Dr. Shashi Bala, Senior Fellow (Faculty), V. V. Giri National Labour Institute was awarded Ph.D from the Centre of Study for Diplomacy, International law and Economics/School of International Studies/Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She is coordinating the activities of the Centre for Gender & Labour Studies and the Centre for Agrarian Relations and Rural Labour Studies at the Institute.

She has been trained on various themes like Gender Budgeting by Ministry of Women and Child Development, New Delhi; National Service Scheme (NSS) by University of Delhi; Gender Sensitivity & Prevention and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace by Integrated Training & Policy Research; Mainstreaming Gender Equality: Concepts and Instruments ; and Leadership for Employment Promotion in fragile settings by ILO/ITC Turin, Italy. She is the Founder Convener of Sexual Harassment Committee at the Institute. Her research areas majorly focus on Labour Economics; Skill Development; Social Security; Gender Budgeting; Gender Issues; & Behavioral Skills.

As a researcher research projects coordinated by her Nationally and Internationally are: Skill Development System: Micro Level Evidence; Vocational Training for Rehabilitation of labour: A Case Study of NCLP School and MAYA; Changing Pattern of Rural NonFarm Employment; Gender Issues in Korean Labour Market; Working Women in Urban India: Concerns and Challenge; Employment Process of Migrant Domestic Help: A Case of Metro Cities in India; Migration of Tribal Female Domestic Help in Delhi; Labour Market Participation of Working Women Post Maternity: A Case of Private Sectors; Implementation of Maternity Benefit Act; Training Module on Gender & Social Security for Corporate Sector; Training Module on Gender & Social Security for Unorganised Sector; Gender Dimensions of Work and Employment: A Case of Sexual Harassment; Gaps in Education & the World of Work: A Gender Perspective; Gender Parity in Education and Employment: A Global Perspective; Training of Trainers Module on Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace; ICT Imperatives to Bridge the Digital Divide: Gender Perspective; Impact of the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 in the IT & ITES; The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976: Identifying the Affirmative Initiative & Challenges in the Implementation of the Act; and Rural Industrialization and Options for Self Employment in Rural Areas. She has been the Visiting Researcher 2008 at Korean Labour Institute, Seoul, South Korea, where she conducted a study on Gender Issues in Korean Labour Market.

In addition to her contribution towards the research activities, she also coordinates various training programmes. As a trainer, she coordinates training programmes on various themes with specific focus on Gender and behavioral skills like Effective Enforcement of Laws Pertaining to Women Employees for Labour Enforcements Officers from Central and State Governments/UTs; Gender Responsive Budgeting for Centre and State Labour Enforcement Officials; Gender, Poverty and Employment for Policy makers, Government representatives, Representatives of Workers’ and Employers’ organizations, Civil Society representatives; Empowering Rural Women Organisers for Rural Women labour leaders sponsored by Central Trade Unions; Developing Skill Development Strategies for Women Workers in the Informal Economy for Skill Development Institutions, NGOs and Trade Unions Representatives from Central Trade Union Organisations; Women Welfare Issues at Workplace for Corporate Sector; Training of Trainers Programme on Gender and Social Security for Employers, Trade Union Activists, NGOs, Labour Enforcement Officers; Gender and Social Security for Corporate Sector; Training of Trainers Programme for Enhancing Capacity of the Officials Handling Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013; Gender Issues in Labour for Trade Union Leaders sponsored by Central Trade Unions and NGO’s Representing North-Eastern States; Training Programme on Quantitative & Qualitative Methods in Labour Research: A Gender Perspective for Research Scholars/academicians working on labour issues; labour issues and policies in India with MGLI, Ahmedabad; Mainstreaming Gender Equality for Officials working on Gender Issues with Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, Research Methodology Course on “Inclusion of Labour in Rural India” with Gandhigram Rural Institute, Tamil Nadu and Management Development Programme on Enhancing Productivity through Improving Work Culture and Gender Equity with Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow e.t.c.

She also coordinates International Training Programme on Gender Issues in the World of Work for officials from Government Departments, Institutions, Representatives from Employee/Employers’ organizations, Executives from Industrial and service sector/ NGOs etc. for foreign nationals sponsored by Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India. In the past she co-coordinated the training programme on themes like International Training Programme on Labour and Employment; Course on Research Methods in Labour Economics jointly with Dr. S.K. Sasikumar, Senior Faculty at the Institute & International Training Programme on Enhancing Leadership Skills jointly with Dr. Poonam S. Chauhan, former Senior Faculty at the Institute. She also coordinates training on Behavioral Skills for Managing Work Effectively for RBI Personnel, Managing Time, Anger and Stress for Improving Work Efficiency, Managing Work Effectively: A Behavioral Approach, Improving Work Efficiency for Canara Bank Officials, National Fertilizers Ltd. Officials, Oil India Ltd. Officials, etc.

She is an external member of various Internal Complaint Committees constituted for Preventing Sexual Harassment at Workplace by BPCL, GAIL, EPFO, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Academy of Social Security etc.

She has presented several papers in National and International Seminars/Workshops organized by International Training Centre, Turin; International Management Institute (IMI); International Labour Organization (ILO); Korea Labour Institute, Seoul, South Korea; Ministry of Labour and Employment and ILO, in Collaboration with Korea University of Technology and Education; Annual Conference of India Society of Labour Economics; V.V. Giri National Labour Institute; National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD); Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA); Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, Ministry of Women and Child Development etc., She has a number of national and International research publications in reputed journals, books and research studies .She is a life member of Indian Society of Labour Economics & Indian Political Economy Association (IPEA). She has been a member of Grant-in-Aid Committee on Women Labour, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India. She is also a member of the Task Force on Gender Equality in the World of Work, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India.

