Why our brick kilns need to modernise

Due to their lack of access to capital, brick kilns use the cheapest inputs, technologies with minimal capital, and are among the most polluting in India's manufacturing landscape

More than a lakh brick kilns in India reportedly employ around 10 million people. This number is the same as the number of farmers benefiting from PM-Kisan. The difference is that these workers are more likely to be poorer and belong to underprivileged social groups. Brick kilns may not be considered to be at the forefront of the Indian economy, but they are important and will become more so as India ramps up its infrastructure and builds housing for all.

The labour-intensity of brick-making combined with the piece rate structure of compensation to the workers ensures that poverty-driven families end up