culture_society

Human Rights ariba khaliq ariba khaliq ariba.khaliq@gmail.com ariba khaliq 01/13/2010 IN_94 Delhi Feature asia

Though the Commonwealth Games preparations have given a lot of employment, but what about the rising wholesale price index?

The pinch of inflation has been felt by everyone. But none more than the working laborers here in Delhi. With the Commonwealth Games 2010 infrastructural development going at full pace, there has been an inflow of labor from neighbouring states into the capital. “I used to pull rickshaws (tricycle) before this in Rohtak city of Haryana, but couldn’t manage to earn 200 rupees (approx $ 4.3) per day as I do here. It has been three months and now I can send sufficient money to my family in Bihar,” says Nandu,30, who works at the road construction site in East Delhi. According to the 2008 census, Delhi has a population of around 14 million. Of these nearly one third are unemployed immigrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Government has made no limits for the number of immigrants that can come to a city from another, which makes the condition worse. Subsequently the unemployment rate has continued to fall with each passing year. In 2007 the unemployment rate was 7.8% that decreased to 7.2% in 2008 and 6.8% in 2009. Delhi’s Games have been a boon to the common man. “There is no work in UP. I’ve been a security guard at this site for five months. I get 116 rupees(approx $ 2.5) per day for my 12 hour shift. It is far more than I used to get from my previous job in Naraina,” says 50 year old Deenanath Verma. However in July 2008, the main indicator of the Indian Inflation Rate i.e. the Wholesale Price Index had risen above 11% - its highest rate in 13 years. More than a 6% spike over the previous year and almost three times the RBI’s target of 4.1%. In spite of the relative surplus of income the last few months have proved difficult for these people. With the prices of sugar going up as high as Rs.40 ($0.8) /kg and of rice to Rs.30 ($ 0.6)/ kg, the poor are struggling to save. “In the 50 years that I have been through, I have never seen potatoes cost Rs20 ($ 0.4) a kg,” laments Verma. Beans used to be called the poor man’s food but this is no longer the case. Kawlesh, a 24 year old laborer says, “I am becoming self- reliant. This is my development. But if I want to have arhar daal (kind of beans) in lunch today I can’t have it because it costs Rs.85 ($ 1.8) per kg.” Though the government is promising to curb the prise rise as soon as possible, no substantial steps have been taken towards it. The infrastructural development in the city has helped raise aspirations of many laborers and their families. Sagir Ansari, 35, started as a worker three years ago. He is now a supervisor. Says Sagir, “I earn 116 rupees ($ 2.5) per hour and can sufficiently save. My son wants to study in a private school. I got him enrolled into one. But I am afraid he won’t be there for long.” Inflation has over shadowed the benefits that Sagir saw when his promotion came. Along with sustainable infrastructural development, social development of individual laborers and their families is ultimately leading towards national development. Although it is far from Karl Marx’s idea of a classless society, progress until now has been in the right direction; provided that the government pays some heed to the issue. Merely providing employment is clearly not the panacea of all problems. Beth Potter bpotter@upi.com ariba khaliq 01/13/2010 IN_94 Delhi Feature asia

Preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games mean more jobs for people in India, but also more inflation, especially in the wholesale price index

