According to the National Crimes Record Bureau, daily wage earners comprised the highest category of professional suicide cases in 2020 and 2021, leading to 80,000 deaths over two years. Daily Wage Worker Platform (DWWP) emerged in response to the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the most vulnerable - migrants and daily wagers that rely on a daily income for survival without any safety nets. We work with our partners to support workers with food security, healthcare and livelihoods.

 

There is very little data available on migrant workers in India. Hence we began by documenting 200 relief efforts by civil society, corporates and states to support migrants during the lockdowns with the support of Jindal Global University and Shawview Consulting. We  partnered with NGOs to conduct a comprehensive survey of 8,000 migrants in four states to assess the socio-economic impact of Covid-19 on migrant workers. Based on the findings, we developed a comprehensive framework to address the root causes of the migrant worker crisis that involves the delivery of a package of services including: documentation, employment, skill development, access to government schemes and legal awareness and enforcement of their rights at the work place. We have also completed a survey of 200 migrants across six cities to understand the underlying factors for vaccine adoption and high levels of resistance among daily wage workers. 

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The platform provides all development partners a virtual mechanism to coordinate efforts, share experiences and promote public private partnerships. In 2020, we rolled out a crowdfunding and social media campaign supported by local and international artists to provide ration kits to 30,000 workers in Dharavi, Asia's largest slum. We developed an emergency health package to provide primary care to 20,000 slum dwellers in Delhi and Hyderabad using Tele-medicine and social distancing. The project was implemented by Smile Foundation with the support of the Swiss government. In 2021, with the support of Omidiyar Network, we have built the capacity of state level NGOs like Mahashakti Foundation to educate 5000 migrants in the remote villages of Kalahandi district in Odisha about their rights and supported their registration and access to over ten government employment and social security schemes. 

 

Our online platform provides several resources on migrant workers including our survey and project reports, analysis of the new labour laws, as well as information of the food security, healthcare and employment programs. Our researchers have collated national listings, state responses and city-wide efforts to support workers. City-wide pages provide information on the needs and different relief efforts being undertaken by governments, corporations, NGOs and residential communities. Dispatches from the field provide feature stories and videos documenting good practices that can be scaled up. We invite you to read about the heroic deeds of gurudwaras, policemen, individuals and frontline workers who risked their lives to help our workers during the pandemic.

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Now we need your help! Please donate to one of the many initiatives featured on the platform to scale up our Swaasthya and Adhikar projects. We need volunteers to work on our projects, document success stories and support our social media campaigns.

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Join the platform and help support India's migrant and daily wage workers comprising 90% of the country's workforce!

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