Poverty reduction and employment generation

We analytically put the concept of New Public Administration into perspective in this paper. In the process, we traced its genealogy and its provisions as well as demonstration of its applicability in a country like Nigeria. Prominence was given to the structures and ecology of the Nigerians public administrative cycle. Within the same context, the issue of hierarchical authorities, representative bureaucracy as well as corruption impedes its process. Consequent on these, conclusively We argued that there is need for a re-orientation of the Nigeria citizenries most importantly, the public bureaucrates to imbibe the constructs of the new public administration vis-a-vis the “new thinking” through the pursuance of social equity. Keywords : Public Administration, New Public Administration, Administrative Ecology.

With expenditure of USD8 billion per annum, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Schemes (MGNREGS) of India is one of the largest Social Safety Nets (SSN) programs in the developing world. The program aims to improve rural livelihood in India by reducing overall vulnerability and distress of rural poor. The nature and degree of implementation of the program vary across the Indian states (provinces); Andhra Pradesh is one of the states which has received/spent largest national level MGNREGS funding. Using panel data sets out of ICRISAT targeted four villages (and 227 households) in Andhra Pradesh state for the last 5 years (2007-11), we quantified the impact on the program on credit and debt structure the rural households, using quasi- experimental design such as difference-in-difference method of impact assessment. Extending the regression model, we evaluated factors determinant of the level of debt and its structure by using 5 years of panel household data by the ...

The impact of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) on agricultural labour supply and agricultural wage rate is a popular policy concern in India. The available literature on the issue provides mixed findings which motivated the authors to carry out this study.

The social protection programmes range from various forms of cash transfers—unconditional, conditional and cash-for-work schemes, employment guarantee, public works schemes, nutrition schemes, and so on. There are many instant where social protection programmes have reached a substantial proportion of the poor, leading to improvement in social and welfare outcomes of the poor and vulnerable communities. While targeting core development and livelihood improvement, these social protection programs increasingly also play a determining role in outcomes related to women’s empowerment, altering role and relationship of men and women in the society, and development pathway of men and women and other vulnerable groups, in general. The main purpose of this paper to review and synthesis on concept, methodology, and analytical tools and techniques on assessment of gender implications of large scale social protection programs. In particular, we discuss these issues in context of the Mahatma Gan...

This study investigates the determinants of life expectancy in Afghanistan using annual time-series data from 1999 to 2022. Employing the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) framework, the analysis examines both short-and long-run effects of fertility rate, physician density, GDP growth, health expenditure, inflation, and urbanization on population health. The results reveal that higher fertility rates significantly reduce life expectancy, while physician availability and economic growth exert substantial positive impacts. Health expenditure, although critical in theory, shows an insignificant effect, underscoring concerns about the efficiency of resource allocation rather than volume. Inflation demonstrates a marginally positive association, potentially reflecting government investment responses. These findings emphasize the importance of healthcare accessibility, human capital development, and sustainable economic growth in improving population health outcomes. The study contributes to the literature on health economics in fragile states. It offers policy guidance for strengthening healthcare systems, enhancing fertility management, and promoting inclusive growth to extend life expectancy in Afghanistan.

In the traditional (pre-colonial) African society, education was regarded as a means to a end and not as an end in itself. That is, education was not an end in itself. That is, education was mainly functional in objective and achieved through the apprenticeship or on-the –job training system. Both the young and the old were practically trained for specific occupation and professions. That type of education, that emphasized social responsibility, relevance to the needs of society and moral values. The ultimate good of traditional African education was to “ produce a man or woman of character, with the useful skill appropriate to his or her status in life ” Fafunwa (1982). As a result, there was no question of unemployment then, and where it existed at all, it was very minimal. The major aim of education in all societies should be a preparation of Youths for a productive working life. In line with these, the paper looks into government policies and the way it affects education and wor...

The study examined the performance of MGNREGA scheme. The study considered the secondary data and examined national, state and district perspective. It can be inferred that there has been a decrease in the number of job cards issued under the MGNREGA scheme in India and Andhra Pradesh in recent years. However, West Godavari has maintained a consistent number of job cards issued over the same period. The percentage change for India is-0.98% and for Andhra Pradesh is-0.19%. The study observed that the availability of funds has gradually increased in India, Andhra Pradesh, and West Godavari district from 2017-2024. The highest percentage increase in funds was observed in Andhra Pradesh with 23.94% in 2020-2021 and in West Godavari district with 10.77% in 2018-2019. This indicates an overall improvement in the financial situation in these regions over the years. The study found that the total expenditure in India increased at a percentage of 13.15% from 2017-2024. Andhra Pradesh's expenditure increased at a higher percentage of 17.55% during the same period, while West Godavari District's expenditure increased at a percentage of 10.16%. Although the growth rate of West Godavari District was lower than the state's, it still showed a positive trend, indicating overall growth and development. The study observed that the number of completed households in India has steadily increased from 650.28 in 2017-2018 to 1148.45 in 2023-2024, with a percentage value of 12.61%. Andhra Pradesh had a lower percentage value of 2.79%, while West Godavari district had a slightly higher percentage of 6.02%. However, these regional variations may be due to factors such as economic growth, population density, and local conditions. It has been found that the average number of days of employment provided to workers increased at a percentage of 3.27% in India during the period 2017-2024, with Andhra Pradesh showing a slightly higher percentage of 3.87%, while the West Godavari district had a lower percentage of 1.13%. This indicates a steady increase in employment opportunities in India, with some regional variations that may be due to factors such as economic development and industrialization.

