Dr. Meghna Dasgupta is an Associate Fellow (Faculty) at the V. V. Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI), Noida. An economist by training, she holds MPhil and PhD degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her doctoral research examined how globalisation and production restructuring shape women's employment, wages, and agency in the garment sector. That thread continues to run through her broader work on labour market outcomes, gender, informal employment, and equity in the world of work.
Dr. Dasgupta has worked with the International Labour Organization (ILO) on projects relating to global supply chains, migrant and home-based workers, and occupational safety and health, with an emphasis on gender-responsive labour standards and social protection frameworks. She has also held research positions at the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID), the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), and the Centre for WTO Studies (CWS) at IIFT. There she focused on labour-intensive manufacturing, particularly the textile and garment sector, and on how industrial and trade policy affects employment and fairness in the workplace.
Her research has been published for institutions including the ILO, UNESCAP, and IIFT. It has been presented at national and international conferences, including the annual conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), and at workshops supported by organisations such as the International Development Research Centre, SAWTEE, and the British High Commission. She has completed specialised training in Evidence-Based Policymaking for Decent Work (ITCILO, Turin), Gender Budgeting (UN Women), and Social Protection (UNICEF).
At VVGNLI, Dr. Dasgupta conducts research and training programmes for trade union leaders, labour administrators, government officials, and civil society organisations. Her work at the Institute engages with women's labour force participation, women's self-employment and entrepreneurship, gender and work, and the promotion of decent work across sectors.
