With a view to understand the gaps and prepare national and state-level plans and strategies for social protection of informal sector workers, two-day national meeting of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working with informal sector and migrant workers in India was held at Indian Social Institute (ISI), Delhi. The objectives of the meeting were as follows:
- Understand the ground realities of the workers, connect with them with the city and state- level networks and with the national-level existing network
- Learn and share from the best practices in different worker groups
- Understand the existing policy framework and gaps
- Prepare a plan of action for allied networks
- Explore linkages between the issue of climate change and informal workers, and the space for housing/livelihoods in the city through the lens of urban planning.
Organised by the Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS), New Delhi, the two-day meeting held on 4--5 November 2022 was attended by more than 75 participants representing various organisations and networks. Speakers and attendees included experts on issues of street vendors, waste collectors, domestic workers, migrant workers, rikshaw pullers, women informal sector workers, urban planning, climate change, academics from research institutes, lawyers, informal sector workers’ leaders, and representatives of State level CSOs/Workers organisations. MAIN (Migrant Assistance and Information Network) actively participated the meeting and shared the operational model of MAIN, issues and concerns of the distressed migrants, and the key policy asks and action plans required.
