of the
aged such as poverty, lack of housing and generation gap. A study
conducted on inmates in nineteen institutions within Maharashtra reveals
that the economic st atus of the inmates had a long lasting influence on
their satisfaction levels. As the elderly from the higher income groups
could afford better services, they demanded a greater personalized
attention.
The beginnings and development of organized institutions that
cared for the elderly people can be traced back to 1901. Approximately
there are 1018 old age homes in India. Among these, 427 are available for
free, 153 demand payment and 146 have both sets of facilities. In other
words, these are paid as well as free. However, the status of 292 homes
cannot be known as there is dearth of detailed information. For the sick,
there are 371 homes and 118 are reserved only for women. States like
Kerala, Delhi , Maharashtra and West Bengal have taken the responsibility
to provided good quality homes to its aged population.
There are a number of reasons why the elderly move into old age
homes. One of the reasons is lack of care by the family, inadequate
housing , economic difficulties and structural break -up of the joint family.
Many elderly complain about mistreatment by children. Some others have
mentioned about adjustment problems and loneliness as contributing
factors. Some well -to-do aged people would lik e to lead an independent
life and therefore move into old age homes.
Old age homes provide shelter to the needy irrespective of any
group and hence may be secular. However, certain communities may
confine these facilities to their members only. For exa mple, F.S. Parekh
Dharam Shala in Maharashtra is reserved for Parsis, Ashinivas in MP formunotes.in
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59tribes, and Vridhashram of the Voluntary Health Education and Rural
Development Society of Tamil Nadu for Brahmins. Old age homes are
equipped with boarding, lodging , recreational and medical facilities.
However, there could be major problems that the elderly face at
old age homes. Although old age homes are called as ‘home away from
home, the elders may experience significant adjustment problems with
other inmates . The elderly are also susceptible to a variety of physical and
mental disorders at old age homes. These homes can never be a
replacement for the love and warmth of a family. Sometimes the elderly
show resentment towards strict regulations of institutio nal homes.
7.5.2 Senior Citizens Associations :
A number of Senior Citizens Associations have been established in
India and in other countries to address the challenges of the elderly.
A)Pune is the nerve center of senior citizen’s activities in Mahar ashtra.
Pune has as many as 52 senior citizen’s clubs, and they are organized into
the Association of Senior Citizen’s Organizations of Pune (ASCOP).
This association was formed in 1991 is part of FESCOM (Federation of
Senior Citizens’ Organizations, Ma harashtra). Among its objectives is the
creation of unity among various senior citizens. ASCOP has established a
wing called Academy of Senior Citizens to undertake activities and
programs in education, training and research. The motto of ASCOP is
“Empow erment of the elderly for healthier, serene and independent
living”.
Objectives of ASCOP are a) to create awareness amongst the
elderly population in all the rungs of the society and help them empower
themselves to be able to lead an honourable, healthy and satisfying life.
B)Recognizing the need to mobilize the elderly of cultural differences
and demands, Indian Senior Citizens Association (ISCA) of Canberra
(Australia) aims to cater for the social, welfare and cultural needs of aged
persons of Ind ian cultural background. It was established in 1995.
Objectives of the associations are as follows:
●To facilitate the provision of welfare and social services for aged
persons
●To act as spokespersons on behalf of aged person
●To organize cultural and recreational activities for seniors
The ISCA members meet on a regular basis with fortnightly walks
and debates. Talks supervised by specialists in health education and
ageing, provide advice on how to combat social isolation.
7.5.3 Day Care Centres :
Day care centres are a boon to the elderly people and their families
especially in urban areas. If finance is not an issue, it is the more
preferable choice to old age homes. Once the children start working or aremunotes.in
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60studying in diff erent cities, parents are left to fend for themselves. Staying
alone in a house which is meant for a family has its own disadvantages.
Research shows that chronic loneliness can impact older adults’ memory,
physical well -being, mental health and life exp ectancy.
With the rise of day care centres for the elderly, caregivers and
family members can breathe a sigh of relief, while their elderly loved one
is being looked after by a volunteer either at home or at the day care
centre. The elderly gain a chance to get out of the home, socialize and
participate in different activities.
