The 2030 Agenda of United Nations (UN) envisages 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 targets and 231 indicators; the goals’ quantitative counterparts complement these aspirational goals. For attaining SDGs, India has developed a National Indicator Framework (NIF) on the ground that global indicators to be reframed in the national context. In acknowledgement of the crucial role played by local governments in attaining SDGs, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) has formulated the Local Indicator Framework (LIF). This was to localise SDGs through gram panchayats. The authors identified that localising SDGs by using only LIF has limitations relating to relevance and understandability of targets. Studying these in selected gram panchayats of Kerala in India, by using qualitative method, this manuscript advocates for Local Target Framework (LTF). The steps for LTF are also suggested by the authors for localising SDGs.
Sustainable agricultural programmes are increasingly promoted to reconcile environmental sustainability with household livelihood security. However, empirical evidence has largely evaluated natural farming through productivity, profitability, and ecological outcomes, providing limited understanding of whether these benefits translate into inclusive livelihood gains across heterogeneous farming households. This study examines the livelihood effects of participation in the Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming programme, drawing on primary survey data from 1,786 agricultural households, comprising 1,140 CNF households and 646 conventional farming households. Household livelihood security is measured by the Monthly Per Capita Household Income, and its determinants are estimated using Ordinary Least Squares and Quantile Regression models while controlling for household, farm, institutional, and agroecological characteristics. The results indicate that participation in CNF is positively associated with household livelihood security. More importantly, the magnitude of this association declines systematically across the conditional income distribution, indicating that resource-constrained households derive substantially greater livelihood gains than relatively better-off farmers. Irrigation, institutional credit, education, and landholding further strengthen livelihood security, underscoring the complementary role of productive assets and institutional support. The findings demonstrate that the livelihood benefits of sustainable agricultural programmes are inherently heterogeneous rather than uniform across farming households, highlighting the importance of evaluating agroecological transition through its distributional livelihood effects rather than average programme effects alone. By providing distribution-sensitive evidence on the livelihood consequences of agroecological transition, the study extends the literature on sustainable agriculture and offers policy-relevant insights for designing agricultural programmes that are environmentally sustainable, economically viable, and socially inclusive.
Unemployment is one of the most important challenges faced by India, along with other social and economic issues, with wide-ranging consequences for the country’s economic development, human resources, social integration and individual well-being. Unemployment is more complex in rural labour markets, where employment is irregular, seasonal, and in the informal sector; traditional indicators of unemployment do not adequately capture the true nature of the unemployment issue. Using primary data collected from 1086 respondents, this study attempts to analyse the prevalence, severity, and intensity of unemployment in rural Haryana. The study employs the Person Rate of Unemployment, Time Rate of Unemployment, and Severity Index, based on the measurement approaches of Paul, Shorrocks, Motiram, and Naraparaju, which are conceptually grounded in Sen’s welfare perspective. Moreover, the Chi-square test of association is used to assess the significance of the association between the socio-economic variables and unemployment. The findings show that the unemployment rate is higher among females, unmarried people, young people, economically weaker sections, and casual labourers engaged in non-agricultural activities. The results of the Chi-Square test also indicate that factors such as gender, age, marital status, qualification, economic category, occupation, household income and annual income are significantly associated with the unemployment rate in Haryana. The study highlights the importance of multidimensional measures of unemployment, which provide greater insight into labour-market conditions in rural areas by capturing not only the presence of unemployment but also its intensity and severity. The findings clearly indicate the need for area-specific policies targeting women, youth, and non-farm rural employment, as well as skill development, promotion of MSMEs, and creation of quality rural non-farm jobs in Haryana.
The informal sector constitutes a major source of employment worldwide, particularly in developing countries such as India, where it contributes to nearly one-third of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs around 90 per cent of the workforce. Despite its economic significance, informal workers are often exposed to unsafe working environments, inadequate social protection, and limited access to occupational healthcare. This study examines occupational health hazards among informal workers in Assam, with particular emphasis on gender disparities. Primary data were collected from 600 informal workers across rural and urban areas of Assam using a structured interview schedule. A multidimensional Occupational Health Hazards Index (OHHI) was constructed to assess workers’ health risks, and Beta Regression was employed to identify the socio-economic and occupational determinants of occupational health hazards. The findings reveal a high prevalence of workplace injuries, chronic health problems, and adverse working conditions among informal workers. Female workers consistently exhibit higher occupational health hazards than their male counterparts. The regression results further indicate that gender, age, educational attainment, daily wages, sector of employment, working hours, work experience, and commuting distance significantly influence occupational health hazards. The study highlights the need for gender-responsive occupational safety measures, improved workplace conditions, strengthened social security, and targeted health interventions to enhance the well-being of informal workers in Assam.
The tea plantation sector has been a significant contributor to the economy of Assam since the colonial period. However, the working conditions and socio-economic status of tea plantation workers have always been a serious concern. The study examines the livelihood security of tea plantation workers in two selected tea gardens in Assam, as well as the income and expenditure patterns among tea workers’ households. Tea plantation workers were selected through a multi-stage sampling technique from two tea gardens located in the Kamrup (Rural) and Dibrugarh districts. A composite livelihood security index was constructed employing a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method to address the primary objective of the study. The findings of the study suggest that the average livelihood security of tea plantation workers’ households is 0.469, indicating a state of vulnerability. More than half of the tea households experience low to semi-medium levels of livelihood security. A disparity was evident between permanent and temporary workers in terms of monthly per capita income and expenditure. The results reveal that education for children constitutes the smallest share of total expenditure, while a large share of earnings is allocated to meet households’ food and nutritional requirements .
