Why construction workers missed government welfare benefits for 23 years

Nearly 50 million Indians worked in construction between 1983 and 2011-12, and the sector absorbs the largest proportion of rural workers surplus in agriculture

“I am at the naka or at a site working all day. I can’t take care of her from there, so I prefer she come with me and earn a bit for the house,” said Meena Ben Rathwa, holding her 14-year-old daughter Jhini’s hand, as they stood at Harinagar Naka, Vadodara, hoping to find wage work for the day.

Meena Ben and her husband Rajesh Rathwa are among the millions of naka workers--casual workers who gather at a naka or junction to get hired for wage work--employed in the construction sector, the fastest growing and second largest daily wage employer in