Dr Ruma Ghosh Senior Fellow (Faculty) is a Labour Sociologist with a Ph.D from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She has more than two decades of experience in conducting evidence based research, preparing capacity building modules and conducting evidence based policy trainings in the area of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, Child Labour, Gender Issues and Social Protection of Workers. She coordinates the Institute’s Centre ‘Social Protection Studies’ and is the Editor of the Institute’s bi-annual academic journal ‘Labour and Development’ (ISSN 0973-0419).

She is currently implementing a Project of ILO- DWT for South Asia and Country Office for India Project  on Developing and Implementing Training of Trainers Module on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FPRW) for capacity building among the cotton growing community of Madhya Pradesh, India under the ILO RISE for Impact Project on Promoting Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work in the Cotton Supply Chain of India. 

She has designed, coordinated and conducted several policy oriented studies including major projects for the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India and the ILO- DWT for South Asia and Country Office for India in the areas of child labour, social protection of workers,  informal labour, labour migration, gender issues and prevention of HIV. Some of her recent studies has been on Migration and Portability of Social Security in India- Issues and Concerns, 2024; Social Security in India-Understanding Policy Initiatives under the BRICS Network of Labour Institutes, 2023; Gender, Work and Health in Informal Manufacturing, 2022. 

She has been associated as a Member of several National Level Technical Committees by the Government such as member of Committee of ESIC to formulate the scheme under the Code on Social Security, 2020 for unorganised workers, gig workers and platform workers (currently), Member of Task Force of Experts on Enhancing Benefits under EPS – 1995 (EPFO, 2024); Member of the Drafting Committee on the Consolidation of nine Social Security Laws in to a single Code on Social Security (Ministry of Labour, 2018) which was passed by the Parliament in 2020, 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). 

Her recent article ‘Social Security for Internal Migrants’ has been published in ‘Migration Studies – The Fundamentals’ edited by Avijit Mistri, Md. Selim Reja and Bhaswati Das, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2025, ISBN: 978-1-032-63561-3 (hbk), ISBN: 978-1-032-95842-2 (pbk), ISBN: 978-1-003-58679-1 (ebk), DOI: 10.4324/9781003586791.

Dr. Otojit Kshetrimayum, Fellow(Faculty) is a development professional with 12 years of evidence based policy research, impact evaluation, project management and monitoring, policy and programme design, teaching, training and capacity development in sectors such as Labour and Employment, Social Protection and Livelihood Security, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Informal Economy, Gender and Work, Child Labour, Labour Administration, Corporate Social Responsibility, Research Methods and Self Help Groups (SHGs). He is a Ph. D. in sociology. He is currently working as Fellow (Faculty) in V.V. Giri National Labour Institute under the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. of India. He had worked as Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, Sikkim Central University, Gangtok and was the founding Head of the Department. He had worked as Senior Fellow in Women’s Studies and Development Centre, University of Delhi and also worked in the projects conducted by National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He is the Coordinator of the Centre for North East India, V.V. Giri National Labour Institute and one of the Associate Editors of the journal, Labour and Development; Shram Vidhan and Shram Sangam.

He has extensive experience in designing, conducting and supervising major quantitative and analytical research studies, impact evaluation projects and capacity development training courses with organizations such as Office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India; Directorate General of Employment & Training, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India; State Labour Departments of Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura and Bihar; State Labour Institutes of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Kerala; Universities in Delhi, Gujarat, Manipur, Sikkim, Assam, Uttrakhand, Rajasthan and Goa.

He has represented India in the “Forum on Women’s Labour Force Participation and Productivity Enhancement” at the Asian Productivity Organisation, Tokyo; “Forum on Innovations in Public Investment and Employment Programmes” at the International Training Centre-International Labour Organisation, Turin and “Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility Practices in the Area of Employment and Industrial Relations in India” at Korea Labour Institute, Seoul.

He is a member of the Performance Assessment Board to review the performance of Young Professional working with Model Career Centres established under National Career Service Project of the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. of India. He was a member of the Drafting Committees of 44th and 45th Indian Labour Conference, and 44th, 45th, 46th, and 47th Standing Labour Conference of the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. of India. He was a member of the Review Committee of the Recommendations of the 2nd National Commission on Labour.

He was awarded the Best Speaker/First Prize in the Ex-tempore Competition in Hindi organised by the Town Official Language Implementation Committee Noida, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India at GAIL Training Institute, Noida on 31st January, 2019.

Publications:

Books:

• Kshetrimayum, Otojit, H.R. Sekar & D. Nongkynrih. 2017. Dynamics of Employment of Children and Socio-Economic Reality: A Study of Children in Hazardous Occupations in East and West Jaintia Hills Districts of Meghalaya. Noida: VVGNLI. ISBN: 9789382902553.
• Kshetrimayum, Otojit. 2017. Industrial Relations in India: A Study of Central Industrial Relations Machinery. Noida: VVGNLI. ISBN: 978-93-82902-47-8.
• Kshetrimayum, Otojit. 2016. Skilling India: Evaluation of Multi Skills Development Centres. Noida: VVGNLI. ISBN: 978-93-82902-38-6
• Kshetrimayum, Otojit. 2016. Women and Entrepreneurship in North East India: Handloom as an Enterprise in Manipur. Noida: VVGNLI. ISBN 9789382902379
• Kshetrimayum, Otojit. 2014. Ritual, Politics and Power in North East India: Contextualising the Lai Haraoba of Manipur. New Delhi: Ruby Press & Co. ISBN: 9789382395508.
• Edited a Special Issue on Labour, Employment and Social Protection in North East India of Labour & Development, Volume 20, No. 2, December 2013. ISSN 0973-0419