Workers from the countryside have flocked to New Delhi, India, to help the city get ready for this year's Commonwealth Games, which are similar to the Olympics. But laborers complain that even though there's plenty of work, rising inflation is crimping their food budgets, among other things. In July 2008, India's wholesale price index rose above 11 percent -- its highest rate in 13 years, the government said. That number was a more than a 6 percent spike over the previous year and almost three times the index's target rate of 4.1 percent. The index is one measure of the country's inflation rate. “In the 50 years that I have been through, I have never seen potatoes cost 20 rupees [40 cents] a kilogram,” said Deenanath Verma, 50, a security guard at a construction site. Verma's not the only one feeling the pinch. With the price of sugar going up as high as 40 rupees (80 cents) per kilogram, and rice selling for up to 30 rupees (60 cents) per kilogram, the poor are struggling to save, economists say. “I am becoming self-reliant. This is my development. But if I want to have arhar daal [a common bean dish] at lunch today, I can’t have it because it costs 85 rupees [$ 1.80] per kilogram,” says Kawlesh, 24, a laborer. At the same time, the unemployment rate has fallen in recent years, and workers are making more money. It was 6.8 percent in 2009, down from 7.8 percent in 2009. “I used to pull rickshaws before this in Rohtak but I couldn’t manage to earn 200 rupees [about $ 4.30] per day as I do here," says Nandu, 30, who works at a road construction site in East Delhi. "It has been three months, and now I can send sufficient money to my family in Bihar.” Verma now gets paid about 116 rupees per day, or about $2.50, for a 12-hour shift as a security guard. He says that's far more than he used to make at a job in Naraina, an industrial area on the outskirts of the capital. Government officials have promised to take steps to curb inflation, but so far, food prices have not dropped, critics say. Many laborers and their families now are using the rise in salaries to get better education for their children. Sagir Ansari, 35, recently enrolled his son in a private school, for example. He is a supervisor who makes about $2.50 per hour. Many families migrated from the suburbs to the capital to work on the new infrastructure projects, according to government statistics. About 14 million people live in New Delhi, nearly one-third of them immigrants from the neighboring regions of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, according to the 2008 census. ariba khaliq ariba.khaliq@gmail.com ariba khaliq 01/13/2010 IN_94 Delhi Feature asia

Preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games mean more jobs for people in India, but also more inflation, especially in the wholesale price index

Workers from the countryside have flocked to New Delhi, India, to help the city get ready for this year's Commonwealth Games, which are similar to the Olympics. But laborers complain that even though there's plenty of work, rising inflation is crimping their food budgets, among other things. In July 2008, India's wholesale price index rose above 11 percent -- its highest rate in 13 years, the government said. That number was a more than a 6 percent spike over the previous year and almost three times the index's target rate of 4.1 percent. The index is one measure of the country's inflation rate. “In the 50 years that I have been through, I have never seen potatoes cost 20 rupees [40 cents] a kilogram,” said Deenanath Verma, 50, a security guard at a construction site. Verma's not the only one feeling the pinch. With the price of sugar going up as high as 40 rupees (80 cents) per kilogram, and rice selling for up to 30 rupees (60 cents) per kilogram, the poor are struggling to save, economists say. “I am becoming self-reliant. This is my development. But if I want to have arhar daal [a common bean dish] at lunch today, I can’t have it because it costs 85 rupees [$ 1.80] per kilogram,” says Kawlesh Singh, 24, a laborer. At the same time, the unemployment rate has fallen in recent years, and workers are making more money. It was 6.8 percent in 2009, down from 7.8 percent in 2009. “I used to pull rickshaws before this in Rohtak but I couldn’t manage to earn 200 rupees [about $ 4.30] per day as I do here," says Nandu Lal, 30, who works at a road construction site in East Delhi. "It has been three months, and now I can send sufficient money to my family in Bihar.” Verma now gets paid about 116 rupees per day, or about $2.50, for a 12-hour shift as a security guard. He says that's far more than he used to make at a job in Naraina, an industrial area on the outskirts of the capital. Government officials have promised to take steps to curb inflation, but so far, food prices have not dropped, critics say. Many laborers and their families now are using the rise in salaries to get better education for their children. Sagir Ansari, 35, recently enrolled his son in a private school, for example. He is a supervisor who makes about $2.50 per hour. Many families migrated from the suburbs to the capital to work on the new infrastructure projects, according to government statistics. About 14 million people live in New Delhi, nearly one-third of them immigrants from the neighboring regions of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, according to the 2008 census. Beth Potter bpotter@upi.com ariba khaliq 01/13/2010 IN_94 Delhi Feature asia

Preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games mean more jobs for people in India, but also more inflation, especially in food costs.

