Stakeholder meetings to map welfare schemes and their accessibility among domestic workers done in Bihar

The PRS Phase II project is collating information to develop a map of social welfare schemes that benefit domestic workers and implementing a study to understand the accessibility situation of these schemes among domestic workers in Bihar. In collaboration with the office of Labour Commissioner within the Labour Resources Department, Government of Bihar, this activity is being implemented through the VV Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI).

Towards this, the first stakeholder meeting was held on 27 and 28 November 2024. The technical team, constituting ILO and VVGNLI representatives met with the state's Labour Commissioner to understand the various welfare program implemented by the labour department to promote welfare of domestic workers in Bihar and also requested the support of the office of the commissioner for information sharing on available schemes. An online discussion with the labour officers is also planned for December 2024.

The technical team also met with the domestic workers’ representatives within the Indian National Trade Union Congress (in Bihar), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Bihar Gharelu Kamgaar Union (BGKU) within the National Domestic Workers’ Federation (NDWF). Two group discussions were conducted with domestic workers to understand the level of awareness among domestic workers on the welfare schemes, whether or not the schemes are accessible to them, the challenges they face while accessing schemes, and how to make schemes more accessible and useful for domestic workers. As a part of the accessibility study the team also plans to conduct a sample survey of 100 domestic workers across Patna and Gaya districts in Bihar.

The map of schemes can be used as a gender-responsive knowledge product to inform and raise awareness of domestic workers on available social welfare schemes. The findings from the accessibility study will enable the creation of informed programmatic and policy measures in the state contributing towards formalisation of the domestic work sector.