A draft BMC policy in 2013 envisioned one day -centre for seniors
in every municipal ward in Mumbai –which would mean a total of 227
centres across the length and breadth of the city and suburbs. But there has
been no move regarding the implementation of this policy. The biggest
challenges, say the centres in Mumbai, are finding trained social workers
that can handle senior citizens sensitively. The other challenge is finding
space for the centres’ day to day activities in a city which is known for its
spiraling real estate price.
7.6 CONCLUSION
With an increase in the population of the aged, India faces the
challenges of dealing with issues related to the elderly. As changes a re
impacting the structure of the traditional Indian family, it becomes the
responsibility of the government through its social security schemes to
alleviate the problems of the aged. The government and voluntary
agencies should endeavour to extend support services for the elderly so
that they can live their lives with dignity.
7.7 SUMMARY
Ageing is a universal phenomenon. An ageing population is a
medical as well as a sociological problem.
Gerontologists investigate age, ageing, and the aged. Geriatrics is
a medical specialty focused on care and treatment of older persons.
Ageing is the process of growing old. There are four dimensions of
ageing: chronological, biological, psychological and social.
The elderly population is faced by many challenges such as,
medical, financial, social, psychological and economic. Their problems are
aggravated due to lack of social security measures, lack of infrastructure
and changing dynamics within the fam ilies.
A number of support services for the elderly are available in the
form of old age homes, day care centres and senior citizens association
which aim to restore dignity and independence among the aged.munotes.in
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617.8 QUESTIONS
1)Discuss the need for geriatric s and gerontology in contemporary
societies?
2)Examine the phenomenon of ageing in relation to the definition and
dimensions of ageing.
3)Discuss the extent of the problem of ageing.
4)Evaluate the challenges faced by the elderly population.
5)Discuss the suggesti on and recommendations for addressing the
problems of the aged.
6)Discuss the support systems available for the elderly in rural and urban
areas.
7.9 REFERENCES
Ingle, G.K. and Nath Anita (2008): Geriatric Health in India:
Concerns and Solutions in Indian Journal of Community Medicine,
Oct, 33(4), 214 -218.
Kapur, Radhika (2018) : Problems of the Aged People in India
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325144978_Problems_of_th
e_Aged_People_in_India
Mane, A.B. (2016): Ageing inn India: Some Social Challenges to
Elderly Care in Journal of Gerontology and Ge riatric Research,
2016, 5:2
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628
GERIATRIC CARE: GOVERNMENT AND
NON-GOVERNMENTAL INITIATIVES IN
INDIA
Unit Structure :
8.0 Objectives
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Initiatives by the Government of India
8.3 Welfare programmes for the Elderly
8.4 Initiatives by Non -Governmental Organizations
8.5 Conclusion
8.6 Summary
8.7 Questions
8.8 Reference s
8.0 OBJECTIVES:
●To introduce the learner to several policies and programmes initiated
by the government of India for the elderly people
●To understand the role of non -governmental organizations in
addressing the problems of the aged.
8.1 INTRODUCTION
Population ageing is an important emerging phenomenon in India.
It requires a strong multi -sectoral policy and programme response so that
future generations benefit and live longer with happiness and security.
While improvements in health care and medic al facilities, decline in
fertility will lead to an increase in longevity, it raises other concerns. The
projected increase of the elderly population over the next few decades is a
development issue that warrants immediate attention so that economic and
social policies become senior citizen -friendly. In order to promote the
health, well -being, and independence of the elderly people in India, the
government has launched various schemes and policies for the aged.
8.2 INITIATIVES BY THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
ICentral Sector Scheme of Integrated Programme for Older
Persons (IPOP), 1992 : An Integrated Programme for Older Personsmunotes.in
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63(IPOP) is in action since 1992. The objective of the scheme is to improve
the quality of life of senior citizens by providing basic amenities like;
shelter, food, medical care and entertainment opportunities. It also aims to
encourage productive and active ageing through providing support for
capacity building of Government or Non -governmental Organizations,
Panchayati Raj Institutio ns, local bodies and the community at large.
