Related to Vulnerable Sections

Statement 1 is Incorrect: The Government had launched a scheme viz Casual Labourers (Grant of Temporary Status and Regularization) Scheme of Government of India, 1993. As per the scheme, Temporary status would be conferred on all casual labourers who were in employment and who have rendered a continuous service of at least one year, which means that they must have been engaged for at least 240 days (206 days in case of offices observing 5 days week).

Statement 2 is Correct: The Supreme Court has decreed that casual workers are also entitled to social security benefits as stipulated in the Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act. The Court's ruling stemmed from its interpretation of Section 2(f) of the EPF Act, wherein the definition of an "employee" encompasses a broad scope, including any individual engaged directly or indirectly in connection with an establishment's work and receiving wages. A bench of the Supreme Court affirmed this viewpoint.

Statement 3 is Correct: The government has the authority to specify through a notification that an establishment or industry is obligated to disburse wages exclusively via its bank account.

During the fourth Five-Year Plan, a sub-category was created within Scheduled Tribes, known as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, to identify groups that are considered to be at a lower level of development.

Statement 1 is correct: PVTGs are spread over 18 states and one Union Territory (Andaman & Nicobar Islands) in India.

Statement 2 is correct: The criteria for determining PVTG status include a pre-agricultural level of technology, a stagnant or declining population, extremely low literacy, and a subsistence-level of economy.

Statement 3 is incorrect: As of now, there are 75 PVTGs officially notified in the country, not 95.

Statement 4 is correct: Both Irular and Konda Reddi tribes are included in the list of PVTGs.

So, the correct statements are 1, 2, and 4.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The recent amendment to the India Forest Act,1927 does not provide for the right of forest dwellers to fell the bamboos grown on the forest areas.

Statement 2 is correct. As per the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, bamboo is classified as a minor forest produce.

Statement 3 is correct. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 allows forest dwellers to own, collect, use and dispose of minor forest produce which includes bamboo, tendu leaves, honey, and other forest produce.

The International Labour Organization's Conventions 138 and 182 are both related to child labour.

Convention No. 138 is the Minimum Age Convention. It requires member countries to set a minimum age for employment and work towards the elimination of child labour.

Convention No. 182 deals with the Worst Forms of Child Labour. It calls for the prohibition and elimination of the most severe forms of child labour, such as slavery, forced labour, and trafficking.

These conventions are considered fundamental by the ILO, meaning all member states must respect, promote, and work towards their aims regardless of ratification.

Statement 1 is correct: In the NSSO 70th Round survey, Rajasthan had the highest percentage of rural agricultural households at 78.4%, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 74.8% and Madhya Pradesh at 70.8%.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Among agricultural households, 45% were from Other Backward Classes (OBC), 16% from Scheduled Castes (SC), and 13% from Scheduled Tribes (ST).

Statement 3 is correct: In most major states, agricultural activities were the primary income source, except in Kerala, where 61% earned more from non-agricultural sources.

The Global Gender Gap Index is an annual report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF). It benchmarks progress towards gender parity by measuring the gap between women and men across four dimensions: - Economic Participation and Opportunity - Educational Attainment - Health and Survival - Political Empowerment

Rashtriya Garima Abhiyaan (National Campaign for Dignity and Eradication of Manual Scavenging) is a community-led national movement started in 2001 by the NGO Jan Sahas Social Development Society and other civil society organizations. Its primary objective is to eradicate the practice of manual scavenging and ensure the rehabilitation of manual scavengers through alternative livelihoods and social dignity. The campaign gained significant national attention through the 'Maila Mukti Yatra' (March for Liberation from Manual Scavenging), which mobilized thousands of women to leave the practice and demand their rights. While the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment implements government schemes like the 'Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers' (SRMS), the specific 'Rashtriya Garima Abhiyaan' is a grassroots civil society initiative.