Assessing livelihood and well-being of textile industry workers in Serampore region, West-Bengal

Pages: 63-71
Ruchira Gupta (Centre for Human Development Studies Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, West Bengal)
Debolina Saha (Department of Economics, Rabindra Bharati University, Emerald Bower Campus, West Bengal)

According to UNDPs millennium development goal 2000, livelihood is an important factor in eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and attaining a better human development and well-being goal. Present study is concerned with the textile workers who are working in various printing mills in Serampore region of West Bengal. The major aim of the study is to find out how these peoples subjective Well-being are affected by their present livelihood patterns at home front as well as workplace and thus how to sustain their livelihoods and well-being. Study reveals that workers are working under a deplorable work environment. Mismanagement from the owners and non-cooperation from government are also the barriers behind the development of this industry as well as the workers in this region. While assessing subjective well-being status of workers among different work categories and income groups it is also found to be unsatisfactory. But, workers’ subjective well-being is positively affected by their income. It is found that a little increase in income level can enhance workers’ feeling of happiness and well-being as well. Hence, in this paper we have tried to find out the remedies how livelihoods of the mill workers in the study area can be improved and in turn now this can help to survive the cotton textile industry in Serampore region as an important cluster of West Bengal.