Migrants in India

Economic Survey 2016 – 9 million people annually migrate within India. NSSO – migrants constitute 30 % of national population as well as total working force.

Patterns of flow 

• Less affluent states see more people migrating out while the most affluent states are the largest recipients of migrants.
• The cost of moving for people is about twice as much as it is for goods.

Findings

• Annual rate of growth of labour migrants nearly doubled relative to the previous decade
• The flow within states is four times the flows across states.
• It indicates that the returns to migration might have increased sufficiently to offset the costs of moving
• Female migration for work not only grew far more rapidly than the female workforce, but increased at nearly twice the rate of male migration

Issues

• They could not get the benefits of welfare schemes if they migrate to other states for ex. PDS scheme
• Inter-State Migrant Workers Act, 1979 which aims to safeguard migrants, is obsolete & is hardly enforced anywhere
• Lack of credible data on incidence of seasonal migration poses serious constraint in framing an effective policy.
• Migrants may also be missed out in BPL Surveys
• They are unable to participate in the formal electoral system and are denied a fundamental citizenship right – their right to vote

Suggestions

• States should move away from the requirement of domicile status to prevent any discrimination in work and employment for the migrants
• Caste based enumeration of migrants should be adopted, so that they can avail the attendant benefits in the States to which migration takes place
• Post Offices, banking system and Payment Banks, need to be strengthen in order to reduce the cost of transfer of money and to avoid informal remittances channels
• Underutilised Construction Workers Welfare Cess Fund should be used to promote rental housing & working Women Hostels