Agrasar envisions a caring and compassionate society with opportunities of growth and development for overall wellbeing. Our mission is to strengthen resilience and agency among migrant workers and their families through leveraging basic rights and entitlements as citizens in general and workers and children in particular.

Progressive Migrant Worker| अग्रसर प्रवासी

The Problem
A significant majority of migrant workers in India remains aloof from social security provisions. Through our work as well as field researches conducted, we found that Individual as well as collective bargaining is amiss. Contractors and smaller companies perceive it easier to bypass the ESI, PF and other labour law compliances instead of meeting them. Connect with the (destination) city, even after years of staying remains weak.

Our Response

1. Strengthening identity of inter-state migrant workers through facilitating access to identity documents and social connect with the city.
2. Need based access to government schemes through our Workers Facilitation Centres as well as advocacy and ensuring optimum benefits.
3. Facilitating better work conditions in the informal sector through negotiations and capacity building.
4. Ensuring sustainability through designing, planning and working in collaboration with the community.

Insights | Progressive Migrant Worker

The 2019 food security policy to support India’s migrant families

21 July 2022 No Comments

“One Nation, One Ration Card Scheme” (ONORC) was introduced by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution as

Resilience

21 July 2022 No Comments

Sharing an experience of a lifetime. An attempt to explain ourselves the meaning of the term – “Resilience”. I learnt

A tête-à-tête with Manoj, an enterprising tea vendor!

21 July 2022 No Comments

Referred to as ‘Lala’ by his customers, Manoj runs a tea stall adjacent to one of the thousands construction sites in

Eliminating Corporal Punishment | अग्रसर बचपन

The Problem

Physical punishment and mental harassment of children is an epidemic form of violence among children that is not recognized as such in our society. As per Government data, 65% of the school going children get physically punished by their teachers. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) found that 99.9% of children experience corporal punishment (Physical Punishment, Mental Harassment or Discrimination) at schools. Agrasar’s study in 2018 revealed that the situation is even worst for the children of migrant workers because of various connotations and stereotypes as well as the lack of agency.

Our Response

1. Changing social norms with respect to growth and development of children and highlighting violence against children as a problem.
2. Enabling students, teachers and parents for jointly dealing with the current situation and creating better means of relationship building, discipline and quality education.
3. Strengthening government responses based on mechanisms provided by NCPCR and Right to Education.
4. Pioneering the development of body of knowledge on the issue of Corporal Punishment, especially in the context of inter-state migrant workers.