Research Papers:

• “Skill Development in India and Contributions of Korean Companies”, in International Labor Brief. Vol. 14. No. 5., p. 78-91, May 2016. ISSN 1599-8355.
• "Skilling India: Contribution of Korean Companies" in Narsimhan, Sushila & Kim Do Young (Eds.). 2016. Evolving Indo-Korea Relations: Perspectives on South Asia. New Delhi: Manak Publications.
• “Mapping Social Contributions of Foreign Companies: A Case Study of Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives of Korean Companies in India” in Sushila Narsimhan and Kim Do Young (ed.). 2015. Deepening India-Korea Relations: Towards a Sustainable Future. New Delhi: Manak Publications. pp. 47-68. ISBN 978-93-7831-386-8.
• “Political Interpretation of Ritual: Case of Lai Haraoba of Manipur” in Lisham Henthoiba and Laishram Churchil (ed.). 2015. Cultural Practices and Identity Politics in Manipur. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company. pp. 18-31. ISBN 978-93-5125-143-9.
• “CSR Provisions in Indian Companies Act, 2013: An Overview”, in International Labor Brief, Vol. 11, No. 11, p.90-95, November 2013. ISSN 1599-8355.
• “Cloth, Women and Social Change: Situating Handloom Weaving in Manipur” in Sakarama Somayaji and Vimal Khawas (ed.). 2012. Environment, Development and Social Change in Himalayan Region. New Delhi: Akansha Publishing House. p. 237-272. ISBN 978-81-8370-319-2.
• “Rethinking Cooperatives in Rural Development: A Case Study of Handloom Weavers’ Cooperatives in Manipur” in the journal Labour & Development, Volume 18, June 2011.p. 65-79. ISSN 0973-0419.
• “Women and Shamanism in Manipur and Korea: A Comparative Study” in Indian Anthropologist. Vol. 39. No. 1&2. Jan-Dec. 2009. p.17-34. ISSN 0970-0927.
• “Mapping Cultural Diffusion: A Case Study of ‘Korean Wave’ (Hallyu) in North East India” in Sushila Narsimhan and Kim Do Young (ed.). 2008. India and Korea: Bridging the Gaps. New Delhi: Manak Publications. p. 181-195. ISBN 81-7827198-2.
• “ICT Integration in School Education: A Sociological Proposition” in Journal of Indian Education. Vol. XXXIII. No.1. May 2007. p. 62-70. ISSN 0972-5628.

At VVGNLI, he coordinates training programmes on the themes related to Skill Development and Employment Generation; Social Protection and Livelihood Security; Fundamentals of Labour Law; and Labour Administration for government officials, trade union leaders and representatives from civil society organisations. He is coordinating two courses, namely Sociology of Labour & Globalisation, and Labour Market, Employment and Social Protection in North East India especially for young researchers/research scholars working on labour related issues. He has coordinated an International Training programme on Skill Development and Employment Generation for the Government Officials from Afghanistan. He also coordinates a collaborative workshop on Social Security for Unorganised Workers with Maharashtra Institute of Labour Studies, Mumbai. He is the Course Director of the International Training programme on Social Protection in a Globalised Economy under ITEC/SCAAP Programme of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

The projects that he has undertaken at VVGNLI are:

• Labour Market and Social Protection in North East India (ongoing)
• Dynamics of Employment of Children and Socio-Economic Reality: A Study of Children in Hazardous Occupations in East and West Jaintia Hills Districts of Meghalaya
• Evaluation of Multi Skills Development Centres (MSDCs) at Bangalore and Gulbarga, Karnataka
• Corporate Social Responsibility Practices in the Area of Employment and Industrial Relations
• Assessment of Trainers’ Requirement for Skilling 500 Million Persons by 2022 with reference to National Skill Development Policy (Tourism Sector)
• Study to Evaluate Plan Schemes of the Office of Chief Labour Commissioner (Central)

Dr Manoj Jatav is working as a Fellow at V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, Noida. He is the coordinator of the National Resource Centre on Child Labour and associate coordinator of ‘the Centre for Employment Relations and Regulations’ at the institute. He is also the editor of the institute’s quarterly newsletter ‘Child Hope’ and associate editor of the bi-monthly newsletter ‘Indradhanush’. He has more than ten years of working experience in research and training. He received his MPhil. and PhD. in Regional Development from the Centre for the Study of Regional Development, School of Social Sciences, JNU. His research interests include Labour Market Analysis, Labour Force Survey Methods, Geographical Analysis of Labour, Livelihood Security, Climate Instability and Livelihoods, Gender and Work, Socioeconomic Inequalities, and Peri-Urbanisation. He designs and conducts training programmes for researchers, labour officials from central and state labour services, officials from other services, trade union leaders, NGOs, HR Professionals, Employers, Police Personnel, etc. He conducts sessions on labour issues, migration, gender issues, labour and livelihoods mapping, labour welfare, social security, employment security, decent employment and (in)formality, youth employment, climate instability and labour exploitation, quantitative methods in labour research, data analysis, software packages, various datasets on labour and employment, and so on.

He has undertaken independent research studies on different dimensions of labour and published the same in internationally reputed journals including Economic & Political Weekly, the Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Journal of Social and Economic Development, etc. He has worked with the South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies (SaciWATERs), a policy research organisation based in Hyderabad, India. He worked on livelihoods & water (in)security projects funded by WaterAid, TATA Cleantech Capital, UNICEF, CGIAR, Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), Bordeaux Metropole, Arghyam, and the Government of Telangana. Before SaciWATERs, he also worked with the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and VV Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI) as a consultant.

