#14 Stranded Workers Action Network

The Stranded Workers Action Network or SWAN is an initiative that sprung in response to the acute crisis faced by migrant workers in the wake of the nationwide lockdown in India, announced in March 2020. SWAN is a volunteer-driven effort that helps migrant worker groups and their families access cash for immediate needs, rations and other essentials by connecting them with civil society organizations, NGOs and volunteers nearest to them. Today, we have with us Prof. Rajendran Narayanan, who was instrumental in forming SWAN and coordinating its activities for over a year now. Prof. Rajendran, a faculty member at the Azim Premji University in Bangalore works with a network of researchers and activists from various civil society organisations in several states in designing and developing “bottom-up” Janata Information Systems (JIS) that can be used for continuous monitoring of government programmes and social audits. He is interested in understanding what the proliferation of data and over-reliance on technological processes mean for development and participatory democracy. Website: http://strandedworkers.in/