IINational Policy on older persons (NPOP), 1999 : This policy was
announced in January, 1999 is comprehensive. It includes a number of
areas such as financial security, healthcare and nutrition, shelter,
protection of life and property, among others. It also emphasizes equitable
share in development, protection against abuse of the aged and
exploitation and availability of services to improve the quality of their
lives.
In continuation of the NPOP, a Natio nal Council for Older
Persons (NCOP) was constituted in 1999 under the Chairpersonship of
the Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment to oversee the
implementation of the policy. The NCOP is the highest body to advise the
government in all issues rela ting to the formulation and implementation of
policies and programmes for the aged.
The Council was reconstituted in 2005 with members comprising of
representatives of Central and State governments, representatives of
NGOs, citizens’s groups, retired pe rsons associations, and experts in the
field of law, medicine and social welfare.
IIINational Policy on Senior Citizens, 2011: This policy specifically
addresses issues related to senior citizens living in rural and urban areas.
The key thrust of this policy is preventive rather than curative. Therefore
the policy aims to support promotion and establishment of Senior
Citizen’s Associations especially among women. It also promotes the
concept of ‘Ageing in Place’ or ‘Ageing in your own home”. Thus th is
policy covers themes on housing, insurance, security and home care
services, old age pensions, etc. The aim is to facilitate and sustain the
dignity of senior citizens in old age. As a member of the Madrid Plan this
policy works towards making a more i nclusive, barrier free and age
friendly society.
IVNational Social Assistance Programme (NSAP): This a Centrally
Sponsored Scheme of the Government of India. Its objective is to provide
financial assistance to the elderly, widows and persons with disabilities in
the form of social pensions.
This scheme has five components: -
a.Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS):
This scheme is applicable to citizens above 60 year and also living
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64b.Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) : This
scheme covers widows above the age of 40 and also living under the
poverty line.
c.Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS):
This scheme covers individuals aged 18 years and above with more
than 80% disability and living below the poverty line.
d.National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS): Mainly applicable for no n
elderly population.
e.Annapurna Scheme : The objective of this scheme is to provide food
security to meet the requirement of those senior citizens who may be
eligible, but have not been covered under the IGNOAPS. Under the
Annapurna Scheme, each beneficiar y is provided with 10 kgs. of free
rice.
VNational Programme for Health Care of Elderly (NPHCE): This
programme is an initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Its aim is to establish a comprehensive health care set -up which is wholly
dedicated to the needs of the elderly. The NPHCE is a result of the
International and National commitments of the Government. This
programme is envisaged under the UN Convention of India in 1999 and
Section 20 of “The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior
Citizens Act, 2007”. This Act specifies the provisions and medical care of
senior citizens.
The NPHCE has four objectives: a) To provide easily available,
affordable, high quality, long -term, comprehensive and dedicated care
services to senior c itizens; b) To create a new ‘architecture’ for ageing; c)
To create a policy framework which will nurture an enabling environment
for a ‘Society for all Ages’; d) To promote the idea of active and healthy
ageing.
VIAssistance for Construction of Old Ag ed Homes :A n o n -plan
Scheme of Assistance to Panchayati Raj Institutions/Voluntary
Organizations/Self -help groups for construction of Old Age Homes was
started in 1996 -97. Grant -in-aid to the extent of 50% of the cost of
construction upto a maximum of R s. 15 lakhs was given under the scheme.
However, the scheme was found to be non -feasible by the implementing
agencies and was discontinued at the end of the Xth Plan (2006 -07).