He completed a training programme on ‘Climate Change Adaptation through Green Works’ conducted by the International Training Centre, ILO in 2022. He also completed a training programme on ‘Private Sector Engagement for Livelihoods and Employment Opportunities of Vulnerable Groups in Fragile, Conflict-affected and Emergency Situations’ conducted by the International Training Centre, ILO in 2021. He has also attended several international-level conferences and workshops including the conference on ‘Knowledge, Research and  Innovation’ under ‘Conflict and Cooperation over Natural Resources in Developing Countries (CoCooN)’ Programme, organised by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific  Research (NWO), during November 2015 at The Hague, The Netherlands, and workshop on ‘Interdisciplinary Research Concepts and Methodologies’ organised by University of  Peradeniya, SaciWATERs, and IDRC, during November 2015. He has also delivered lectures on quantitative research methods in social sciences at the University of Peradeniya, Kandy and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka.

Dr. Sanjay Upadhyaya, Senior Fellow

LL.M., Ph. D. (Law)

Dr. Sanjay Upadhyaya has been working as Faculty at V.V. Giri National Labour Institute for over 33 years and coordinates the Research Centre for Employment Relations and Regulations. His key research areas include- Regulation of Contract Labour, Social Security Law, Employment Relations Law, Regulation of Fixed Term Employment and Minimum Wage Regulation etc.. He has coordinated over 200 training programmes on labour-related themes, attended by more than 4000 participants from diverse sectors including NGOs, Trade Unions, Employers Associations, Labour Enforcement Officials, Labour Administrators from Central and State Labour Department, Faculty Members from National Law Universities and Law Departments and Labour Judiciary etc..

He has delivered large number of lectures at National and International Training Programmes on topics such as Labour Law, Wage Regulation, Industrial Relations Law, Legal provisions for Migrant and Women Workers, and Human Rights etc. within the Institute and various other Institutions of national repute (such as National Law Universities, State Labour Institutes, Indian Law Institute, Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies, Indian Institute for Foreign Trade and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai National Postal Academy etc.). His major research contributions cover a wide range of Labour Issues, including Labour Employment and Social Security Issues in Private Educational Institutions, Labour Inspection Systems, Social Security for Security Guards, Delays in Industrial Adjudication, Regulation of Minimum Wage, Regulation of Fixed Term Employment, Comparative Analysis of Central and State Rules under various Labour Codes, Select Policies and Practices in the area of Industrial Relations etc. Most of his studies have been published as NLI Research Studies Series.

Dr. Upadhyaya has authored several books including Policy and Law on Contract Labour in India (Thomson Reuters), Evolution of Trade Unions in India (V.V. Giri National Labour Institute) and edited a Hindi volume on Indian trade union leaders, titled ‘Bharat ke Shramik Neta - Vyaktitva and Krititva’ (V.V. Giri National Labour Institute). He has also contributed Articles for various Books and Edited Volumes. He has served as editor of key publications like Shram Samachar, Awards Digest: Journal of Labour Legislation, and Shram Vidhan. He has contributed in drafting of important Labour Legislations, including the Labour Code on Wages and Labour Code on Industrial Relations. He is a prolific writer and actively participates in various academic and policy discussions on labour issues within and outside the Institute.

The major research studies carried out by Dr. Sanjay Upadhyaya include: Conditions of Employment, Work and Service of Faculty in Private Engineering Colleges in India; Evolution of Minimum Wage Policy and Regulatory Framework: An Inter Country Perspective; Adaptation of ITC-ILO Curriculum on Building Modern and Effective Labour Inspection Systems; Labour, Employment and Social Security Issues of Security Guards Engaged by Private Security Agencies; Contract Labour and Judicial Interventions; Strengthening Labour Laws in order to Prevent Violations; Assessing the Social Security Measures and Promoting Effective Participation of Beneficiaries (An action research); Labour, Employment and Social Security Issues in Education Industry: A Case Study of Private Schools; Organizing Rural Labour: A Case of Chittorgarh, Rajasthan (An action research); Status of Labour Welfare Measures in he Factories of NOIDA: A Case Study of Garment & Hosiery Industry and Delay in Industrial Adjudication: A case study of C.G.I.T-cum-Labour Court, Delhi. Most of these studies have been published in the form of NLI Research Studies Series. He has recently initiated a new V.V.Giri NLI publication in the form of ‘Workers Education and Empowerment Series’ (in Hindi language) for wider dissemination of key research findings of research studies carried out by V.V. Giri National Labour Institute from time to time.

Dr. Sanjay Upadhyaya has recently brought out a book on contract labour titled, ‘Policy and Law on Contract Labour in India’ published by Thomson Reuters and also edited a book ‘Bharat ke Shramik Neta:Vyaktitva evam Krititva’ (in Hindi) containing the short biographies of eminent trade union leaders of India. In the past he has been the editor of ‘Shram Samachar’, inhouse Hindi news magazine of Ministry of Labour, Govt. of India. He is the editor of inhouse regular publications of the V.V.Giri National Labour Institute, ‘Awards Digest: Journal of Labour Legislation’ and ‘Shram Vidhan’ .He is also one of the active members of core team constituted by Ministry of Labour and Employment for drafting of the Small Factories (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Bill, the Labour Code on Wages and Labour Code on Industrial Relations.

He has made presentations in various National / International seminars and participated in a number of discussions and workshops. He has to his credit a large number of publications in the form of articles in various academic journals / edited volumes, magazines and newspapers etc. in English and Hindi on various themes of labour in general and labour law in particular.

