India, May 14 -- Over the past decade, India has witnessed an increase in both the intensity and frequency of heatwaves. The soaring temperatures present a growing threat to the health and productivity of over 20 crore MSME workers, who work in conditions that have little scope for regulating temperatures. Outdoor workers, in sectors such as agriculture, vending, and construction, are considered the most vulnerable. However, indoor working conditions in foundries, and textiles, among others, are often overlooked. Indoor workspaces are not always immune to heat risks; most manufacturing MSME units are heat traps. They tend to operate in metal-roofed buildings with little or no insulation, inadequate ventilation, and virtually no cooling systems. In textile processing mills, machines such as boilers, dyeing vats, or presses generate additional heat, compounding the effects of already high ambient temperatures, creating stifling working conditions. The impact of heat stress on indoor industrial workers is not just physical, it is economic and social. Most workers are informally employed, with limited access to occupational health and social protection, and hence prioritise jobs over health and safety considerations. Health experts warn that prolonged exposure to high temperatures increases the risk of heat exhaustion, dehydration, or even fatal heatstroke. India witnessed a number of suspected heatstroke deaths in 2024, but granular information is missing. Studies show that at temperatures of 38degC or higher, productivity losses can be as high as 62%. A report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) projects that India could lose over 34 million full-time jobs annually by 2030 due to heat-induced productivity loss, particularly in sectors like agriculture, mining, and manufacturing. Beyond impacting productivity, heat stress contributes to a rise in workplace accidents, higher absenteeism, and low employee turnover. These, in turn, affect MSME's profitability and operational continuity. India lost $159 billion, equivalent to 5.4% of its GDP, in the service, manufacturing, agriculture, and construction sectors, due to extreme heat in 2021 with reduced labour productivity. Solving heat stress in India's MSMEs calls for pragmatic, low-cost, and scalable interventions that can be implemented by employers with limited resources. Employers can take immediate steps to provide relief to workers by making small investments such as purchasing water coolers and providing electrolyte balancing drinks. Systemic shifts like scheduling breaks during the hottest times of the day and rotating workers between hot and cooler tasks can help limit individual exposure. Simple modifications to infrastructure by installing exhaust fans, planting greenbelts or shades outside sun-facing walls, and investing in cool-roof technologies can reduce heat absorption. These interventions are relatively low-cost and are being piloted in some industrial clusters with promising results. Structural interventions like cooling centres can offer life-saving respite during heat-induced illnesses. While many city and state governments have drafted heat action plans (HAPs), they seldom detail the hazards for indoor workers. Most of these plans include short-term reactive measures rather than proactive long-term solutions. Most government advisories adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, failing to differentiate between occupations and industries with vastly different exposure profiles. For example, textile workers and brick-kiln labourers face heat stress in unique ways, requiring targeted solutions. Without granular guidance, these workers continue to fall through policy gaps. City authorities could strengthen HAPs by tailoring advice to different occupations. HAPs need to better target indoor workers and integrate them into urban planning, labour regulations, and health systems. Finally, policymakers need to acknowledge indoor heat stress as an occupational hazard and take steps to address this. This could mean updating the occupational safety codes to include maximum allowable temperature for indoor work, recognising the impact of wet bulb temperatures (reflects the effect of humidity on heat) on health, and recommending emergency measures like shutdowns above a certain threshold limit. Enforcement of active and passive ventilation and cooling standards in workplaces could be strengthened, tying compliance to incentives and fiscal measures. As India's manufacturing ambitions face the harsh realities of the climate crisis, protecting workers from heat stress is a moral and practical imperative. India's MSME will need thoughtful policies, innovative cooling solutions, and multi-stakeholder collaboration between the private sector and government to beat the heat. Co-authored with Anjana Rajagopalan, programme manager, Climate Resilience Practice, WRI India....