The study examined the performance of MGNREGA scheme. The study considered the secondary data and examined national, state and district perspective. It can be inferred that there has been a decrease in the number of job cards issued under the MGNREGA scheme in India and Andhra Pradesh in recent years. However, West Godavari has maintained a consistent number of job cards issued over the same period. The percentage change for India is-0.98% and for Andhra Pradesh is-0.19%. The study observed that the availability of funds has gradually increased in India, Andhra Pradesh, and West Godavari district from 2017-2024. The highest percentage increase in funds was observed in Andhra Pradesh with 23.94% in 2020-2021 and in West Godavari district with 10.77% in 2018-2019. This indicates an overall improvement in the financial situation in these regions over the years. The study found that the total expenditure in India increased at a percentage of 13.15% from 2017-2024. Andhra Pradesh's expenditure increased at a higher percentage of 17.55% during the same period, while West Godavari District's expenditure increased at a percentage of 10.16%. Although the growth rate of West Godavari District was lower than the state's, it still showed a positive trend, indicating overall growth and development. The study observed that the number of completed households in India has steadily increased from 650.28 in 2017-2018 to 1148.45 in 2023-2024, with a percentage value of 12.61%. Andhra Pradesh had a lower percentage value of 2.79%, while West Godavari district had a slightly higher percentage of 6.02%. However, these regional variations may be due to factors such as economic growth, population density, and local conditions. It has been found that the average number of days of employment provided to workers increased at a percentage of 3.27% in India during the period 2017-2024, with Andhra Pradesh showing a slightly higher percentage of 3.87%, while the West Godavari district had a lower percentage of 1.13%. This indicates a steady increase in employment opportunities in India, with some regional variations that may be due to factors such as economic development and industrialization.

Youth empowerment in many nations is geared towards equipping youths with skills to for self employment and Nation building. The rate of unemployment and underemployment among Nigerian youths and graduates in on the rising, crime and poverty rate has equally increased. The federal government of Nigeria, International organizations and Non-governmental organizations has introduced some youth empowerment programmes to curtail the problem of unemployment in Nigeria. Despite the efforts of the government and other bodies to help in curbing this situation, it all seems that the expected results of these programmes are not seen. This is as a result of the syllabus of some of the programmes for the reason that they do not appropriately integrate Vocational and Technical Education in its program content. Vocational and Technical Education (VTE) leads to applied and practical skills acquisition. Integrating VTE in youth empowerment programmes will greatly equip the beneficiaries of the progr...

This paper is a deliberation on some crucial aspects of teaching-learning transactions in open and distance learning (ODL). This system, with its relative newness, has given cause for much debate within India regarding questions of'openness', modes of ...

The focused of this paper is on Integrating Artisan Skills Development into Teacher Education curriculum in tertiary education This is because poverty and graduate unemployment have eaten deep into the fabrics of society. At the centre of government's plans to grow the economy, is infrastructure development poverty eradication, value reorientation. Without artisans, technicians and engineers, these cannot be achieved. The country needs to wake up and tackle unemployment and over dependence on foreign and creative works of the developed nations. It also needs to tailor it citizenry towards made-in-Nigeria goods. In this paper, Nigeria and availability of natural resources, the need for self reliance, tertiary institution in Nigeria and yearly graduate turn over, concept of artisan skill curriculum, global trend for artisan curriculum development, need for artisan skill development, curriculum content/structuring and procedure for integration of artisan skill curriculum into teacher education in tertiary level were discussed. Based on the discussion it was recommended among others that, tertiary institutions should integrate artisan skill development into their teacher education programmes as a source of poverty and unemployment eradication. The teacher is the most important element in any educational system. It is the teacher who is mainly responsible for implementation of the educational process at any stage. This shows that it is imperative to invest in the preparation of teachers, so that the future of a nation would be secured. The importance of competent teachers to the nation's school system can in no way be overemphasized. The National Curriculum Framework (2005) places demands and expectations on the teacher, which needs to be addressed by both initial and continuing teacher education. The National Council for Teacher Education has defined teacher education as A programme of education, research and training of persons to teach from pre-primary to higher educational level. Teacher education is a programme that is related to the development of teacher proficiency and competence that would enable and empower the teacher to meet the requirements of the profession and face the challenges therein. According to Goods Dictionary of Education, Teacher education means, all the formal and non-formal activities and experiences that help to qualify a person to assume responsibilities of a member of the educational profession or to discharge his or her responsibilities more effectively. Teacher education is broad and comprehensive. Besides pre-service and in-service programmes for teachers, it is meant to be involved in various community programmes and extension activities, viz adult education and non-formal education programmes, literacy and development activities of the society. It is ever-evolving and dynamic. In order to prepare teachers who are competent to face the challenges of the dynamic society, teacher education has to keep abreast of recent developments and trends. The crux of the entire process of teacher education lies in its curriculum, design, structure, organization and transaction modes, as well as the extent of its appropriateness. As in other professional education programmes the teacher education curriculum has a knowledge base which is sensitive to the needs of field applications and comprises meaningful. conceptual blending of theoretical understanding available in several cognate disciplines. The American Commission on Teacher Education rightly observes that the quality of a nation depends upon the quality of its citizens. The quality of its citizens depends not exclusively, but in critical measure upon the quality of their education, and the quality of their