Priyadarsan Amitav Khuntia is working as Associate Fellow(Faculty) at the V.V. Giri National Labour Institute. He is a first class post graduate in Economics and Public Administration with M.Phil degree in Public Administration. He was selected and participated in the “Young Researcher Fellowship, 2005-06, Progremme” of V.V. Giri National Labour Institute. He was a participant in the “Course on Research Methods in Labour Economics” of VVGNLI in 2004.

His research interests include Skill Development for Employability ,Self-Employment & Entrepreneurship, Social protection and welfare issues, Construction Labour, His major published works are; Skill Development of Youth in North East India: Way Forward (NLI Research Studies Series No. 124/2017), Employment Generation and Enhancing Employability in North East through Skill Development: Emerging Issues and Prospects (December 2013 Labour and Development Special Issue on Labour, Employment and Social Protection in North East India, VVGNLI), Opportunities and challenges before the construction workers in the globalised era: The Indian case in the NLI Research Studies Series.

He coordinates training programmes on themes like Skill Development for Youth Employability and Entrepreneurship, Good Governance for Effective Implementation of Development Programmes, Research Methods in Labour Studies, Promoting Decent Work in Construction Industry , Leadership Development Programme for Rural Trade Union Leaders, Managing livelihood and Social protection in the Hill Regions, Managing Livelihood and Social Protection in Coastal Regions, Promoting Skill development for Women Workers in North-Eastern States, Orientation Programme on Labour and Development Issues, Leadership Development Programme for Media Sector as Course Director. He also coordinates an International Training Programme on Skill Development and Employment Generation. He has undertaken collaborative programmes with NCDS (ICSSR Institute), Bhubaneswar, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand, Karala Institute of Labour and Employment, Thiruvananthapuram, Skkim University. He undertakes field visits with participants of various training programmes including collaborative programmes. He has conducted training workshop “Promoting Skill Development for Construction Workers”. He has evaluated MPhil dissertation of Delhi School of Social Work, University of Delhi.

He takes sessions on Labour and Development, Decent Work, Skill for Employment, Employability, Self-Employment, Entrepreneurship ,Start-ups, & Human Development, Gender Issues, Social Security (Health Security), Construction Labour, Research Methods, Labour Laws, Positive Attitude, Good Governance & Development Programmes, Hill Region and Coastal Region Issues, Media Sector in different training programmes of the Institute.

Mr Khuntia has attended/presented papers in National/International workshops, conferences and seminars such as: National Seminar on Youth & Skill Development in North-East India organised by VVGNLI & ICSSR North Eastern Regional Centre at Shillong in March 2014), National level self-development workshop, Dandely of ERC, New Delhi and Ford Foundation (2003), The annual conference of Indian Society of Labour Economics, Jaipur (2004), The National Seminar on Regional Development U.G.C- DSA Dept. Of Analytical and Applied Economics, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar (2005)), Ministry of Labour and Employment, VVGNLI &ILO Roundtable on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme in India, Noida (2005), National conference on social security, Bhubaneswar (2007), International Conference on Child Rights, New Delhi (2008). Participated in the fourth National ‘Youth Parliament’ competition of Ministry of Parliamentary affairs, GOI for Universities students held in the year (2000-2001) and got second prize for meritorious performance at the national level. He has participated in a number of seminars organised by India Institute of Public administration, Odisha Region and Department of Public Administration, Utkal University.

Dr. Ellina Samantroy Jena,  

Fellow, M.A, M. Phil. and Ph.D., (Sociology) JNU, New Delhi

Dr. Ellina Samantroy is a Sociologist working as a Fellow at the V.V. Giri National Labour Institute. She has a Masters, MPhil and Doctorate in Sociology from the Centre for Study of Social Systems (CSSS), School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. She has more than two 20 years of professional experience in teaching (Sociology), training and conducting policy research in the area of Gender and labour issues particularly Unpaid work, Gender Statistics, Time Use Studies, Women in Informal Economy, Work and Family Life Balance, Gender and Social protection, Gender and Labour Laws, International Labour Standards and Labour Codes. 

Before joining this institute, she was Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Vasant Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and has also taught at the Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMI), New Delhi and Law College, Dehradun. She is the Co-ordinator of the Research Centre for Gender and Labour at the institute. She also co-ordinates International Networking between VVGNLI and ITC-ILO Turin, Italy and is the Co-ordinator for BRICS Network of Labour Research Institute for India. She is the Managing Editor of Indradhanush (Bi-monthly newsletter of VVGNLI). 

She has contributed extensively to national policy discourse on gender and labour. She is a member of the Committee for recommendation of a legal framework for regulation of rights of domestic workers (2025) and Member of Task Force for Improving Female Labour Participation constituted by the Ministry of Labour and Employment (2023). Her policy research for the Ministry of Labour and Employment  includes the BRICS paper on Participation of Women in the Labour Force prepared for the Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting (2021). She has also authored the issue paper on Women and the Future of Work for the Labour 20 Inception Meeting under the G20 Presidency of India (2021) as well as the policy paper Women and Skills in G20 on the sidelines of G20, Indian Presidency 2023.  She also served as a member of the Expert Committee constituted by the National Commission for Women (2019), tasked with developing modules on gender sensitization and legal awareness.

