Who will help the "help?"

Two years ago, in 2015, when Modi was doing the Townhall with Mark Zuckerberg, there was a rare moment when he got emotional. He spoke out how his mother worked as a domestic help and that had welled up many a eyes. That did highlight the plight of the domestic help around us and it was hoped that it would change lives for them, that th Govt would get them more organized, protect their rights.

But nothing really has changed for them. Even the data we have is outdated – this is from National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO) 2011. It has shown that the plight of domestic workers is terrible when compared to others working in the unorganized sector. NSSO has shown that female domestic workers in urban areas earn almost half the wages of their peers in other informal sectors. But male or female, urban or rural, the bottomline is that domestic workers earned consistently less.

There are many helps which face abuse of all kinds, inhuman treatment meted out, sometimes being treated like slaves. This is not restricted to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries alone, in India too, domestic helps are probably the most exploited lot. After this emotional confession of Modi two years ago, maybe it is high time, he looks anew at this poor segment of people and help improve their quality of life. Money alone is not enough; dignity is equally significant for living a respectable life.