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A retelling of the Indian migrant worker’s plight

In 2020, there were 281 million international migrants worldwide, with approximately two-thirds being labour migrants, according to the World Migration Report 2022 of the International Organization of Migration (IOM).

The growth of the manufacturing and service sectors has increased the demand on urban areas from population growth. The “World Cities Report 2022” projects that India’s urban population will reach 675 million by 2035. India is experiencing a huge demand on its basic infrastructure and services, particularly housing and sanitation, as a result of urbanisation and the expansion of its cities. The most affected groups by the dearth of these necessities are migrant labourers.

The urban poor’s and migrant workers’ subpar housing circumstances have been made much worse by the Covid-19 outbreak. So, it’s high time India started addressing the issues facing migrants in a comprehensive manner and worked towards improving their living conditions.

Positive Effects of Domestic Migration in India:

• Diversifying labour markets: Migration effectively distributes cheap, unskilled, and skilled labour by bridging the gap between supply and demand for labour.
• Skills Development: Migrants’ knowledge and abilities are improved by exposure to and engagement with the outside world.
• Life Quality: Economic prosperity and more work opportunities are two factors that contribute to higher life quality. Additionally, the migrants send money home, which benefits their relatives back in their homeland.
• Social evolution: As migrants learn about new cultures, customs, and languages, their social lives improve, promoting greater equality and tolerance as well as improving intercultural brotherhood.
• Food and Nutrition Security: According to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) 2018 State of Food and Agriculture report, outmigration frequently results in increased food and nutrition security for migrants.

Challenges Associated with Domestic Migration in India:

• Feminization of Agriculture: Men are often considered to be the breadwinners in society because of their educational opportunities and desire for manual labour. As a result, men in the rural Indian belt frequently leave for the cities in quest of better employment opportunities, leaving women to handle most of the domestic duties and farming.
• The female spouses who are left behind may experience mental health issues as a result of the separation of their male spouses, a lack of companionship, and an increase in domestic duties.
• Not having WASH Facilities The lack of proper water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities has been a key concern for migrant workers, where a lack of social security exacerbates the lack of decent housing, according to a 2020 report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) on internal migrants.
  • The urban poor and low-income migrants continue to be lumped together in policy initiatives in important metropolitan centres.
  • Resources in host cities are under pressure: Overpopulation strains resources, amenities, and services in host communities as a result of the influx of workers and population boom that increases competition for jobs, homes, schools, etc.
  • Slums are created as a result of widespread migration, which lowers the quality of infrastructure and living circumstances at destinations and contributes to crime, pollution, and unclean conditions.
  • Prone to Abuse: Migrants who are illiterate and underqualified lack fundamental knowledge and choose not to pursue formal employment, making them vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, trafficking, psychological abuse, and violence against female migrants based on gender.

Way Forward:

• Developing migration-centric policies, strategies, and institutional mechanisms will help India get closer to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals and eradicating poverty.
• India needs to do this in order to achieve equitable growth and development and decrease distress-induced migration.
• Organizing the Informal Economy: Migrant data must be gathered in order to support city development initiatives like the SMART Cities Mission, which can provide migrants with a significant number of green jobs.
• The planned Unorganized Worker Index Number Card from the Labour Ministry would also aid in formalising the labour force.
• Urban Employment Guarantee: Urban regions require a programme comparable to MGNREGA to supply migrants and the urban poor with the necessities of life.
• The Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme’s implementation in Rajasthan is a step in the right direction.
• Social Security: Having social security is crucial so that migrants won’t run out of money whether dealing with health emergencies, raising children, or paying for their education.
• As a result, the psychological state of migrants will also get better.
• Modernizing Slums: It should be a top priority to provide clean water, sanitary facilities, and electricity to the slum neighborhoods.
• Slums require rehabilitation and modernization, as well as the creation of identity markers based on the National Food Security Act List and the documentation of the hygienic situation.
• Migration Support Centers: These facilities might be built to lessen the trauma experienced by migrants who move to urban areas in pursuit of employment.
• Priority must be given to helping the poor and homeless.