Utilization pattern of social welfare schemes among women beedi workers in comparison with non-beedi workers

Abstract

Beedi is a crude cigarette in which tobacco is rolled in a small beedi leaf (tendu) and tied with a cotton thread. Beedi industry is the largest tobacco based industry in India. The industry has been classified as unorganized sector, falling under the small scale and cottage industry sector. 1 It has one of the largest employers of workers in India, after agriculture and construction. 2 Women constitutes to a very high percentage of labour force in these beedi industries. 3

The Indian Bidi Industry: Trends in Employment and Wage Differentials

“…In its initial phases, the bidi industry was largely confined to the organised sector but it gradually shifted to the unorganised sector. This shift was attributed to strict government rules, regulations and policies on the organised sector and the tax liberalisation in the unorganised sector (6). Currently, bidi manufacturing units operational in the country can be grouped into two categories viz.…”