Koraput: A workshop on “COVID-19 and Social Security Measures” was organised by the Dept. of Economics, Central University of Odisha on 29th September, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. through virtual mode. Prof Mrutyunjaya Mishra, Professor, Dept. of Economics, Banaras Hindu University and Dr.Dukhabandhu Sahoo, Asst. Professor, IIT Bhubaneswar were the resource persons of the workshop. Vice Chancellor in charge of the University, Prof.Sharat Kumar Palita delivered the inaugural address. Prof. Palitahighlighted the constitutional safeguards in relation to social security in India and the responsibility of the Govt. in the face of pandemic like COVID-19 to mitigate the problem of large workw foce particularly in unorganised sector. The session commenced with Dr. Minati Sahoo, Head I/c, Dept. of Economics who extended the welcome address and introduced the department. It was followed by introduction of the topic by Prof. Bhagabata Patro, Visiting Professor. He gave a rough background of the economy during COVID 19 including topics like food shortage, the plight of workers without savings and the virtues of Direct Benefit Transfer and other Social Security Schemes.
Prof Mrutyunjaya Mishra discussed the vulnerability of people in both formal and informal sector amidst the pandemic and how resilient and redistributive social security measures act as the umbrella for people employed in both the sectors. He also segregated Social Security Measures into contributory and non-contributory measures which includes cash transfers, transfers in kind, subsidies or moratorium on payment of essential amenities, unemployment insurance and temporary debt relief measures. He called for immediate action on building universal, redistributive, solidarity-based policies.
The next resource person, Dr. Dukhabandhu Sahoo in his presentation enlisted the lessons learnt from COVID 19 economy and the way forward for India in the field of devising social security measures to shield from the forthcoming economic slack not only as a pandemic but in any form as it may be. He also emphasised on the behavioural aspect of migration and reverse migration and also analysed policy interventions. He discussed in detail the concepts and reality of Pull factors and Push factors of migration and what can be done to tackle the same.
There was a productiveinteraction session among the resource person and the participants. Ms. Karishma Rana, PhD scholar, Dept. of Economics, delivered the vote of thanks whereas Ms. Manisha Gupta, PhD Scholar, Dept. of Economics introducedProf. Mishra andMr. Satyaranjan Sahu, PG 2nd Year, Dept. of Economics introduced Dr.Sahoo. The workshop was attended by students, research scholars and faculty members from the School of Social Sciences (Dept. of Economics, Dept. of Anthropology and Dept. of Sociology), Central University of Odisha as well as students from Banaras Hindu University (BHU).The entire session was compered by Ms. R U Megha, PG 2nd Year, Dept. of Economics.
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