Workers from the countryside have flocked to New Delhi, India, to help the city get ready for this year's Commonwealth Games, which are similar to the Olympics. But laborers complain that even though there's plenty of work, rising inflation crimps their food budgets, among other things. In July 2008, India's wholesale price index rose above 11 percent -- its highest rate in 13 years, the government said. That number was a more than 6 percent spike over the previous year and almost three times the index's target rate of 4.1 percent. The index is one measure of the country's inflation rate. “In the 50 years that I have been through, I have never seen potatoes cost 20 rupees [40 cents] a kilogram,” said Deenanath Verma, 50, a security guard at a construction site. Verma's not the only one feeling the pinch. With the price of sugar going up as high as 40 rupees (80 cents) per kilogram, and rice selling for up to 30 rupees (60 cents) per kilogram, the poor are struggling to save, economists say. “I am becoming self-reliant. This is my development. But if I want to have arhar daal [a common bean dish] at lunch today, I can’t have it because it costs 85 rupees [$ 1.80] per kilogram,” says Kawlesh Singh, 24, a laborer. At the same time, the unemployment rate has fallen in recent years, and workers are making more money. It was 6.8 percent in 2009, according to government statistics, down from 7.8 percent in 2009. “I used to pull rickshaws before this in Rohtak but I couldn’t manage to earn 200 rupees [about $ 4.30] per day as I do here," says Nandu Lal, 30, who works at a road construction site in East Delhi. "It has been three months, and now I can send sufficient money to my family in Bihar.” Verma now gets paid about 116 rupees per day, or about $2.50, for a 12-hour shift as a security guard. He says that's far more than he used to make at a job in Naraina, an industrial area on the outskirts of the capital. Government officials have promised to take steps to curb inflation, but so far, food prices have not dropped, critics say. At the same time, many laborers are now sending their children to private schools with the additional money they're making. Supervisor Sagir Ansari, 35, recently was able to enroll his son at a private school on his salary of about $2.50 per hour, for example. Thousands of families migrated from the suburbs to the capital to work on the new infrastructure projects, according to government statistics. About 14 million people live in New Delhi, nearly one-third of them immigrants from the neighboring regions of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, according to the 2008 census. UPI Editorial noreply@upiu.com ariba khaliq 01/13/2010 Delhi Feature

Preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games mean more jobs for people in India, but also more inflation, especially in food costs.

Workers from the countryside have flocked to New Delhi to help the city get ready for this year's Commonwealth Games, which are similar to the Olympics. But laborers complain that even though there's plenty of work, rising inflation crimps their food budgets, among other things. In July 2008, India's wholesale price index rose more than 11 percent -- its highest rate in 13 years, the government said. That number was a more than 6 percent spike over the previous year and almost three times the index's target rate of 4.1 percent. The index is one measure of the country's inflation rate. “In the 50 years that I have been through, I have never seen potatoes cost 20 rupees (40 cents) a kilogram,” said Deenanath Verma, 50, a security guard at a construction site. Verma's not the only one feeling the pinch. With the price of sugar going up as high as 80 cents per kilogram and rice selling for up to 60 cents per kilogram, the poor are struggling to save, economists say. “I am becoming self-reliant. This is my development. But if I want to have arhar daal (a common bean dish) at lunch today, I can’t have it because it costs 85 rupees ($1.80) per kilogram,” says Kawlesh Singh, 24, a laborer. At the same time, the unemployment rate has fallen in recent years and workers are making more money. The rate was 6.8 percent in 2009, according to government statistics, down from 7.8 percent in 2009. “I used to pull rickshaws before this in Rohtak but I couldn’t manage to earn 200 rupees (about $4.30) per day as I do here," says Nandu Lal, 30, who works at a road construction site in East Delhi. "It has been three months, and now I can send sufficient money to my family in Bihar.” Verma now gets paid about $2.50 for a 12-hour shift as a security guard. He says that's far more than he used to make at a job in Naraina, an industrial area on the outskirts of the capital. Government officials have promised to take steps to curb inflation but food prices have not dropped, critics say. At the same time, many laborers are sending their children to private schools with the additional money they're making. Supervisor Sagir Ansari, 35, recently was able to enroll his son at a private school on his salary of about $2.50 per hour, for example. Thousands of families migrated from the suburbs to the capital to work on the new infrastructure projects, according to government statistics. About 14 million people live in New Delhi, nearly one-third of them immigrants from the neighboring regions of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, 2008 census data indicate. 2010-01-13 16:17:28 UTC 2010-03-09 09:17:42 UTC