The paper examines STEM education and economic growth through the perspective of a mismatch curriculum with the present realities. Nigeria embraces STEM education and all the schools from primary to tertiary institution engage their students in the acquisition of STEM knowledge and skills. However, the curriculum seems not to transform the students to a point of self-reliance after graduation from their respective curricular and discipline of choice. What is common therefore is massive unemployment, graduate over-dependent on white collar jobs which seems a mirage backup with youth restiveness crisis in all the geo-political zones in the country. Thus, in this paper STEM education curriculum in Nigeria, Nigeria economic growth, curriculum mismatch with present realities and the way forward were discussed. The paper thereafter recommended among others that all curricular in higher institutions (universities, polytechnics and colleges of education) in Nigeria should be reviewed to meet with the societal present demands. In this respect, every curriculum should have an annexure of two to three threads for students to acquire the basic knowledge and self-reliance skills that will empower them after graduation.

The purpose of this paper was to review the vocational skills training project that was implemented by Ntengwe for Community Development in Binga district. Central to this paper was to interrogate whether vocational training leads to poverty reduction or not. In depth interviews were conducted with eight youth who benefited from this project and these participants were purposively selected. The youth were trained in the following trades; building, carpentry, dress making, Leather work and Welding. These trades were found to be relevant in the Zimbabwe's labour market and all the beneficiaries were operating enterprise groups thereby contributing more to economic development through employment creation. The study noted that there is no vocational training institution in Binga district which further marginalizes the community. The project suited well in the beneficiaries' context as many of them were already engaged in the trades which they chose. The project benefited both young men and women from the poor rural wards in Binga. Most importantly, some women were found in male dominated trades like building which is important in ensuring equality in the economic spectrum. The project benefited the rural poor but reaching out to the very poorest is highly contested. Although the study was qualitative in nature, the researcher observed that the number of the youth who benefited from the project was very small which further doubts meaningful poverty reduction. The community is benefiting directly from the project as the trained youth offer voluntary services for example through providing their skills during construction of schools, hospitals and other community amenities. The beneficiaries testified increase in their income earnings which a key indicator proving that the project contributed to poverty reduction. Binga is still developing such that the beneficiaries have a lot of opportunities to utilize their skills. A number of challenges were presented by the youths such as economic hardship which is affecting their enterprises, lack of

India is a fast-developing country with the aim of becoming superpower, at the same time, our country has large number of people living below poverty line and face Problems ofpoverty and unemployment in India. Poverty is a situation that people are unable to fulfill their basic needs of life like food, clothing, employment, housing, education and other basic human needs, which is measured by committee of experts through data provided by National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO). Poverty alleviation programmes in India are for development of people in both Urban and Rural areas. Since percentage of poverty is high in rural areas, many programmes were launched by Government for betterment of rural people. Poverty alleviation programmes are grouped under different heads like self-employment, food security, social security and wage employment. Planning commission also concentrated on poverty alleviation and given importance to development of agriculture in first five-year plan, second and third five-year plans focused on development of industries for economic development. Poverty and unemployment alleviation programme plays a vital role in our country. Government launched many alleviation programmes like Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Aajevka, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana etc.., Government may launch more such schemes for eradication of poverty in our country. Many Government schemes are still not reaching end users, even many people are unaware of Government schemes. Government may take initiatives to make all people aware of all Research in Multidisciplinary aspects|ISBN No.

The present paper seeks to examine the impact of the economic environment in terms of logic of the existing socio-political structure, on performance of various poverty alleviation programs, which were introduced by successive governments from time to time in post colonial India. In recent decades the Indian state has moved from pro-capitalist state with a socialistic tinge to capitalistic state with neo liberal ideology. This shift has significant implications for the politics of poverty alleviation program in India. Whereas on the one hand, state's embrace of capital has been accompanied by higher rate of economic growth, on the other, this state-capital alliance is leading to widening inequalities along a variety of dimensions. Under this situation, the prospect of making India's growth process more inclusive is not encouraging mainly because of the existing ruling alliance in India. Our experiences raise a fundamental question, about path of our development, as well as about the capacity of the ruling groups to correct developmental distortions. Finally, it may be argued that it is not possible to recast the development design without the direct and conscious involvement of the masses through their own movements and struggles.

Tertiary education in general and polytechnic education in particular has undergone a great deal of transformation during the last 50 years. As part of a sustained and continuous process of optimizing the quality of skill training required in the country, the Government of Ghana is in the process of converting the Polytechnics in the country into Technical Universities at the beginning of 2016 academic year. Industrial experience of academic staff is one of the key requirements given by a Technical committee set up by the government in the proposed bill. It is against this background that this study was conducted to assess the industrial experience of staff of Ghanaian Polytechnics with Accra Polytechnic as a case study. Using descriptive statistical tools, an analysis was conducted on the industrial experience of all the 189 full time academic staff of the institution. Key findings in the study are that, about 51 percent of the teaching staff have some form of industrial experience...

