Migrant Labor Issues and Exploitation

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Vietnam’s open economic policy of recent years integrating into global supply chains has made the growth success story possible. Vietnam's export-led growth strategy and global integration are among the key factors behind the country's remarkable achievements in growth and poverty. Vietnam was one among the few countries to post GDP growth rate figures in 2020 when the pandemic hit. Vietnam is projected to be the fastest-growing internet economy in Southeast Asia in the next 10 years. Statement 2 is not correct. Vietnam is a one-party communist state, not a multi-party parliamentary democracy. Statement 4 is correct. Thanks to an abundance of low-wage labour, Vietnam's manufacturing sector grew at a compound annual growth in the last decade. As the rest of East Asia developed and wages there rose, global manufacturers were lured by Vietnam's low labour costs and stable exchange rate. Hence, Statement 5 is not correct. According to the Asian Development Bank Report, e-services including digital financial services are at a very nascent stage in Vietnam.

The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2017 has made several significant changes to benefit women employees - Paid maternity leave has been increased to 26 weeks from 12 weeks. - For women expecting after having 2 children, the leave duration remains at 12 weeks. - Establishments employing 50 or more employees must provide a crche facility, and women employees should be allowed to visit the facility 4 times during the day.

All three indicators (1, 2, and 3) are used by IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute) to compute the Global Hunger Index Report. The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels. It's a peer-reviewed annual report, now jointly published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe. Purpose: To assess hunger severity and track progress towards ending hunger. Each country's GHI score is calculated based on a formula that combines four indicators that together capture the multidimensional nature of hunger - Undernourishment - The share of the population whose caloric intake is insufficient; - Child Stunting - The share of children under the age of five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition; - Child Wasting - The share of children under the age of five who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition; and - Child Mortality - The share of children who die before their fifth birthday, reflecting in part the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments. Hence, option C is the correct answer.

Statement 1 is Incorrect: The Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (ILO No. 122) is one of the International Labour Organization's governance (priority) conventions. India ratified it on November 17, 1998. Statement 2 is Incorrect: The Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (ILO No. 105) is a fundamental ILO convention. India ratified it on May 18, 2000. Statement 3 is Correct: The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (1990) is a UN multilateral treaty. India has neither signed nor ratified this convention. Statement 4 is Incorrect: The Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (1949) (also known as the Fourth Geneva Convention) was ratified by India on November 9, 1950, and implemented domestically via the Geneva Conventions Act, 1960. *(Note: The question setter likely confused this with the 1951 Refugee Convention, which was adopted in Geneva and which India has not ratified).* Statement 5 is Correct: The Convention on Reduction of Statelessness (1961) has not been signed or ratified by India. India is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, the 1954 Convention on Statelessness, or this 1961 Convention. *Conclusion:* Factually, only conventions 3 and 5 have not been ratified by India. However, among the given options, there is a discrepancy as no option perfectly matches "3 and 5". Since any correct answer must include the unratified conventions 3 and 5, Option D is the only possible choice by elimination.

Statement 1 is not correct: 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.