VII International Day of Older Persons : The International Day of
Older Pers ons is celebrated on 1stOctober. On 1stOctober, 2009, the
Hon’ble Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment flagged off
“Walkathon” at Rajpath, India Gate, to promote inter -generational
bonding. More than 3000 senior citizens from across Delhi, NGOs
working in the field of elderly issues, and school children participated in
the event. Help age India, New Delhi collaborated with the Ministry in
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65Some more schemes launched by the government of India are as
follows:
●Integrated Prog ramme for Older Persons
●Scheme of Assistance to Panchayati Raj Institutions
●Central Government Health Scheme
●National Mental Health Programme
8.3 WELFARE PROGRAMS FOR THE ELDERLY
According to the Ministry of Welfare (1987), an increase in the
number of aged persons along with their specific needs have resulted in a
variety of welfare measures for the elderly. The Volunteer Inter -faith
Care-givers Programme was especially launched to address the needs of
the old people who were living in th eir own homes and to assist those who
cared for them within their homes.
Panchayati Raj institutions have also been assisted to provide
institutional as well as non -institutional services. The Old Age Social and
Income Security Scheme (OASIS) attempts to ensure a safety net
especially for workers in the unorganized sector. The World Health
Organization has stated that pension schemes have provided some relief
formerly provided by the family.
8.4 NON -GOVERNMENTAL INITIATIVES IN INDIA
There has been a g radual increase in the aged population, a
developing country like India has found it difficult to cope with the needs
and problems of its elderly people. In the past few decades, the
government has introduced programmes and policies for welfare and
assistance of the aged. At the same time, many nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) for the elderly have played a pivotal role in voicing
out the issues concerning the problems of older people to the mainstream.
With constant effort, these NGOs have helped to refocus attention to the
several socio -economic and health issues of the elderly.
A)What is a Non -governmental Organization (NGO)
The role of NGOs in India has become very prominent over the
past few years. Despite governmental schemes, a considerable portion of
the population does not have access to the provisions and fall off the
safety net. This gap in services is fulfilled by the NGOs. In simple terms,
NGO is any non -profit organization that operates independently or the
government. Its core obj ective is to address any social, economic,
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66B)Objectives of the NGOs for the elderly
●Overall upliftment of senior citizens.
●To spread social awareness and create a society which is hospitable
and obliging to older persons.
●To transform societal attitudes of generations and create a safe,
respectable and honorable environment for senior citizens.
●It aims to assist and provide a dignified and fulfilling life to the
underprivileged and disadvantaged aged persons.
C)Significance of NGOs for Elder Care
NGOs play an important in providing adequate support and
essential facilities to the aged. They offer various types of servic es, proper
care, economic provisions, medical treatment, legal assistance for property
disputes, and more. Most people working in the NGOs are volunteers and
have a great understanding of the issues of this challenged segment of the
society. They are tra ined well to take care of the elderly people and
provide them with what is missing in their life. They also offer services
that include health care, opportunities to generate income and subsistence
training.
In addition, NGOs working for the aged popula tion actively
participate in activities that are exclusively for the welfare and enrichment
of the weak segments of the society. Since the government has limited
resources and funding, the non -governmental organizations take
initiatives, sometimes individ ually or sometimes in association with the
governmental agency to develop programmes that address these issues.
D)Non-governmental Organizations for the Aged in India Help Age
India : This is one of the most prominent NGOs for elderly people.
Registere d under the Societies Registration Act, 1960, Help Age India was
formed in 1978. It is a leading charity platform in India working with and
for disadvantaged elderly for more than 4 decades. It is the country’s
largest voluntary organization with 23 regi onal offices. The objectives of
this NGO are: fighting isolation, poverty and neglect of the elderly. Their
programmes are carried out in large scale in alliance with partner agencies.
The major programmes undertaken by it are as follows: i) Ophthalmic
Care; ii) Mobile Medicare; iii) Income Generation; iv) Day care centres;
v) Adopt –A-Gran and homes for the aged. For its excellent work, the
organization has received praise from the United Nations.
Dignity Foundation: This is an NGO whose mission is to create an
enlightened society in which senior citizens feel secure, confident, and
valued and can live with dignity. One of the goals of the Foundation is to
rid the minds of the senior citizens of negative feelings such as ageing as
associated with loneliness, isolation, and decline. Dignity Foundations
considers equality, positive thinking, perseverance, self -belief, and
simplicity as the pillars of a healthy society.munotes.in
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67The International Longevity Centre -India : This is a non -profit
organization t hat has dedicated its efforts in the areas of education and
training of the weaker section and ageing population. Its main role is to
research, advocate and understand population ageing at all levels.
