A movement for universal pensions is gathering momentum in India. Pension Parishad, a non-governmental movement to secure a universal pension for all workers, was born on 24th and 25th February 2012 in Pune, ‘cultural capital’ of the state of Maharashtra. From May 7th to May 11th 2012 Pension Parishad launched its campaign with a dharna (protest) by more than 5,000 elderly persons at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. Prabhat Patnaik, a well-known Indian economist, describes the movement and its demands.
[T]he demand for a non-contributory scheme is derivable from the rights-based approach, as indeed is the demand for universality. Of course the