bangles of firozabad
– Photo : Amar Ujala
Expansion
The workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad, the world’s largest producer of bangles and the only producer of glass bangles in India, are in a pitiable condition. The life of those who make shiny colourful bangles is colourless and dull. More than five lakh workers work in more than 70 companies of the district but 93% of the workers are daily wage earners. 7% are those who get the benefit of ESI, the rest of them get their wages in the evening and it gets spent by morning. The next day they are again forced to work for 8 hours in 1200 degree Celsius temperature and amidst the scattered glass pieces in the factory. Thousands of such families have been working for generations. There has been no change in the life of those who have brought glory to the country across the world. If they did not get government ration and housing, they would be seen living in slums. Their life is just like that of insects which hover around light and die.