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) was introduced in 2006 by the Government of India, with an objective of improving the livelihood security of the rural poor women by providing guaranteed employment for 100 days during covid-19. The Act places enforceable obligation on the State and gives power to rural women labourers during covid-19 pandemic situation. As a legal right to work, MGNREGA related with previous employment generation schemes in several aspects. This paper critical analyses whether this scheme has been able to achieve the objective and looks into the question whether this scheme has caused development of the rural poor women and impact of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act on rural women in West Bengal during covid-19.

The study is proposed to examine the impact of income level of individuals on poverty in Pakistan. The research focuses on exploring the spending behavior of people and how it affects with change in income level. This is a cross sectional study. The time series secondary data ranges from 1987-2013 extracted from the World Bank data bank inflation and consumer price manual is taken for research analysis. The data further analyzed and interpreted by using multiple variable regression model with Stata 12. The findings reveal mixed responses of individuals towards spending level. The poverty headcount ratio @ $1.90 a day has the most significant impact of various income share consumption exercised by overall population of Pakistan.

There is no gainsaying the fact that local government system is primarily created in Nigeria to bring government nearer to the people. However, this cannot be achieved in the absence of competent human resources who are the principal actors in any given organization. This paper lucidly discussed the extent to which Idah Local Government Council in Kogi State complied with the employment guidelines. It adopted secondary data as the major source of data and the Weberian Bureaucratic Model was used for analysis. One hundred and forty three (143) employees employed from 2007-2011 by both Idah Local Government and the Kogi State Local Government Service Commission were sampled. Based on this, empirical data were collected and presented using Semi Text Method of data presentation, and content analysis which its validity was ascertained by consulting experts. The paper majorly identified that neither the Commission nor Idah Local Government advertised vacancies before employment was done within the period under review and strongly recommended among others that, appropriate laws should be enacted to check the excesses of political influence over matters that are purely bureaucratic in nature, especially employment/appointment, training, posting and discipline of employees.

Skill development programs are pivotal in India’s efforts to combat unemployment and enhance economic resilience amidst a rapidly expanding workforce and growing industrial demands. This study evaluates the economic impact of key government initiatives—Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the Skill India Mission, and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY)—with a particular focus on their contributions to employment rates and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth.

Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research integrates quantitative analyses of employment and productivity metrics with qualitative feedback from program stakeholders to provide a holistic assessment of these initiatives.

Findings indicate that while skill development programs have positively influenced employment and productivity, their potential is hindered by structural challenges, such as skill mismatches, regional disparities, and limited collaboration with industry. For example, outdated training curricula and shifting industry demands reduce employment opportunities for trainees, while regional imbalances restrict access to quality training, particularly in rural areas. Moreover, minimal private-sector involvement compromises program relevance and adaptability to market dynamics.

To address these constraints, the study recommends fostering robust public-private partnerships to deliver industry-aligned, hands-on training, implementing region-specific adaptations to meet local economic needs, and conducting rigorous outcome-based evaluations to measure long-term program effectiveness. These strategies will enable India to capitalize on its demographic dividend, cultivating a resilient, future-ready workforce that drives sustainable economic growth.

Optimizing skill development programs is essential not only for India’s socio-economic progress but also for its competitive positioning in the global economy.

Keywords: Skill Development, Economic Growth, Employment Rates, India, PMKVY

This paper is part of ICRISAT Economics Discussion paper series. This series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about a wide array of issues in the area of agriculture for development. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. Any comments and suggestions are more than welcome and should be addressed to the author whose contact details can be found at the bottom of the cover page. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics and its affiliated organizations. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (lCRISAT) is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. Covering 6.5 million square kilometers of land in 55 countries, the semi-arid tropics have over 2 billion people, of who 644 million are the poorest of the poor. ICRISAT innovations help the dryland poor move from poverty to prosperity by harnessing markets while managing risksa strategy called Inclusive Market-Oriented development (lMOD). ICRISAT is headquartered in Patancheru near Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, with two regional hubs and five country offices in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. www.icrisat.org CGIAR is a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Its science is carried out by 15 research Centers who are members of the CGIAR Consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations. www.cgiar.org This work has been undertaken as part of the Assessment of Economic Impacts of MGNREGA in Selected Two Villages of Karnataka State using Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) ICRISAT -Socioeconomics Discussion Paper Series 2

Atualmente, as academias vem oferecendo para seus clientes uma expansao de modalidades em salas de ginastica, de acordo com o interesse e disponibilidade do aluno em seus horarios viaveis para a pratica das aulas. A procura pela danca em academias cresce a cada dia por criancas, jovens, adultos e por idosos. Diante do contexto, os objetivos da pesquisa e descobrir os motivos que levam os alunos a praticarem a ginastica em academia. Como objetivos especificos, vamos investigar se os alunos participantes das aulas de danca aerobica buscam melhorias no aspecto do controle do estresse no decorrer das aulas, investigar se os alunos buscam por estas aulas pela sociabilidade e quais beneficios nao esperados previamente foram percebidos pelos alunos que praticam. A metodologia da pesquisa foi uma revisao bibliografica de estudos anteriores sobre a motivacao a pratica de aulas de danca aerobica como atividade fisica em academias. Com a procura da qualidade de vida atraves da danca pessoas de...

