As a researcher for The Reach Alliance (Munk School of Global Affairs & Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth), I investigated the structural barriers preventing India’s ~600 million internal migrants from accessing entitled social protections. Our team conducted primary fieldwork in Mumbai and Rajasthan to evaluate how Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) bridge the gap between policy intent and “last-mile” delivery.
Selected Publications & Presentations
- IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC), 2024 Leveraging technology for equitable access to social benefits: a case study of civil society organization interventions among internal seasonal migrant workers in India. Read Proceedings (p. 439–445)
- International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD), New York, 2024 Service delivery ecosystems as infrastructure: a case study of the Migrant Resilience Collaborative in Rajasthan, India. View Presentation
Public Health & Social Equity
My research focused on the intersection of migration and health outcomes. We examined how precarious living conditions in urban slums, lacking clean water and sanitation—compound health risks for mobile populations.
- Occupational Health: Evaluated the impact of silicosis in the mineral-grinding sector, advocating for health as an “entry point” for broader labor rights and financial compensation.
- Benefit Linkages: Analyzed the efficacy of the Ayushman Bharat (national health insurance) and BOCW Act in providing secondary and tertiary care for families living below the poverty line.
Policy Analysis & Advocacy
I performed a deep-dive into the “administrative silos” that cause policy failure despite robust legislative frameworks.
- Portability Barriers: Identified how the lack of interstate database synchronization prevents “split families” from accessing food rations through the One-Nation One-Ration Card scheme.
- Digital Governance: Evaluated the Aadhaar and eShram portals, identifying how the “Digital Divide” and language barriers exclude those without technological literacy.
Quantitative & Structural Insights
Leveraging a mixed-methods approach, we analyzed the operational efficiency of Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs).
- Incentive Mapping: Conducted a structural analysis of the Common Service Centre (CSC) business model, revealing how commission-based structures disincentivize VLEs from processing complex migrant cases.
- Scale of Impact: Documented the reach of digital solutions like the Jan Saathi app, which manages household-level data for nearly 6 million migrant families to customize benefit delivery.
Conference Poster
Presented at the 2024 International Conference on Sustainable Development, this poster summarizes our findings on collaborative ecosystems and technological solutions.
