Page 85 - IJPS-10-3

International Journal of
Population Studies Pandemic spurs interstate outmigration in India

consequences (Awasthi & Mehta, 2020). Moreover, these problems of the migrants remained largely unaddressed
developmental theories are supported by the present (Mishra, 2021).
empirical research by linking migration with development Against this backdrop, this paper analyzes the
through remittances (De Haas, 2010). magnitude of interstate outmigration in India and the
In the case of India, the optimistic views or the challenges encountered by migrants when crossing state
development potential of migration are best fitted, as borders. Moreover, it delves into the current migrant crisis
supported by various empirical analyses (Pedi & Adabar, to formulate better policy measures to address the migrant
2018). Various studies (Datta, 2016; Dupont, 1992; issues in the country.
Mishra, 2016; Parida et al., 2015; Srivastava & Sutradhar, Given the development trajectory of the country,
2016; Sundari, 2005) have demonstrated that migration inter-state migration has occupied an important place
improves the living conditions of households receiving in India. In general, interstate outmigration takes place
remittances, which is evident from their increased in search of better opportunities in the destination area.
expenditures on food, housing, healthcare, and children’s This development prospect of migration has been proved/
education. Furthermore, migration has facilitated better studied by many scholars, as mentioned at the beginning
wages for non-migrant laborers in their native places due of this study. However, the issue is that these migrants,
to the tightening labor market. especially those with meager means and networks and at
There were 450 million internal migrants in India as the lower end of the labor market, face various difficulties
per the 2011 Census data (this is the latest data available at their destination. While some previous studies, such as
so far), with 396 million being intra-state migrants and 54 Bhattacharjee (2020), have discussed internal outmigration
million being inter-state migrants. This data highlights that and its socioeconomic determinants, they have not
migration in India is largely an intrastate phenomenon. discussed the specific challenges encountered by migrants
However, from the perspective of labor mobility, inter- at their destination. Similarly, other studies, like Srivastava
state migration holds significance (Bell et al., 2015; Kone & Sasikumar (2003) and Srivastava (2020a), have discussed
et al., 2018; Srivastava, 2011). Moreover, given India’s migrants’ problems in general.
economic development, analyzing inter-state migration Keeping this in mind, the present study attempts
(labor movement within the country) becomes essential. to provide a comprehensive examination of interstate
Certain studies (Kumar & Kumar, 2020; Mahapatro, 2012; migration and the problems in their destination area with
Pedi & Adabar, 2020) indicated that inter-state migration the policy response of the government. Moreover, the study
occurs from low-developed to highly developed states. In delves into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
other words, net interstate migration is positively related to migrants. In this way, the present study aims to offer a fresh
developed states in the country. This observation implies perspective on the study of interstate migration in India,
that individuals from less developed/underdeveloped states contributing to the ongoing academic work in this field.
choose to migrate to more developed states as a means of
improving their livelihoods (Nayyar & Kim, 2018). The study seeks to answer two fundamental questions:
(i) “What are the problems faced by interstate migrants at
However, these interstate migrants encounter various the destination area?” and (ii) “What existing policies are
challenges, including the loss of benefits from the state in place to address the plight of the migrants in general,
government’s development programs (Dreze & Khera, particularly those who returned due to the COVID-19
2013) and mistreatment in the workplace (Srivastava, pandemic?”
2020b) on crossing state boundaries. In addition, they
receive less recognition and understanding from the central Based on the aforementioned research questions, four
government in terms of policies (Aggarwal et al., 2020). The objectives have been formulated for the current study. The
migrant crisis of 2020 that happened in the country due to first objective is to analyze the magnitude of interstate
the lockdown imposition exposed the scale and severity of migration in the country. The second objective is to discuss
issues faced by interstate migrants (Srivastava, 2020b). We the problems often encountered by migrants when they
visualized the grief and desperate situations of migrants cross state boundaries. The third objective is to discuss the
across railway stations, bus stations, highways, and roads current migrant crisis in COVID-19. The fourth objective
in different parts of the country while they were trying is to discuss existing policies to meet the problems of
to return home after losing their livelihoods. This issue migrants in general and COVID-19-induced migrant
took center stage in national-level political discussions, crises in particular.
prompting the government to announce aid packages for The paper is structured into four sections. The second
affected migrants. However, the underlying structural section discusses the data and methodology employed

Volume 10 Issue 3 (2024) 79 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0916