Growing intricacy in all aspects of work, and community life tied with continual calls for educational reform over the past few decades present various challenges to professionals in occupational and technical education. The call for review of outmoded curricula and to develop innovative programmes to meet the challenges of work trends is apparently becoming a global occurrence. The global context in which young people reside plays an ever more important part in the economic growth of a nation, keeping in mind that the education system should cater for the manpower requirement for the economic development of the country. The paper looks at the underlying reasons why young graduates from the Ghanaian polytechnics were drifting away from the very industry for which they were trained. Graduates of 5 polytechnics were snowballed for the study. It was discovered that a large number of them were operating outside their core industry for which they were trained. Low competencies were cited as accounting for the drift. Reforms to enhance the quality of technical education at the polytechnics to enable them become dynamic, demand-driven, quality-conscious, and competitive at both national and global levels were recommended.

Growing intricacy in all aspects of work, and community life tied with continual calls for educational reform over the past few decades present various challenges to professionals in occupational and technical education.  The call for review of outmoded curricula and to develop innovative programmes to meet the challenges of work trends is apparently becoming a global occurrence.  The global context in which young people reside plays an ever more important part in the economic growth of a nation, keeping in mind that the education system should cater for the manpower requirement for the economic development of the country.  The paper looks at the underlying reasons why young graduates from the Ghanaian polytechnics were drifting away from the very industry for which they were trained.  Graduates of 5 polytechnics were snowballed for the study.  It was discovered that a large number of them were operating outside their core industry for which they were trained.  Low competencies were...

Nigerian youth are the most affected by the current phenomena of rural-urban migrationin the country. As the youth population in Nigeria urban centers grow, so does the unemployment rate. The paper analysed the situation of unemployed youth in urban Nigeria and also provides some thoughts on improving urban youth employment opportunities. Programmes designed to help include them in the labour marketand\or make them entrepreneurs areexamined.The paper argued that p rogrammes that are customized to give entrepreneurship training to the youth in cities have the potential to help turn the tide.Entrepreneurship training programmes will afford urban youths the opportunity to be employed and also become employers. Yet, such training programmes tend to receive inadequate support and reach relatively few youth.Integrating youth into urban economies through self-employment is vital to the sustainability of urban areas and the welfare of the urban youth. The paper also suggests the urgent need...

Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector in Nigeria has traditionally been regarded as inferior to the conventional academic system, resulting in educational discrimination against TVET students and graduates. Recently, efforts have been made to change this view and promote the development of the TVET sector as a viable and necessary part of Nigeria's educational system. Through hands-on, competency-based training for different students, TVET can reduce unskilled graduates in Nigeria. TVET educational programmes provide a feasible substitute to conventional academic education by equipping students with the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in the labour market. TVET can also reduce Nigeria's unemployment rate by connecting education and employment through apprenticeships and work internships. This study examined educational prejudice and bias (bigotry) in Nigeria's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector and its causes. The study examined how these concerns affect marginalised communities' employment and income. Despite previous discriminations against TVET, recent findings suggest that the field is gradually garnering acknowledgement and backing, as evidenced by increased investments in TVET infrastructure and training initiatives by both government and corporate entities.

India is home to one-fifth of the world's youth and one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. The Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India started DDU-GKY on September 25, 2014. It is a training, skill-building, and job-placement Programme for rural youth from poor families. The present study analyses the growth of trained and placed participants benefited out of DDU-GKY particularly the women and the weaker section category (SC/ST/Minorities) from 2014-15 to 2021-22. The study relied on secondary data obtained from the Ministry of Rural Development for the beneficiary category of candidates belonging to women, SC, ST, and minority groups, who were placed during the year 2014-2015 to 2017-2018. At the national and overall percentage levels, the annual growth rate for two different variables was tabulated and compared. The Participants of DDU-GKY under the category of Women /SC /ST / Minorities received more training during the scheme's early stages, particularly from 2014-15 to 2016-17. Training growth slowed over the next three years. It shows negative growth in the current year, 2021-22. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on project implementation agencies. Because of the pandemic's restrictions, the training had to be adjusted. The study found that the participants who fall into the categories of SC, ST, and minorities benefit less from the training process than the women who take part in it. But when it comes to placement, not every woman who gets training is placed. The requirements of the programme stipulated that woman must constitute one third of the participants. However, the data revealed that the actual number of female participants is higher than stipulated level.

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) seeks to alleviate rural poverty yby providing skill development opportunities to disadvantaged rural youth between the ages of 15 and 3 35 with regular job placement. One of the main goals of DDU-GKY is to find employment for marginalised rurall youth i in order to give them and future generations of people a path out of poverty. The specific objectives of the study are to study the performance of DDU-GKY scheme for the period of 2018-19 to 2021-22 and to comps. performance in terms of physical and financial progress in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu state. It is inferredL. Karnataka state performed well both in training and placement, Tamil Nadu placed more people but tho placemernt is only 50 percent. The findings of this study indicate that the allocation of government funde i India has decreased over the last five years. It is suggested that additional funding for the scheme will be provided regularly after the completion of the current action plan of the scheme.

