Page 90 - IJPS-10-3

International Journal of
Population Studies Pandemic spurs interstate outmigration in India

employment status after marriage migration is frequently Despite the challenges, many migrants managed to
misunderstood and incorrectly measured. According to return to their native places from major cities, such as
these studies, although women report marriage as the Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad,
reason for migration, they immediately transition into and Chennai, as the lockdown was extended. However, the
employment within the newly migrated area. However, exact number of returnees is unknown due to the lack of
some studies suggest that the challenges faced by women comprehensive migration data and the diverse means of
migrants are more complex than their male counterparts, transportation used by returnees (vehicle, cycle, or on foot).
as they are more likely to face gender-based violence, According to the data cited by the Lok Sabha, Parliament’s
including trafficking, sexual exploitation, and coercion lower house, on September 14, 2020, 10.5 million migrants
into prostitution or marriage (Ghosh, 2017). utilized government-arranged transportation, including
buses and Shramik trains. The state-wise distribution
3.2.5. Inaccessible social security provisions of return migration is presented in Figure 3, with Uttar
As discussed above, migrants are prone to various Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh,
problems for which they need social security protection and Odisha having the maximum return migration.
measures. However, our institutional structure creates
formidable difficulties in designing suitable schemes 3.4. The policy response of the government
for migrants (Sharma & Arora, 2015; Srivastava, 2012). In this section, we will discuss the policy response of the
Although we have various schemes (food-based schemes government in two parts. In the first part, the existing
for the distribution of subsidized food items targeted policies of the central government regarding migration
public distribution system; schemes for mid-day meals in general will be discussed. In the second part, both the
for children; nutritional supplemental schemes such as central and state governments’ schemes/policy responses
the Integrated Child Development Scheme; social security for migration to deal with the COVID-19 crises, in
schemes for the poor and informal sector workers; particular, will be discussed.
social assistance schemes including pension schemes for
the elderly, physically challenged, and widows; public 3.4.1. Existing policies of central government
employment schemes; elementary education; health care; At the central level, the only law to protect the rights of
health insurance for the poor; etc.) that are supposed to migrants in the country is the Interstate Migrant Workmen’s
address vulnerable migrants, the vast array of schemes Act of 1979, which primarily focuses on contractor-
financed and delivered by various levels of government driven migration (Rajan & Bhagat, 2022). Although the
hinders their accessibility. Moreover, the working central government has enacted some welfare laws for
conditions of migrants and their inability to provide informal workers intended to cover migrant workers’
domicile identity in destination areas further obstruct their rights, non-implementation of these laws has often led to
access to social protection schemes (Srivastava, 2020a). migrants being denied access to their rights in the cities
(Bhagat, 2017a). Furthermore, recommendations from
3.3. COVID-19 and inter-state outmigration the Working Group of Migration (increased weightage
The initial response to COVID-19 was a nationwide on social protection programs; enforcement of labor laws;
lockdown announced by the Prime Minister, on March registration of migrant workers; ensuring adequate food
24, 2020. This sudden announcement created panic among security through portability of public distribution system;
migrant workers as they lost their jobs and found themselves
stranded at their destination. Being unemployed in the city,
having no guarantee of further employment, and having
limited access to transportation facilities to return home
(which were later arranged by the central government)
caused migrants to be economically and psychologically
insecure. As a result, many resorted to the extreme step
of returning home on foot, resulting in untold hardship,
tragedy, and even death (Rajan & Heller, 2020). In the
subsequent days and months, the nation witnessed some
of the grimmest scenes due to the unpreparedness of civic
authorities and government agencies to deal with a crisis Figure 3. State-wise returned migration after the outbreak of COVID-19,
selected states, India. Sources: Unstarred Question No. 197, Lok Sabha,
of such magnitude, garnering attention both domestically answered on September 14, 2020; PRS. The data of Odisha have been
and internationally (Mishra, 2021). taken from the COVID-19 dashboard of Odisha.

Volume 10 Issue 3 (2024) 84 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0916