Dr. Ruma Ghosh is working as a Faculty at the V. V. Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI) since 1998. She is a Sociologist by training and holds a Masters, M.Phil and Ph.D degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She has more than 25 years of experience in conducting research/evaluation studies and training/courses in the area of Social Security and Protection of Workers in Informal Employment, International Standards and Social Security of Workers, New Forms of Work and Its Implications on Social Protection of Workers, Future of Work and Decent Work, Gender and Social Protection of Workers.
She has been associated as a Member of several National Level Technical Committees such as Member, Task Force of Experts in the field of Pension and Social Security to suggest possible measures to Enhance Benefits under EPS – 1995 (Present), Member of the Drafting Committee of the Draft Labour Code on Social Security and Welfare (MoLE, 2018), Member of the Expert Committee to Assess the Implication of Economic/Financial Cost involved in the Draft Labour Code on Social Security & Welfare (MoLE, 2018), Member of the Sub-committee on Health and Maternity Welfare under the Committee for Formulation of an Action Plan and Model Scheme for Welfare of Building and other Construction Workers (DGLW, 2018), Member of the Committee to estimate the Cost to the Government to provide Incentives for entities that provide Maternity Benefits to their Women Employees (DGLW, 2018), Member of the Working Groups for discussion on Ratification of ILO Convention No. 184 concerning Safety and Health in Agriculture (MoLE, 2018), Member of the Sub-Group on the Gap Analysis in the Agriculture Sector for Ratification of ILO Convention No. 155 (MoLE, 2015), Member of the Expert Committee under the Building and other Construction Workers (RECS) Act, 1996 to suggest amendment to Central Rules (MoLE, 2014), Member Convenor of the National Sectoral Innovation Council constituted by Prime Minister on Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (NSIC-RSBY) in 2011 for preparing a Roadmap for Innovation 2010-2020 (MoLE 2011). She was also part of the Indian delegation from Ministry of Labour & Employment to attend the First BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting at Yuxi, China during April 19-20, 2017.
Dr. Ruma Ghosh is the Coordinator of the Research Centre for Social Protection and Health Studies of VVGNLI. She is the Editor of the Institute’s academic journal ‘Labour & Development’ and also the Editor of the Institute’s Newsletter ‘Indradhanush’. She has conducted several research and evaluation studies on contemporary and policy issues covering informal employment and social security such as: Study on Gender, Work and Health – A Study of Work Organization, Social Security and Safety Provisions in Informal manufacturing, Evaluation Study of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana: A Study of Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Punjab for Ministry of Labour & Employment; Impact of MGNREGA on the Living Conditions of the Unorganized Workers in Rural Areas; Fisheries based Livelihood: Opportunities and Insecurities;
Insecurities and Vulnerabilities of Informal Sector Workers: A Study of Street Vendors of Delhi; Health Insecurities of Workers in Informal Employment: A Study of Existing and Possible Interventions; Study of Migration, Labour Process and Employment in the Informal Sector of Brick Making; Labour Process and Employment Relations in Zardosi & Hathari Units of Varanasi; Evaluation of the National Child Labour Projects in 50 districts for Ministry of Labour & Employment; Minimum Wage and Mode of Payment of the Agricultural Workers in Punjab; Home-Based Industry and Child Labour: A Case of Gem Polishing Industry of Jaipur for ILO; Home-Based Industry and Child Labour: A Case of Glass Bangle Industry of Firozabad for ILO; Study of Child Labour in the Sports Goods Industry of Jalandhar for ILO, Child Labour in the Cricket Ball Manufacturing Industry of Meerut for UNICEF. She has coordinated major research projects and implementation programmes including an ILO sponsored multi-centric study on Child Labour in nine Hazardous Home Based Industries and an ILO-MoLE collaborative programme on Prevention of HIV/AIDS in the World of Work – A Tripartite Response (2001-2011).
Her training programmes/courses are also in the areas covering Social Security and Protection of Workers in Informal Employment, International Standards and Social Security of Workers, New Forms of Work and Its Implications on Social Protection of Workers, Future of Work and Decent Work, Gender and Social Protection of Workers. She has been organising a two-week Course on Qualitative Methods in Labour Research for research scholars since 2003 and and two three-week International Training Programme on 'Health Security and Protection of Workers' and 'Future of Work - Towards Decent Work in the Digital Gig Economy' as a part of ITEC/SCAAP training programmes sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
She has coordinated several Seminar/Workshops on themes related to Social Security for Workers in Informal Employment.
She has also presented several papers in National/International Seminars/Conferences on themes related to social security of workers especially in the context of informal employment. She has a number of research publications in the form of VVGNLI Research Series (working papers), articles, research monographs and edited book. She is associated as a Life Member with Indian Society of Labour Economics and Indian Sociological Society.
