This book systematically analyses the employment vulnerability of home-based women beedi workers in terms of their precarious employment, low wage rates/income, hazardous work environment, persisting health problems, systemic exploitation, and their poor access to various social security schemes. The remuneration generated by beedi workers is too less compared to the labour they put in. As an occupation, it provides no more than basic sustenance. Based on the field insights from two major beedi manufacturing states Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the study suggests that the lack of skills, little or no access to credit, lack of in-demand vocational training, and absence of suitable alternative livelihoods compel these women to continue beedi rolling. This book will be useful not only as reference material for researchers but also to formulate a strong policy in favour of women beedi workers. CONTENTS 1 Introduction 2 Situation of Women Beedi Workers in India: A Critical Review 3 Macro Analysis of India’s Beedi Industry: What Does It Indicate? 4 India’s Policy Mapping for Beedi Workers 5 Employment and Income Status from Beedi Rolling and Alternative Occupations 6 Emerging Issues and Probable Strategies for Beedi Workers ABOUT THE AUTHOR / EDITOR Sachi Satapathy is the Director AF Development Care (AFDC), New Delhi. He is an international development practitioner and researcher, worked on large scale projects with bilateral and multilateral agencies. His interests are in public health, poverty alleviation and in public-private partnerships for health and development in lower, middle income and developing countries. Gagan Bihari Sahu is an Associate Professor at Centre for Social Studies (CSS), Surat. His academic interests lie in the area agriculture, labour studies, rural credit, microfinance, tribal development and food and nutrition security. He has published several research papers in national and international peer-reviewed journals. Jagannath Mallick is currently affiliated with the University of Hyogo (Japan). Earlier, he was with the SBIL (State Bank of India), University of Pardubice (Czech Republic), ICRIER Delhi and ISID Delhi. He has about 60 publications in standard journals and international conferences, in the field of global economics, macroeconomics, development economics, productivity and employment.