Mona Agrawal

Aajeevika Bureau

Aajeevika Bureau was conceived in 2004 as a response to our growing realisation that migration for work has become central to the survival of rural poor in regions such as Rajasthan. Our studies and experience brought to us the harsh realities of distress driven drift of adivasi youth from south Rajasthan to the labour markets of Gujarat, Maharashtra and beyond. The question we set out to answer to was - how to make labour migration more equitable and freer of hardship in an economy that is galloping forward Majority of seasonal migrant workers from Rajasthan – as from elsewhere in the country - are casually employed and they combat adverse work conditions in return for meagre wages. Their seasonal dislocation from their rural homes is driven by contractors and intermediaries who keep them and their problems invisible. Migrant workers also remain excluded from essential services in cities. Their contribution to the host economy is immense yet they exist on the margins of policy attention. Migrate they must for meeting basic needs – food, housing, health care and social obligations. Their home economy has failed to provide adequate alternatives