Every year, millions of workers from rural India leave their villages in search of better opportunities. They work on construction sites, in factories, restaurants and farms across the country, contributing enormously to India's economy. Yet they remain largely invisible—earning minimal wages, working in precarious conditions, and facing exploitation at the hands of contractors and middlemen. Most lack basic identity documents, legal protection or access to social security. When disputes arise or accidents happen, they have nowhere to turn.
Aajeevika Bureau was born in 2004 from a simple realisation: migration had become essential for survival in rural Rajasthan, particularly for tribal communities. The founders witnessed young people from southern Rajasthan drifting towards Gujarat and Maharashtra, driven by distress rather than opportunity. The question they asked themselves was straightforward—how can labour migration be made more equitable and less harsh?
Twenty years later, Aajeevika operates through a network of Workers' Facilitation Centres across source areas in rural Rajasthan and destination hubs in Gujarat and Maharashtra. The organisation works with seasonal migrant workers in construction, manufacturing, hospitality, transport and agriculture—sectors where informal employment dominates and workers' rights are routinely violated.
Meet the team
Aajeevika Bureau, on LinkedIn
Rajiv Khandelwal, Co-founder & Executive Director
Abha Mishra, Program Manager - Networking, Partnerships & Advocacy
Their approach combines direct service delivery with systemic change. Workers receive legal aid through mediation and arbitration, access to skills training and job placement, help securing social security benefits, and healthcare services. The Labour Line—a dedicated toll-free helpline—provides rapid relief to workers in crisis. Women workers form solidarity groups to demand equal wages and workplace rights. Occupation-based collectives give workers collective bargaining power with employers.
But Aajeevika doesn't stop at individual support. Through its Centre for Migration and Labour Solutions, the organisation conducts research that fills critical knowledge gaps about India's migrant workforce. This evidence shapes policy conversations and helps design interventions that can be scaled by government and industry. The organisation partners with civil society groups, donors, academia and employers to expand reach and influence.
What makes Aajeevika distinctive is its presence at both ends of the migration journey—supporting workers where they come from and where they go. This dual presence allows the organisation to understand the full reality of migration and offer solutions that truly work for workers and their families left behind.
