Urban India at its lower end of the economic spectrum is changing fast. As cities develop and become important centres of trade and services, the migrant workers form a crucial part of this growth. In most cities today, a bulk of the critical support jobs are done by migrant workers, often hailing from states such as Orissa, Bihar, Assam and West Bengal. Through my interactions with guest workers from various parts of India, I have observed an evolving workforce with aspirations for better job opportunities, higher education for their children, and a desire to enhance their skills. Here are some…

In recent years, the resettlement sites in Chennai have become areas of concern due to many infrastructure and safety challenges affecting their residents. People in resettlement sites like Perumbakkam, Semmencherry, Kannagi Nagar, and other places grapple with problems of inadequate water supply, deteriorating housing quality, insufficient police presence, lack of streetlights and so on. In Part 2 of the two-part series on women-led safety audits of resettlement sites, we look at the findings of the recent audits and recommend improvements and policy changes.         Here are some of the key findings of the safety and infrastructure audits in the resettlement…