Introduction :- 

The recent exodus of migrant workers from Gujarat especially workers from UP and Bihar, following a rape incident has brought into limelight the issue of internal migration in India.

Traditionally based on 2001 census the migration in India was noted to be low at around 33 million with the low rate of growth. But 2017 Economic survey takes a different view and shows that migration in India is accelerating and the migrant population is in the country is 139 million  It shows that between 2011 and 2016, close to nine million people migrated between states annually, up from about 3.3 million according to successive censuses. In the period 2001-11, the annual rate of growth of labor migrants nearly doubled relative to the previous decade, rising to 4.5 per cent per annum in 2001-11 from 2.4 per cent in 1991- 2001, accompanied by a surge in the economy. The migrants’ share of the workforce rose substantially. The acceleration of migration was particularly pronounced for females. In the 1990s female migration was extremely limited, and migrants were shrinking as a share of the female workforce. But in the 2000s the picture turned around completely, female migration for work not only grew far more rapidly than the female workforce, but increased at nearly twice the rate of male migration. Relatively less developed states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have high net outmigration. Relatively more developed states have in migration: Goa, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

Reasons of Migration :-

• Structural transformation of the economy- The economic reforms of 1992 brought about fundamental changes in the economy of India. There was thrust on the secondary sector in order to boost employment. According to Census 2011, the average growth rate of the economy was 7.7 per cent per annum mainly secondary and service sector led pulling people to migrate to the places witnessing this growth.
• Underdevelopment of development- Agricultural growth has been, on average, lower than that in non-agriculture, including industry. Demographic pressure has pushed to 0.2 hectares of cultivable land per head of rural population. It has also progressively pushed down the size structure of landholdings. Thus, agricultural surplus labor is pushed to cities in search of work.
• Urbanization- The process of urbanization accompanying growth has caused regional imbalance. As per the census, the level of urbanization in India has increased from 27.81% in 2001 to 31.16% in 2011. Cities promised better education, work, health facilities, and autonomy etc. attracting huge rural population.
•  Migration network and Migration Industry- The already established friends and families provide finance, information and places to live thus promoting migration. Also, migration is facilitated by a wide range of individuals and agents like brokers; labor recruiters etc. who derive profit from migration.

Why migration matters?

• Positive Impact on the economy- The migrants are often engaged in the construction, textile, mines, domestic work, and hotel etc. performing semi-skilled and low skilled jobs giving impetus to these sectors. They form a big part of the informal economy which is 87% of Indian economy. E.g. Green Revolution owes its success to migrant labors.
• Social Cohesion and urban diversity :- Migration provides opportunity to escape caste divisions and restrictive social norms and to work with dignity and freedom at the new place. Left-behind women enjoy empowerment, with increased interaction in society, including their participation as workers and decision makers of households. It promotes diverse culture in India through people to people interaction and reducing information gaps in society.
• Brain Gain- Migrants bring back a variety of skills, knowledge and information known as ‘social remittances’, including change in tastes, perceptions and attitudes. For example, awareness about workers’ rights, non-acceptance of poor employment conditions, low wages, semi-feudal labor relationships and improved knowledge.
• Domestic Remittance Industry- Domestic remittance industry is huge and is expected to increase by 1.5 lakh crores. The remittances increase purchasing power parity of native people and people start investing in health and education also.

Challenges of Migration :- 

• Development Cost :  Unplanned development has serious consequences both for the in-migration destination and the migrant. It creates pressure on resources like land, housing, transportation and jobs. Migrant’s population can indulge in criminal activity disrupting the social fabric of the in-migration area. The recent backlash in Gujarat was about migrants taking away jobs of locals and committing crimes. Migrants due to low bargaining power and skills have to face numerous constraints, including lack of political representation; inadequate housing and lack of formal residency rights; low-pays, insecure or hazardous work; limited access to state provided services such as health and education; and discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, class or gender.
• Low priority in governance - Regulations and administrative procedures exclude migrants from access to legal rights, public services and social protection programmes given to residents, because of which they are often treated as second class citizens.
• Weak Law - The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act (1979) is weak.
• It remains silent on provision for crèches, education centres for children or mobile medical units for the laborers and it has no guidelines for inter-state cooperation.
•  The law covers only regulation of employment and conditions of service of migrants and does not address access to social protection of migrants, their right to the city and the special vulnerabilities of children and women migrants.
• The Important provisions of the Act such as minimum wages, displacement allowance, medical facilities and protective clothing remain unenforced.
• Lack of reliable data- There exists a serious data gap on the extent, nature and magnitude of internal migration. Databases such as the Census fail to adequately capture real information about migration leading to problems in defining, designing and delivering services to migrants.

Way forward :- 

• Coherent Policy Framework and strategy-  Mainstreaming migration in a comprehensive and focused manner in policy and national development plans e.g. smart city mission, AMRUT, housing for all, ayushman bharat etc. Developing a universal national minimum social security package covering minimum wages and labor standards and incorporating portability of benefits in all government social protection schemes and public services through an interstate registration process. In Kerala, the construction industry, for example, which has a huge percentage of migrant labor, has a welfare board with a ? 1,000 crore corpus, and the government has announced a survey of migrant workers’ living conditions, and assistance in procuring health insurance and legal aid.
• Amend the 1979 the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act to make it more inclusive of migrants.
• Evidence based policy making- A comprehensive data needs to be collected scientifically through mapping, profiling etc. in order to understand the nature of migration in India wrt to gender, region, caste, seasonal cycle etc.
• Capacity building and state coordination :- Create inter-district and inter-state coordination committees to jointly plan institutional arrangements between administrative jurisdictions of sending and receiving areas to ensure service delivery. Build capacity of panchayats to maintain a database of migrant and establish vigilant committees at the local level , Establish migrant labor cells in each state labor department with the support of the Labor Ministry,  Increase financial and human resources in migration-prone areas , Promote public-private partnerships (PPP) for the promotion of safe internal migration , Ensure access to formal banking facilities for migrants to enable safe and secure transfer of remittances.