The rural labor market in India has undergone remarkable changes over the years. Diversified opportunities for employment with increased economic growth, introduction of employment guarantee scheme, demographic change along with expansion of universal education for all girls and boys, increased connectivity and mobility from rural to urban areas, changes in trade policies, attitude towards participation of women in economic activities outside their home have altered the rural labor market dynamics. This policy brief deals with the dynamics of rural labor markets in India. It focuses on the trends in rural employment, rural labor markets, and sources of livelihood and living standards of the rural labor class. It documents both short and long-term changes in rural labor markets observed in India. It identifies the key drivers of changes in the rural labor market, determinants of labor supply and wage rate. Finally, some suggestions are put forward to overcome the challenges in the ru...

The Zimbabwean banking systems has been burdened by non-performing loans. Bad loans have created
several problems for commercial banks in Zimbabwe hindering efficient functioning of banks. It is for this reason
that commercial banks have adopted non-performing loans management strategies so as to improve financial
performance. This study sought to establish the challenges faced by commercial banks in managing non–performing
loans (NPLs) in Zimbabwe (2009-2014). A descriptive survey design was adopted as the research design. The
population of this study consisted of 12 commercial banks in Zimbabwe. The primary data was collected using
structured questionnaires and interviews. The study found that weak judiciary systems, time constraints, poor
macroeconomic conditions, ICTS challenges, poor organizational structures, over borrowed clients who lack
collateral and subprime lending are the prevalent challenges in Zimbabwe. It is therefore recommended that the
government spearheads macroeconomic turnaround by implementing policies that promote economic growth and
development. It is difficult for banks to report the real levels of their NPLs without a proper reporting system.
Banks should upgrade their ICT systems in order for them to detect the early warning signs of accounts that are
going under. Banks do not have adequate capacity to screen and monitor their borrowers and therefore distinguish
between good and bad risks. The credit markets have been faced with adverse selection and moral hazard problems
attributed to information asymmetry among lenders and borrowers. It is therefore important that lenders supplement
their information about borrowers with that of other lenders through the establishment of a credit bureau in
Zimbabwe.

This paper determines the effects of Human Capital Development on Poverty Reduction in Nigeria. The proxy of poverty reduction which is the dependent variable is unemployment. Life expectancy, GDP per capita, Infant mortality rate, and fertility rate are the independent variables using a model for the regression and the relationship among the variables, the study make use of descriptive statistics, augmented Dickey-Fuller test statistic to check the unit root. Nigeria as a whole is the population. The research sourced and analysed its'data from the world bank indicator from 1990 to 2023. The study finds that there are negative relationship between life expectancy, GDP per capita, Infant mortality rate and Poverty reduction (Unemployment) while fertility rate positively influenced poverty reduction (Unemployment). The study how ever conclude that improving human capital development (HCD) leads to decrease in poverty and to improve fertility rate of the Nigeria residents. Major policy implication is that to reduce poverty and ensure a considerable improved and better society, government at all levels should pay more attention to life expectancy, GDP per capital and Infant mortality rate of average Nigerians.

The concern for Social wellbeing of a nation's citizens is one of the top policy priority areas for any responsible government across the globe. This concern places a heavy burden on not only the national government but also attract international interest and interventions. Social welfare programmes emanating from this concern for wellbeing is one effort that is often used as criteria to measure the developmental interest of a government about its citizens. Given the fact that social welfare programmes remain people-oriented efforts, it is expectedly a close acquaintance of a democratic leadership. Democratic governance, having been experimented and accepted in Nigeria as the only people-oriented leadership process makes it an obvious sine qua non for an improved social welfare service delivery. This paper therefore explores the two separate but interrelated concepts of "democracy and social welfare" with a view to establishing the link and/ or extent to which democracy enhances qualitative social welfare services and improved living standard. The paper obtained data principally from field survey and documented opinion on the on the Nigerian governments' developmental and intervention policies and implementation strategies from 1999 to 2013. Aligning the paper to social democratic theory, it is maintained that democratic government provides premise for social welfare services and remains a veritable platform to identifying and /or providing transformational interventions that satisfy social needs at the grass root. The paper identifies some challenges for an effective and sustainable welfare service delivery to include inter-alia; lack of conducive environment for social welfare, inadequate demonstration of political will by the leadership to ensure wellbeing of citizens and whole scale corruption in the entire service delivery process. It is concluded that, the Nigeria government has well-articulated functional programmes that could address specific social needs but marred by the aforementioned challenges. Hence, social welfare services are operationally not effective to ensure wellbeing. There is need for a strong legislation to compel the provisions of necessary infrastructure for such interventions to be meaningful, prompt disbursement of funds, stiffer penalty on corrupt officials of service agencies, amongst other recommendations.

This paper makes an effort to comprehend the notion of the demographic dividend using a variety of theoretical and empirical sources. It highlights that India need to set priorities for human resource and capital investment to reap the economic benefits of the demographic transition. A discussion based on a few relevant steps taken by the Government, including DAY-NRLM, eShram portal, National Career Service (NCS) and DDU-GKY is also used to evaluate India's policy concerns surrounding skill development and employment, thus intending to highlight the exigency to invest so as to harvest the potentiality of demographic dividend.