Age Care India :I n 1 9 8 0 , A g e -Care India was formed to promote the
welfare of the aged people of India. It is a non -political, non -profit,
secular, charitable, educational, cultural, and social welfare organization
under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860. Irrespective of caste,
colour, and creed, this organization advocates the rights of elderly to live a
happy and dignified life. They often set up free health check -up camps
and clinics. They also have a daycare centre and arrange spare -time
employment opportunities for healthy retired people. T he membership to
this voluntary body is open to all physically fit persons 21 years of age and
above, irrespective of caste, creed or sex. With current membership of
1500 volunteers it enjoys patronage from the government, receiving grants
for a number of its programmes and projects.
All India Senior Citizens’ Confederation –AISCCON
It is the largest national network for senior citizens. It is committed
to research, inform and advocate issues concerning senior citiz ens and the
development of this section of the society.
Apart from the abovementioned NGOs, there is Anugraha India,
Age well Foundation, Silver Innings Foundations, Harmony, Action for
Social Help Assistance (ASHA), Family Welfare Agency, Development -
Welfare and Research Foundation (DWARF), Meals on Wheels operating
in different parts of the country. These NGOs have done commendable
work in the field of geriatric care. They have identified several socio -
economic issues and with their initiatives provid ed viable solutions to the
issues that threaten the senior population.
8.5 CONCLUSION
Apart from the interventions by the government and non -
governmental organizations, steps need to be taken to create mechanisms
for the proper and adequate delivery of services to the elderly. There is an
urgent need to expand provisions, strengthen capabilities and balance
geographical distribution. Change in the societal attitudes and
sensitization of the population to the issues of ageing needs to be
undertaken on a war footing basis. General population must learn to
consider elder care as a key elemental role of the society and contribute to
the cause. The NGOs provide amazing opportunities to everyone to work
for the society or a social cause.munotes.in
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688.6 SUMMARY
The problem of population ageing requires a strong multi -sectoral
policy and programme response so that future generations benefit and live
longer with happiness and security.
In order to promote the health, well -being, and independence of the
elderly pe ople in India, the government has launched various schemes and
policies for the aged.
Several schemes and policies have been initiated by the
Government of India to address the issues which threaten the elderly.
Since the government has limited resources and funding, the non -
governmental organizations take initiatives, sometimes individually or
sometimes in association with the governmental agency to develop
programmes that address these issues.
Change in the s ocietal attitudes and sensitization of the population
to the issues of ageing needs to be undertaken on a war footing basis.
8.7 QUESTIONS
1.Discuss the nature and significance of NGOs in India.
2.Examine the contribution of NGOs in addressing the challenges of the
aged population.
3.Examine the governmental initiatives for the welfare of the aged in
India.
8.8 REFERENCES
Dey S, Nambiar D, Lakshmi JK, et al.(2012): Health of the
Elderly in India: Challenges of Access and Affordability. In:
National Research Council (US) Panel on Policy Research and
Data Needs to Meet the Challenge of Aging in Asia
Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK109208/
National Policy for the Aged i nI n d i a
https://www.gktoday.in/gk/government -policy -for-senior -citizens -
in-india/
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69Question Paper Pattern
1. All Questions are Compulsory (100 Marks)
2. All Questions Carry Equal Marks
3. Figures to the right indicates marks to a sub -question
Q1. Attempt Any 2 of the following Questions (Module I) 20 Marks
a.
b.
c.
Q2. Attemp t Any 2 of the following Questions (Module II) 20 Marks
a.
b.
c.
Q3. Attempt Any 2 of the following Questions (Module III) 20 Marks
a.
b.
c.
Q4. Attempt Any 2 of the following Questions (Module IV) 20 Marks
a.
b.
c.
Q5. Write Short Notes on Any 2 20 Marks
a.
b.
c.
d.
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