She has led national and international studies on women’s labour force participation, unpaid care work, maternity protection, and social protection, informing policy reforms. She has undertaken several research projects and consultancy assignments for international organizations like the UNICEF, World Bank, the ILO, ITC-ILO, Turin etc . Some of the major research studies that she has undertaken include; Mapping of Social Welfare Schemes for Domestic Workers in the State of Bihar and Study on Accessibility Assessment of Schemes in collaboration with ILO, New Delhi (2025);Implementation of Maternity Benefit Act in India (2025); Impact Assessment of flagship Schemes on the lives of labour (2025);Vulnerability Mapping and Identification of Alternative Livelihood for Women Beedi Workers in Telangana (2024);Research for BRICS Network of Labour Research Institute on ‘Ensuring Social Security for All’ (2023); Paid and Unpaid Work of Urban Working Women in the Organised Manufacturing Sector: A Study of Time Use Patterns in the National Capital Region (2023); Vulnerability Mapping and Identification of Alternative Livelihood for Beedi Workers in Telangana (2023); Women’s Paid and Unpaid Work: Insights from the Time Use Survey and Methodological Issues (2022); VVGNLI-UNICEF study on ‘State of Child Workers in India: Mapping Trends (2017);Unpaid Work and Time Use Patterns of Women Workers in North East India: Special reference to Tripura (2018); ‘Women in the Urban Economy and Employment’, (2018) undertaken for India Urban Knowledge Platform, World Bank, New Delhi; An Overview of Laws, Policies and Practices on Sexual Harassment and Violence Against Women Workers in Afghanistan, India and Sri Lanka (2019) for the ILO, New Delhi; Evaluation study of the National Child labour Project Scheme (2020) commissioned by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India etc. Presently, she is working on a study titled ‘Women and Future of Work: Opportunities and Challenges’ for the Ministry of Labour and Employment (2025).

She regularly organizes international and national-level training programmes on a range of labour and gender-related themes. These include International Labour Standards and the Promotion of Gender Equality at the Workplace (under the ITEC Programme, in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs), Research Methods in Gender Issues in Labour, Gender and Labour Issues, Gender Labour Laws and International Labour Standards, Labour Reforms and Labour Codes in India, and Gender, Work and Social Protection, among others. She has also contributed to the VVGNLI–ITCILO (Turin) one-year training programme titled Employment Policies: Moving from Fragility to Resilience for Afghan nationals. As part of this initiative, she coordinated two key modules: Entrepreneurship and Gender and Labour Towards Empowering Women in Fragile States.

She has published extensively with more than 90 publications in the form of books, research monographs, several papers and articles in peer-reviewed and reputed academic journals, chapters in edited volumes, book reviews and opinion pieces in national newspapers and digital dailies. She has authored five books the recent one being ‘Gender, Unpaid Work and Care in India (2022) by Routledge, London & New York. The other books authored by her include; ‘Changing Youth Culture in India: A Study of Young Urban Professionals’ (2017); Lambert Academic Publishing, Germany; ‘Globalization and Social Change in India’ (2012); Rawat Publications, Sociology of Indian Society (2011) and Social Problems (2011) Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi.

Some of her other publications include: chapter titled ‘Ensuring Social Protection for Women Workers in India: Policy perspectives and Way forward’ (2026), Springer; Review of International Experience on protecting rights of Domestic Workers in selected countries (ILO,2025); Implementation of Maternity Benefit Act in India (NLI Series,2025); Vulnerability Mapping and Identification of Alternative Livelihood for Women Beedi Workers in Telangana (NLI Series,2024); Time Spent on Unpaid Domestic and Caregiving Services by Children in India: Insights into gender, age and learning (2024), UNICEF Innocenti Discussion Paper, Italy; Women and Violence in India: A Socio-legal Perspective (2024) chapter in a book on Ways of Being Indian: Essays on Religion, Gender and Culture by Speaking Tiger; ‘New Labour Codes and Implications for Women Workers’ in Economic and Political Weekly (2023); ‘Valuing Women’s Unpaid Work in India’ (2022) chapter in a book on Gender, Unpaid Work and Care in India by Routledge; Chapter on ‘Women’s Work in India and Covid 19:Insights from Labour Force Surveys and Emerging Challenges’(2022) in a book on Sociology of Covid 19 Pandemic in India by Har Anand Publications; ‘International Labour Standards and Promotion of Gender Equality at the Workplace (2022) in a book on Role of Labour in India’s Development by VVGNLI; Compendium paper on “Landscaping Prevalence and Trends in Child Work and Schooling and their Intersection in India” (2021) published from UNICEF Innocenti, Italy; “Evidence on Educational Strategies to address Child Labour in India and Bangladesh: Scoping Paper” (2021), Florence: UNICEF Innocenti ; Participation of Women in Labour Force (2021),prepared for the BRICS Employment Working Group (2021),NLI Studies Series no 146; ‘Women’s Participation in Domestic Duties and Paid Employment in India’,(2020) Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer, India; ‘Violence in Times of Covid 19:Lack of Legal Protection for Women Informal Workers’,(2020), Economic and Political Weekly, Engage, September 2020 (co-authored); ‘Women’s Work in India: Updates from Periodic Labour Force Survey’(2020) , Labour and Development, June, 2020 (co-authored); ‘The Invisible Workers: Capturing Home based Work in India’ (2019), Antyajaa Journal of Women and Social Change, Sage Publications; ‘Women Entrepreneurship in India: Evidence from Economic Census’ (2018), Social Change, Sage ; ‘Care Policies and Reconciliation of Work and Family Life: Experiences of Women Workers’ (2017),Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer, India; Regulating International Labour Migration: Issues in the context of Recruitment Agencies in India (2014), Contemporary South Asia, Routledge etc. 

