Urban Unorganised Sector In India

The Covid-19 disaster has brought to centre stage the colossal investment the country is required to make in key areas of social policies, labour reforms and support systems. With 90% of our people working in the informal economy, India is grappling with a herculean task of protecting these workers, their livelihoods & households. This massive informal work force lacks regularity in employment, social security benefits and faces low wages and poor working conditions. This widespread informality in India is unlikely to disappear in near future. The present article is an attempt to put forward a comprehensive proposal for formalization of working under informal sector in such a manner that ensures durable employment, fair wages and self-reliant dignified life style to all wage earners and also bring win-win situations for different stakeholders of informal economy.

This book focuses on the core problems of occupational health, safety and well-being of workers in the informal sector in developing countries, where it accounts for most of the rural labour force and a substantial percentage of the urban labour force. The sector is characterised by low incomes, unstable employment and lack of protection in the form of legislation/policies or trade unions. Though some health and problem-solving measures have been introduced, a focused academic effort to address the problems confronting workers in the unorganised sector, or informal economy, is lacking. The book evaluates workers’ physical and mental health in the context of labour migration, social inclusion of minorities and the differently abled, provisions for women workers, demonetisation, occupational safety for hazardous work, and in connection with various areas of informal work, e.g. agriculture, construction, transportation, sanitation, tanning, the tobacco industry, powerloom industry, surrogacy, and self-employment. It provides a well-rounded description of an analytical reflection on the challenges these workers face and focuses on social policy changes to help alleviate them. Accordingly, it offers a valuable asset for researchers and students interested in development studies, the sociology of work, health and labour economics, public health, and social work.

An annotated bibliography which brings together about 240 recent titles on the urban informal sector in Asia, an area of high employment and rapid growth. Arranged thematically, it covers training, women, labour market, urban poverty, working conditions and economic growth.

Selected papers presented at a seminar during 1997 in Delhi, India.

Study with special reference to Jaipur, India.