Aajeevika Bureau (AB) is a public service initiative, which provides services and solutions seasonal migrant labour and informal workers who are often outside the grid o of the state’s services and institutions. This includes, registration and ID card services, healthcare, finance, skills training, and legal aid and education

The Legal Education, Aid and Advocacy (LEAD) cell is an important and pioneering unit within AB, and its work is central to achieving the organisation’s goals.

LEAD works for enhancing access to justice and legal protection available to the most marginalised sections of the workforce. It demonstrates an institutional response for grievance redressal, and activates state, employers and workers to address legal disputes facing informal and migrant workers. On the one hand, it works on ensuring legal empowerment and literacy among informal and migrant workers, such that they are able to access legal protection at their workplace, as well as social security for leading a basic dignified life. At the same time, it also provides free legal aid services including mediation and litigation for resolving workplace disputes, as well as support for approaching and activating the police. It runs a toll free national helpline for workers in distress.

LEAD provides an important model that can be replicated or scaled across contexts, in the absence of platforms for ensuring access to justice for the informal and migrant worker communities.