She has represented India at several prestigious international forums. She was part of the Indian delegation at the BRICS Employment Working Group Meeting held from 21–24 February 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa. She was also a part of the Indian delegation to 80th Session of the Board of the International Training Centre (ITC) of the ILO in 2017 in Turin, Italy, and earlier received specialized training in Labour Market Statistics at the ITC-ILO, Turin in 2015. She has been an expert in a Writer’s Workshop and has developed a module on ‘Gender and Labour towards Empowering Women in Fragile States’ in collaboration with ITC-ILO (2016) at ITC-ILO, Italy. Most recently, she was invited as a speaker at a workshop on ILO Convention No. 189 (2011) concerning domestic workers, held from (8–11 November 2024) in Yerevan, Armenia organized by the Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia (CTUA) and the ILO.

She has presented several research papers, been a Panelist, chaired/moderated several technical sessions  at prominent international and national conferences and seminars. Her international presentations include: The 45th International Conference on Time Use Research (2023) at Tokya, Japan; ‘Building Research Collaboration with India and Kyrgystan to explore the role of Universities in developing skills for Smart cities (2019) Glasgow, United Kingdom; ‘International Conference on “Long-term Perspectives on Home based Work (2018) at Stockholm, Sweden; the 38th International Conference on Time Use Research (2016), Seoul National University, Korea and 37th International Conference on Time use Research (2015) at Ankara, Turkey. She was also invited as an expert to the international workshop on Antimicrobial Resistance and Labour Migration across Healthcare Boundaries in Northern South Asia, organized by Aarhus University, Denmark, and B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, held in Kathmandu from 27–29 November 2022. She has been regularly presenting in Annual Conferences of Indian Society of Labour Economics and Indian Association of Women’s Studies amongst others.

She is a member of the Scientific Research Advisory Board of several universities and academic institutions, both in India and internationally. She has served as a resource person for numerous universities and institutions, delivering invited lectures and academic sessions on gender, labour laws and development-related themes. Her engagements include special lectures at institutions such as the National Statistical Service Training Academy (NSSTA) Greater Noida ,National Defence Training Academy (New Delhi), Central University of Haryana ; Jawaharlal Nehru University; University of Delhi; Ambedkar University; Central University of Haryana; South Asian University, New Delhi; Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU); National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development (NILERD); Arjun Singh Centre for Distance Learning, Jamia Millia Islamia; Amity University; Bennett University, Indian Institute of Public Administration; and the Malviya Centre for Peace Research, Banaras Hindu University.

She has also contributed to academic outreach through educational media, including video lectures and radio talks for the National Institute of Open Schooling and Gyan Vani, IGNOU. Actively involved in academic development, she participates in reviewing and designing curricula and e-content for universities and institutions across India. She serves on Boards of Studies and is a panel expert for the evaluation of Ph.D. theses at several universities. 

Dr. Dhanya MB is an economist working as Fellow (Faculty) at VV Giri National Labour Institute. She has more than two decades of research experience in the domain of labour market studies and has done her PhD in Economics on the topic of Self-Employment through microfinance and Rural Women Empowerment (2004-2008). She is the Coordinator of the Centre for Labour Market Studies and Integrated Labour History Research Programme, two of the major research centres of the V.V. Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI). Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India deputed Dr Dhanya to look after the work of India’s G20 Presidency 2022-23 in addition to VVGNLI’s work from August 2022 to 2023. She has been involved in policy initiatives of the Government of India on various subjects such as Member of the Taskforce to study the rise of automation and future of work (2024), Working Group member for the National Chief Secretaries Conference (2024), Member of the Employment Working Group (EWG) of the G20 Indian Presidency 2023 and also Prepared G 20 Issue Paper on Gig and Platform Economy and Social Protection, Working Group member on ratification of ILO Convention-Forced Labour Protocol 2018, Drafting of National Employment Policy (2018-19), Member of Tripartite Working Group to facilitate the process of the ratification of the ILO convention No 87 & 98 (2013-14) to mention a few.

Dr Dhanya was an invited expert speaker at the 3rd ILO-Korea TVET Forum, where she presented research on “Growing Skill Responses in the Changing World of Work: Special Reference to South Asia,” organized by the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok (2023). She was also an invited expert speaker on “India-Germany Labour Nexus: Exploring Market Dynamics in Europe” at the international conference on South Asia and Germany, organized by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for South Asia (2024). She has been nominated to undertake various research studies for BRICS Research Network of the Labour Research Institute, prepared India reports for both BRICS Russia & Brazil Presidencies- Gig and Platform Employment India report (2023-24) & Artificial Intelligence and its impact on the world of work (2025). Dr Dhanya presented on "Platform Employment in India" at the first and second webinars of the BRICS Network of Labour Research Institutes, hosted by the All-Russia Scientific Research Institute of Labour under the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation (2024). In 2022, she represented India at the BRICS Country Labour Research Institute Network seminar, hosted by the Chinese Academy of Labour and Social Security, China, where she delivered a presentation on India’s employment and income policies in the post-pandemic context.

Dr Dhanya is an ILO-certified trainer for the Gender-Sensitive Business Management Programme of Gender and Entrepreneurship Together South Asia (GET AHEAD) by the International Labour Organisation. She is also the Course Director and Coordinator for the International Training Programmes on the ‘Future of Work and Technology’ for participants from developing countries, as well as ‘Innovative Leadership: Driving Change and Fostering Growth’ for emigration officials from Tanzania under the ITEC programme of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. 