BACKGROUND: Exercise prescription is characterized as one of the various responsibilities of those who work in bodybuilding, and depending on the socioeconomic and cultural context, the meanings and significance attributed to the intervention of the Physical Education professional change. OBJECTIVE: Thus, the scope of this study aimed to analyze sociocultural aspects that interfere in the prescription of exercises by Physical Education professionals in gyms. METHODS: Based on the theoretical-methodological framework of Symbolic Interactionism, an ethnographic study was conducted specifically in the bodybuilding sector of two establishments in Rio de Janeiro over the course of a year. Participant observation took place in a gym in the popular neighborhood of Cidade de Deus and another in the upscale neighborhood of Barra da Tijuca. The researcher’s own cell phone served as a field diary. RESULTS: The results indicated that the Physical Education teacher’s lack of credibility, strained by a sort of bodily know-how of some students, interfered (in)directly in the exercise prescription by these professionals. Thus, it was detected that the negotiations of knowledge and the bodily experiences dialogued between professionals and attendees were interspersed with the technical-scientific parameters that guide the prescription in these social spaces. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, it is highlighted that the face-to-face interaction between healthcare professionals and users is socially and culturally mediated, and it modulates the application of knowledge linked to the realm of biomedical rationality so prevalent in the field of Health.

Professional profile of personal trainer in acting in academies of Teresina-PI Objective. This descriptive exploratory study investigated the profile of active personal trainer in gyms medium and large size of area east of Teresina. Methods: The purposive sample consisted of 60 professionals. For data collection, we used a questionnaire consisting of 30 questions, which was dealt about the economic situation, academic and continuing formation, work methodology and experience professional. Results. 95.1% of participants is graduated in physical education. Of these, 41% have graduate degrees. About forms of physical revaluation used, it was found that 3.3% of respondents did not make revaluations. In the sample, 32.8% worked only as personal trainer and 67.2% also worked in other areas. 90.2% of respondents intend to follow as personal trainer due mainly affinity with the area (60%) and better pay (32.7%). 57.4% of the sample considers the loss of value of service as the greatest hardship faced in the labor market by the personal. Conclusions. The personal training in Teresina is recent, the professionals seem to be aware of the importance of their qualification and competence for performing a good job, however, still fight for recognition and appreciation as health workers.

Objetivo. Este trabalho descritivo-exploratorio investigou o perfil do personal trainer atuante em academias de medio e grande porte da zona leste de Teresina. Materiais e Metodos. A amostra intencional consistiu de 60 profissionais. Para levantamento dos dados, utilizou-se um questionario, composto por 30 questoes, que versava sobre a situacao economica, formacao academica e continuada, metodologia de trabalho e experiencia profissional. Resultados. 95,1% dos participantes possui graduacao em educacao fisica. Desses, 41% possui pos-graduacao. Sobre as formas de reavaliacao fisica utilizadas, detectou-se que 3,3% dos entrevistados nao fazem reavaliacoes. Da amostra, 32,8% trabalhavam apenas como personal trainer e 67,2% trabalhavam tambem em outras areas. 90,2% dos entrevistados pretende seguir como personal em razao, principalmente, de afinidade com a area (60%) e melhor remuneracao (32,7%). 57,4% da amostra considera a desvalorizacao financeira do servico como a maior agrura enfre...

The empowerment of rural women is crucial for the development of Rural Bharat. Bringing women into the mainstream of development is a major concern for the Government of India, which is why 2001 was declared as the “Year of Women Empowerment”. The programme for poverty alleviation has a women’s component to ensure flow of adequate funds to this section. So, this study aims at understanding the impact of MGNREGP on the lives of women workers who have worked under this programme. This study was conducted in Tediyur and Vadugarpalayam, two hamlets in Tediyur revenue village in Kudavasal Taluk of Tiruvarur district. The study adopted the purposive sampling method and primary data was collected through the questionnaire from the respondents. The primary survey was conducted for the year 2009-2010. The study analyzed the contribution made by women respondent’s income to their family income, decision making status, savings and usefulness of MGNREGP.

The paper assesses the effectiveness of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) in generating employment for disadvantaged groups like SCs, STs and women, creation of durable assets, improving the agricultural and non-agricultural wage rates, enhancing the level of food security and controlling the out migration in rural Rajasthan. The study has also assessed the effects of MNREGA in terms of creation of durable assets, improvement in the agricultural and non-agricultural wage rates and containing out migration in rural Rajasthan which have potential positive impacts on vulnerable groups. The paper also analyses the perceptions of MNREGA workers about its role in improving the food security and the socio-economic conditions of participating households. Based on secondary level data analysis and the survey covering 200 participants and 50 non-participants from 10 villages of 5 districts, the study finds that the scheme has positively affected the agricultural ...

