Partha Mukhopadhyay

In India, the constitution guarantees freedom of movement and migrants are an integral part of India’s workforce, across a range of sectors. However, they remain unable to access many benefits that are due and owed to them, even as our social protection architecture is becoming stronger. Some element of portability and convergence is being introduced, but many benefits continue to be place-specific, notably food security provided through the targeted public distribution system (TPDS). Based on the migrant-inclusiveness of social protection schemes we suggest that clearer legal articulation, interstate collaborative frameworks, sensitisation of the ground level bureaucracy and involvement of civil society organisations are all necessary to address this issue. We conclude with specific recommendations for the construction sector.

Smaller, growing cities such as Kishangarh can be feasible sites to apply coordinated planning for better urban life.

India’s labour markets are as multifaceted as the nation itself. But the tidy binary between informality and formality posits informality as always bad with poor quality work and lack of skill with low productivity and wages

This report discusses the need for social protection for migrant workers in India, particularly in the construction sector, given its high mobility and vulnerability among workers.