Dr Dhanya has authored/submitted books/monographs/reports and also coedited books in the area of Labour Market studies including ‘Platform employment: role in the labour market and problems of platform workers labour regulation’ (2025, BRICS Labour Research Institute study), ‘Navigating the Gig Economy: An Intersectional Investigation into the Experiences and Challenges of Women in the Indian Gig Economy’ (2025, VVGNLI), ‘E-formalization process in BRICS Countries’ (2024, BRICS Labour Research Institute study), ‘India-Germany Labour Nexus: Exploring Market Dynamics in Europe’ (2025, Friedrich Naumann Foundation Germany), ‘Gig and Platform Workers: Vision 2047’ (2025, MoLE), ‘Post Covid-19 Lockdown Scenario of Youth Unemployment in India’ (2020, UNICEF & RGNIYD); ‘Promoting Youth Employment & Entrepreneurship: A Study with Special focus on ‘Startups’ (2020, VVGNLI); ‘Quality Employment Generation in Micro and Small enterprises (MSEs) in India: Strategies and way forward’ (2018, VVGNLI); ‘Worker’s Rights and Practices in the Contemporary Scenario: an overview’ (2014, VVGNLI), ‘Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and informal economy in India’ (2013, VVGNLI); and ‘Engendering Gender Statistics’ (2012, VVGNLI).

She has been invited as resource person/guest faculty/panel speaker for delivering lectures by various  institutions like JNU, IEG, PDNASS, NEUPA, NILERD, NICS, ITS, ILO, PAFI, NEHU, NHRC, Ambedkar University, FNF, NCW, University of Hyderabad to mention a few. She also delivered lectures in various national and international programmes organized by VVGNLI and its Regional Collaborative Institutions. She is also associated as Reviewer of the Journal published by Elsevier; Article editor of Sage Open Journal; Panel of the expert to evaluate PhD theses of universities etc. She also has been involved in coordinating various national and international training programmes, workshops/seminars on different areas related to labour and employment. She has also been involved in offering comments for 316 Session of Governing Body of ILO on social protection floors and Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work; prepared background material for the 101 ILC at Geneva; examined the ratification of the ILO conventions No 98, 87, 138 &182, etc; to mention a few.

She also published several research articles in different journals at the national and international levels and chapters in edited books. Some of her article publications include:

BRICS and the Gig Economy: A Focus on India's Platform Employment (Social and Labor Research, All-Russian Research Institute of Labor), Youth Employment, labour Market and SDG: challenges and way forward (2024, Economic and Political Weekly), India-Germany Labour Nexus: Exploring Market Dynamics in Europe (2024, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for freedom), Small firms in the labour market and youth employment provisions: Does innovation matter? (Labour & Development,2022); Employment, Remuneration and Forced Labour: Issues and Concerns (Journal of Extension& Research, 2019), Labour Force Participation, Composition, Skill Requirement and Future Challenges: An investigation for the hill state Uttarakhand (Gyan Books, New Delhi 2017), Engendering Labour Statistics: A Cross Country Comparison of Gender Differentiated Statistics (Social Change-Sage publications, 2014), Changing Trends of Gender in Labour Force: Exploring through Labour Statistics (Manpower Journal- New Delhi, 2012), Micro Credit, Rural Women Empowerment and Health: Perspectives on Kerala (Manpower journal- New Delhi), Women Entrepreneurship through Microfinance (Labour and Development- 2011), Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Managing social issues – perspectives from Capability Approach (Macmillan publisher-New Delhi, 2011), Multidimensional Poverty Index: Relevance and application in Indian Context (Allied Publishers-New Delhi, 2011), Youth empowerment through microfinance: A case study on Yuvashree programme of Rural Kerala (Global Research Publications-New Delhi, 2011), Micro finance, Women Empowerment and Banking Habit: Perspectives on Kerala (THE MicroFINANCE REVIEW, 2010), Women empowerment and microfinance: Case study from Kerala (MPRA Paper-Germany, 2010), Human Rights and Gender Equality (Discovery Publishers- New Delhi 2009), Indian Youth and Demographic Transition (SSRN Paper- New York, 2010), Book review on Globalisation, Development and Transition: Conversations with Eminent Economists (Capital & Class- UK, 2011).

She has presented research papers and participated in various national and international conferences/consultations organized by IGIDR, ILO, World Bank, Chinese Academy of Labour and Social Security, National Labour Market Observatory of the Ministry of Labour of Brazil,All-Russia Research Institute for Labour, PDNASS, CWDS, IRMA, UN Women, IJM,RGNIYD, French Institute, Institute of Public Enterprises, National Law University and Judicial Academy, National Commission for Women, Ministry of Labour & Employment, British Council, NIEPA, CDS, Sharda University etc. on various themes like Indebtedness and Social Exclusion, Relevance of Policy Reforms on Development: Challenges before Emerging Economies, Redesigning social science research: Suitable methodologies for public action. She is also involved in the course writing for Masters Programme in Labour and Development (IGNOU, New Delhi) and developed e-course material for ‘Code on wages’ for the igot platform. As part of the National Resource Centre on Education (NRCE) at NEUPA, identified teaching, learning resources and developed a syllabus for the subject of labour economics to develop a national repository of resources freely accessible to teachers. She has also undergone training/Course in the areas of ‘Wage policies and Living Wages’ organised in collaboration with the Work Quality Department of the ILO co-financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; “Private-sector Engagement for Livelihoods and Employment Opportunities of Vulnerable Groups in Fragile, Conflict-Affected and Emergency Situations” by ILO-ITC, Turin; “Short Course on Research Skills for South Asia” by IZA/FCDO, Germany; ‘Promotion of Youth Employment in Fragile Settings’, ‘Designing and implementing effective wage policies’, jointly organized by International Training Centre (ITC)-Turin and ILO- Delhi; and ‘Management of Social Security Systems’ organized by PDNASS. She was on the editorial board of the Journal of Economics and Public Policy by NMIMS and Awards Digest by VVGNLI.

Her research focuses on evolving labour market issues, mainly including the future of work, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and labour market impact, emerging jobs and skills, gig and platform economy, labour economics, employment policy, entrepreneurship, migration, gender issues in labour, and public policy.