India

This is an Act to provide for the establishment of the Punjab Social Protection Authority. Whereas it is expedient to establish the Punjab Social Protection Authority to provide a comprehensive, efficient, effective and inclusive social protection system to the poor and vulnerable in the Punjab; and to deal with ancillary matters.

People may avoid migrating if they cannot insure themselves against the risk of a bad outcome. Governments can reduce the consumption risk faced by migrants by allowing them to access social protection programs in the destination. This study randomly informed around 62,000 households across 18 Indian states about a new program allowing migrants to collect their food ration across the country, together with information about practical barriers to using the program.

Eliminating tuberculosis (TB) as a public health concern is not only about saving lives, but also equally an important economic investment. In line with this, the Government of India (GOI) has a target of elimination of TB by 2025, through innovative measures, including providing multiple direct benefit transfer (DBT) schemes for patients and providers and using technology to strengthen service delivery. The GOI has implemented DBT for more than 300 social protection schemes, including eleven in the health sector.

Do information frictions limit the benefits of financial inclusion drives for the rural poor? We evaluate an experimental intervention among recently banked poor Indian women receiving government cash transfers via direct deposit. Treated women were provided automated voice calls confirming details of transactions posted to their accounts. The intervention increased women's knowledge of account balances and trust in their local banking agent.

The evidence in this study captures the health-seeking behaviour of beneficiaries as well as awareness and attitude of the insured persons and employers registered with the ESIS. The findings of this study underscore differential experiences and perceptions of beneficiaries in diverse implementation context of four states of India. The study highlights that while the ESIS beneficiaries appreciate the extensive benefit package, especially the medical benefits, there is still substantial scope of strengthening the effectiveness of the service delivery.

As part of the ILO project, “Technical support to ESIS (Employees’ State Insurance Scheme) for improving and expanding access to health care services in India – A transition to formality”, in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the ILO has been supporting the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in India to strengthen its health services while increasing coverage and financial protection of working people in India.

The objective of the paper is to inform guideline development by evaluating the evidence on post-discharge interventions to improve outcomes within 6 months after discharge. In this systematic review, 8 databases were searched from inception through December 2021 and included randomized and quasi-experimental studies investigating interventions delivered after discharge from nutritional treatment for children aged 0 to 59 months.