Urban Livelihood

The working conditions of the non-permanent workers are very depressing. They are given very minimum pay for their work and if they complain about their pay, they are asked to leave the job. There is no job security or protection if there is ill treatment. They are also expected to work very long hours. For example in the cloth mill units the workers work on day and night shifts, with each shift lasting 12 hours. One worker works on one machine for 12 hours and then is replaced by another on the same machine for the next 12 hours.

Most of the workers at the labour Chowk cannot afford permanent lodging and so sleep on pavements near the chowk, or they pay Rs. 6 a night for a bed at a nearby night shelter run by the Municipal Corporation. To compensate for the lack of security, local tea shops functions as banks, moneylenders and safety lockers, all rolled into one. Most workers leave their tools at these shops for the night for safekeeping, and pass on any extra money to them. The shopkeepers keep the money safely and also offer loans to labourers in need. Hence, the living conditions of the workers are very poor and depressing.

The benifits enjoyed by the marketing manager are as follows:-

1. Regular salaries and is a permanent woker with the company.
2. Entitled for providendent funds.
3. Holidays and perks given to them from time to time.
4. Medical facilities.

Marketing managers performs numerous duties for companies like conducting market research, setting up of marketing strategy, sales, advertising and promotion of the products, pricing, product development, event management and enhancing public relations.

The casual worker is a worker who is employed on a temporary basis with generally limited entitlements to benefits and little or no security of employment. The main feature is the absence of a continuing relationship of any stability with an employer, which could lead to their not being considered ‘employees’ at all.

The ‘labour chowk’ is a place where daily wage labourers assemble to be hired by an employer; these labourers work as helpers to masons. They dig at construction sites, lift loads or unload trucks in the market, dig pipelines and telephone cables and also build roads. There are thousands of such casual labourers who work in a city.

Small workshops and factories need casual workers for big profits and less investment. Casual workers are called for when the employer needs them. They are employed when the employer gets large orders or during certain seasons. If they complain about pay or working conditions, they are asked to leave any time. They are also expected to work very long hours. If there is the need to finish a work urgently then these workers are called for work even on Sundays. All these factors are in favour of small workshops and factories. Therefore they employ casual workers.

Marketing emphasizes selling of satisfaction rather than selling a product or service. The basic objective is to find what the customer want and to ensure that they get the maximum possible satisfaction. Whereas, selling is concerned merely with the transfer of goods which the seller has already produced. Marketing focuses on the needs of the buyer, and selling, on the needs of the seller.

A Call Centre is a centralised office that deals with problems and queries of the consumers regarding goods purchased and services like banking, ticket booking etc. It has the ability to handle a considerable volume of calls at the same time, to screen calls and forward them to someone qualified to handle them.

Call Centres are usually set up as large rooms with working stations that includes a computer, a telephone set and supervisor’s stations. All computers are linked to a mother computer.

Markets initially started as marketplaces usually in the hub of villages and towns, for the sale or barter of farm produce, clothing and day to day items. These kinds of street markets developed into a whole variety of consumer-oriented markets, such as shopping centers, supermarkets, or even online markets (internet).

A market is a place where buyers and sellers meet to exchange their goods and services. The markets may be in one specific place like Khan market in South Delhi or do not exist physically at all like online shopping (Internet).

The main problem vendor’s faces are:

1. Shops are usually temporary in structures.
2. Dismantling of their shops any time by the police.
3. They have no security.
4. There are certain parts of city where these vendors are not allowed to enter.

We need food, clothes, shelter and other facilities for our living. We cannot meet all our needs alone, so we have to depend on others such as our parents, neighbours, workers, traders etc. for the fulfillment of our needs.

A father, mother, sister and brother constitute a family. This kind of family is called a nuclear family. In bigger families’ grandmother, grandfather, uncles, aunts etc. also live with their children. This type of family is called a joint family.

Man is a social animal. He cannot live alone for all his needs as he depends on others. He has to seek cooperation from his father, mother, brother, neighbours friends and other people in the society. A man living alone cannot live happier, hence living together is important.

We should respect our parents. We should keep our house clean, should help our parents in household work, should participate in the decision making process of our family and should abide the rules set up in our family.

Weekly markets do not have permanent shops. They are set up only for a day. Therefore its not possible to buy goods on credit. Neighbourhood markets provide goods on credit.

Shops in permanent buildings incur a lot of expenditure - pay rent and tax, employ workers etc. In temporary shops, goods are stored at home only. Workers are not employed because they are helped by family members. Subsequently, goods sold in permanent shops are costlier than the temporary shops.

The Constitution of India guarantees to the citizens of India six fundamental rights: the right to equality, the right to freedom, the right against exploitation, the right to religion, cultural and educational rights and the right to constitutional remedies. These rights enjoy a special status. If any of these rights are violated, a citizen can approach either a High Court or the Supreme Court directly.

The government is thinking about modifying the law that banned street vendors, so that they have a place to work and that there is also a free flow of traffic and people. Hawking zones have been suggested for towns and cities. It has also been suggested that mobile vendors should be allowed to move around freely. Hawkers need to be part of committees that are set up to take these and other decisions relating to them.

A Call Centre is a centralised office that deals with problems and questions that consumers/customers have regarding goods purchased and services like banking, ticket booking etc. Call centres are generally set up as large rooms with work stations that include a computer, a telephone set and supervisor’s stations. India has become a major centre not only for Indian companies but also for foreign companies.

The local bodies that look after the problems of the urban areas are:

• Municipal Corporations
• Municipalities
• Town Area Committees

Municipal Corporations: These are the local governing bodies of big cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai etc. The main functions of the municipal corporations are providing public health and sanitation, making arrangement for vaccination, supply of safe drinking water, clearing and disposal of garbage, cleaning roads, drains and public toilets.
Municipalities: Smaller towns and cities with population ranging between 20,000-5, 00,000 have municipalities as the local government body.
Town Area Committees: Municipalities and municipal corporations carry their day to day work with the help of a number of committees such as the education committee, the public health committee and the district planning committee.

Permanent or regular jobs are secure. People enjoying these jobs are secure and have a bright future. They have fixed working hours with fixed salaries. They are provided with facilities such as Public Provident Fund, medical facilities and can even enjoy holidays, i.e., Sunday, all national holidays and annual leaves. But Casual jobs are on temporary basis. People are employed on daily wages. These jobs are provided by private factories when their search is on full swing. The labourers are forced to do extra hours. But the future is not secured in these kinds of jobs.

All human progress is the result of living and working together. Cooperation has helped humans towards progress and prosperity. As population increased and life became more complex, governments became more organised. They made laws to regulate and control the activities of the people. We should cooperate with our government and abide by all the rules and regulations.

Urban poverty poses the problems of housing, water, sanitation, health, education, social security and livelihoods. Poor people live in slums which are overcrowded, often polluted and lack basic civic amenities like clean drinking water, sanitation and health facilities. Most of the people are involved in the informal sector activities where there is constant threat of eviction, removal, confiscation of goods and almost non-existent social security cover. These are some of the problems that are faced by the poor urban people

In a survey of Ahmedabad city it was found that 12 per cent of all the workers in the city were people working on the street. They sometimes sell things or repair them or provide a service. They work on their own. They are not employed by anyone and therefore have to organize their own work. They have to plan how much to purchase, as well as where and how to set up their shops. Their shops are usually temporary in structures.