An overwhelming majority of Indian working population is employed in the unorganized sector.

LMST is registered under the Society Registration Act 1860 in the year 1992. Since then it began its work in U.P. with organizing the Zardozi women workers of district Barabanki and Lucknow. It came into existence following a study conducted by SEWA Bharat in 1998 (Glittering Threads), which revealed that the women and children working in zardozi industry were exploited more than in any other craft in the unorganized sector. To break out of the stranglehold of middlemen, Zardozi women needed a viable and sustainable platform. To provide a platform for the unorganized women the concept of LMST was evolved to involve in development activities like research, employment generation, capacity building training, nonformal education, micro-finance, awareness on various issues and health education.