Question

Analyze the current process of reverse migration in India during the pandemic and its impact in India’s development process in the future. Do you think it’s going to sustain? Analyze the situation in the context of the conceptual framework and give contradictions if any. Also give some policy suggestions to the problem of rural-urban migration in Indian context.

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Answer 1

Reverse Migration from urban to rural

The current flow of reverse migration in India, which is    from urban to rural , however, falls into none of the above categories describing the usual patterns in the movements from rural to urban centres.   The enormity and suddenness, along with the miseries in the rush of the hapless people trying to leave the urban centres for bare survival, opens up several issues relating to the current situation.

The current predicaments faced by of India’s migrant labour – losing livelihood and shelter in urban areas as started with the 4-hour notice for a complete shutdown in response to the Pandemic – will remain as one of the worst humanitarian crisis the country has ever faced since independence. The gruesome details of the sufferings by masses of the uprooted people lacking access to shelter, food or sources of income or even means of transport to take them back to places they came from, narrate the sub-human conditions for a vast majority of the working class in the country at this hour.

The usual pattern in rural migration to urban areas

Migrants, across states in India were calculated at 56 mn in the 2011 Census . Of above 40mn are those heading for the mega cities , and moving largely from the rural Hindi belt in North India. As further estimated, 79% of migrants to the urban cities were on daily wages, at construction sites or factories where they were employed. Another large number remained self-employed with low levels of incomes. Migrant workers as above are part of the ‘informal’ workforce which is 93% of aggregate labour force having hardly an access to benefits as still exist for workers in the formal organised sectors. It may be mentioned here that even enterprises in the formal sector of the economy   more than one-half of jobs are there on an informal basis , say by using sub-contracting or by casualization. A substantial part of those are performed by migrants from rural areas.

We can point out here that barring abnormal times (as at present) the major part of the migrant flow in India has been from rural to urban areas, much exceeding those across rural or urban areas. Categories of such people, as aptly described by Sainath in one of his papers, include those who migrate on a ‘permanent ‘basis, having no plan to return; the ‘seasonal’ migrants who temporarily return, from urban areas to their villages in harvest times, and then go back to urban centres; and finally, the ‘footloose’ fetched from rural areas by contractors who have no means to decide on their future plans.

Tracing back the initial stages of migration which push people from rural to urban areas , much of such flows can be described as ‘mobility by default’. Reasons behind include the growing rural distress with agriculture failing to provide sustenance for the majority of cultivators –both with small land holdings and being dispossessed of land due to factors which include heavy debt burdens. State policies to support to the ailing rural economy proved both inadequate and ineffective . With steady losses of sustainable livelihoods there has been a continuing stream of out-migration from the rural economy, both seasonal and as ‘footloose’, often escorted   by local contractors on basis of payments   to cover the initial travel costs and also as cuts from the meagre wages received by migrant workers in the urban centres. Migration has also been facilitated by the prevailing familial links between the rural folks and the urban workmen.

A Policy Framework For India’s Covid-19 Migration

Even as the relaxations for economic activities will come in place, the migrants may continue to return home to avoid tryst with the uncertainties of these times. On priority, they should be received back home in a safe and dignified manner. Quarantining for the prescribed period may be important to avoid community transmission.

However, authorities, both at the state and local level, should ensure that returnees are not stigmatised as a result of their migration status and perceived to be the ‘carriers’ of the disease. This should be the first step in alleviating their suffering so that they feel accepted in their local communities and homes.

The full-fledged revival of economic activities still appears distant. To ensure that we do not repeat the mistakes that have been unearthed as a result of this crisis, a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach should be upheld. A fair and effective labour migration governance system for workers within the country is an urgent need of the hour.

These measures along with effective coordination and collaboration between the states of origin and destination and between state and local authorities are paramount for effective social and economic reintegration.

The central and state governments need to continue their efforts to address the informality of the Indian economy, the rural-urban divide, the uneven growth within states and between regions in the country, and the social and economic inequalities associated with the poorest and vulnerable.

This fair migration governance system should deliver both benefits and opportunities for migrant workers, their families, sending- and receiving-communities alike. It should ensure the protection of the labour rights of workers while taking into account the views of the employers to foster innovation in business and enterprises.

This will only be possible with strong policies and legal frameworks that can be drawn from a robust set of global standards and practical guidance that organisations like the ILO are here to support.

As the oldest United Nations agency established to bring social justice to the workplace, ILO is well-placed to draw from its experiences of over a hundred years particularly through the benefits of tripartism and social dialogue. It has a mandate to reduce the widening inequalities, to promote decent work and employment opportunities, to forge common ground amongst the partners in the labour movement to ensure the dignity of labour for all workers, and to progress beyond divisiveness.

The global experience shows that migration will continue as long as there is hope, aspiration, and an alternative livelihood option better than those available at home. The destinations, now have the task to build back better and this is only possible when built with a human-centred approach at its core.