The licensing of private universities in Nigeria in 1999 was a milestone in the development of higher education in Nigeria. Prior to that, public policy gave the federal and state governments the monopoly to establish and run higher education institutions. During this period also, enrollment into the existing public universities was very low accounting for not more than an average of 15% of the total number of those who applied for admission into the universities each academic session. Consequently, one of the major reasons for the liberalization of ownership of higher education institutions and the eventual licensing of private universities in 1999, was to expand access into the universities. However, evidence does not seem to suggest that this important policy goal has been achieved. For example, during the first decade (1999-2009), the enrollment data from 30 private universities which had enrolled students (by 2007), suggests that public policy failed to effectively use private universities to expand access as private universities contributed only 3.4% of total enrollment into the universities, and this rose to 5% in 2009 with 41 private universities. However, in the first half of the second decade (2010-2013) the enrollment contribution of 50 private universities increased reasonably as they accounted for 10.4% of total enrollment. But even with this increased contribution, existing public policy enablers have failed to serve as catalyst for rapid enhancement of access in private universities. Based on this therefore, new critical policy enablers for expanding access are identified and recommended.

Unemployment has been identified as one of the major factors responsible for the prevailing high level of poverty, inequality and sluggish economic growth in Nigeria. It thus becomes a problem that requires thorough examination. This study therefore examines the impact of unemployment on national output in Nigeria between the period 1980 and 2011. The study makes use of secondary time series data sourced from the publications of the Central Bank of Nigeria, National Bureau of Statistics and other similar organizations. The Engle Granger co-integration approach was used to investigate the long-run relationship between unemployment and the growth of the Nigerian economy.  Prior to the co-integration test, the incorporated time series variables were examined using the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) unit-root test. The estimated regression results shows that unemployment and Gross domestic product show a negative statistically insignificant relationship implying that in Nigeria, unemploy...

Technical efficiency refers to the capability of achieving the maximum possible output from a given set of inputs and has been measured the in present study for Indian States/UTs under the second phase of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (known as PMKVY 2016-2020 or PMKVY 2.0). It is noteworthy that PMKVY 2.0 have two components in terms of the Centrally Sponsored Centrally Managed (CSCM) component and Centrally Sponsored State Managed (CSSM) component. Due to certain data constraints, this paper concentrates only Centrally Sponsored State Managed (CSSM) component of PMKVY 2.0. For measuring the technical efficiency, the technique of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used, where, two inputs including 'funds disbursed', and 'number of trainees enrolled for training', and two outputs namely 'number of trainees trained' and 'number of trainees placed' in each State/UT under CSSM component of PMKVY 2.0 are considered. The required data are extracted from the Annual Report 2019-20, published by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India. Finally, the output-oriented model of DEA is applied as output maximization within given resources is most the suitable in case of Governmental schemes or projects. The results reveal that out of

Concept of foreign aid was examined. Nigeria was receiving foreign aid for long time and some improvements have been done in economic development. Our investigation was on the point how deep it was impacted. Following the empirical literature, this study adopts the model employed by Ajisafe (2017) and Chotia and Roa (2017) to examine the impact of foreign aid and infrastructural development on poverty reduction. The study makes use of annual dataset to examine the impact of foreign aid and infrastructural development on poverty reduction in Nigeria over the period of 1981 to 2016. Data on foreign aid measured by Total Official Development Assistance received (constant 2010 US$), infrastructural development (proxy by total electricity net generation. Electric power and distribution losses as a ratio of output, mobile cellular subscriptions, Internet subscribers per 100 population, improved sanitation facilities as a ratio of population with access. Improved water facilities as a rati...

This paper attempts to juxtapose the relationship among judicial corruption, financial development and economic growth in Nigeria over the period of 1980 to 2016 using Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Model and Granger-Causality Test. The former takes care of both long-run and short-run dynamic effects of judicial corruption and financial development as it affects economic growth while the latter captures the flow of causality among the variables. Therefore, the ARDL Bound test result reveals cointegration implying a long-run relationship among judicial corruption, financial development and economic growth. The short-run result shows that judicial corruption is negatively and significantly related to economic growth while ni the long-run, a positive but insignificant relationship exists. It also reveals that rule of law is positively and significantly related to economic growth in the short-run. However, the results of the Granger-causality test show that there is unidirectiona...

The activities undertaken under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in Chitradurga district, Karnataka, were assessed for their potential to enhance and provide environmental services. Key programmes implemented in 20 villages during 2009 were studied using rapid scientific assessment methods. An indicator approach was adopted to analyse environmental services such as water for irrigation and improvement in soil quality. The status of environmental services before and after implementation of the activities was examined and vulnerability ...

Universities are established to advance the frontier of knowledge. Effective resources utilization in Nigerian Public Universities has become necessary in order to realize the set objectives. This paper argues that New Public Management is a necessary strategy that should be adopted by Public Universities in order to enhance their resources utilization. Relying on secondary data, the paper highlighted the key principles of NPM strategy as well as the relevant areas it could be applied within public university system. This paper suggests for eradication of waste and increase in efficiency and accountability in the use of resources.

Universities are established to advance the frontier of knowledge. Effective resources utilization in Nigerian Public Universities has become necessary in order to realize the set objectives. This paper argues that New Public Management is a necessary strategy that should be adopted by Public Universities in order to enhance their resources utilization. Relying on secondary data, the paper highlighted the key principles of NPM strategy as well as the relevant areas it could be applied within public university system. This paper suggests for eradication of waste and increase in efficiency and accountability in the use of resources.