MIGRATION

• The International Organization for Migration defines a migrant as

any person who is moving or has moved across an international
border or within a state away from his/her habitual place of
residence.
• Examining the migration shifts in scale, direction, demography
and frequency can lead to effective policies, programmes and
operational responses on the ground.
• Factors Determining Migration:
1. It can be either voluntary or forced movements as a
consequence of the increased magnitude or frequency of
disasters, economic challenges and extreme poverty or
conflict situations.
2. In more recent years, the Covid-19 pandemic is also one of
the major causes of Migration.
3. Push and Pull Factors of Migration:
• Push factors are those that compel a person to leave a place of
origin (out-migration) and migrate to some other place such as -
economic reasons, social reasons, lack of development of a
particular place.
• Pull factors indicate the factors which attract migrants (in-
migration) to an area (destination) such as job opportunities,
better living conditions, availability of basic or high-level facilities
etc.
• What are the Statistics about Migration?
2011 Census:
• Number of internal migrants (both inter-state and within state) in
India at 45.36 crore, making up 37% of the country’s population.
• The annual net migrant flows amounted to about 1% of the
working age population.
• India’s workforce was 48.2 crores strong. This figure is estimated
to have exceeded 50 crores in 2016.
• Report of the Working Group on Migration, 2017:
• Report under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty
Alleviation stated that 17 districts accounted for the top 25% of
India’s total male out-migration.
• Ten of these districts are in UP, six in Bihar, and one in Odisha.

Economic Survey 2016-17:

• Relatively less developed states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
have high net out-migration.
• Relatively more developed states such as Goa, Delhi,
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka reflect
net immigration.
• The largest recipient was the Delhi region, which accounted for
more than half of migration in 2015-16.
• While Uttar Pradesh and Bihar taken together account for half of
total out-migrants.
• Migration in India Report 2020-21:
• The report released by Ministry of Statistics and Program
Implementation in June 2022, collated numbers for temporary
visitors and migrants.
• 0.7% of the country’s population was recorded as a ‘temporary
visitor’ during the July 2020-June 2021 period.
• Temporary visitors were defined as those who arrived in
households after March 2020 and stayed continuously for a
period of 15 days or more but less than 6 months.
• Over 84% of these 0.7% temporary visitors moved places due to
pandemic.
• The all-India migration rate was 28.9% for July 2020-June 2021,
with a 26.5 % migration rate in rural areas and 34.9% in urban
areas.
• Females recorded a higher share of migration rate of 47.9%; 48%
in rural and 47.8% in urban areas.
• Migration rate for males was 10.7%, with 5.9% in rural and 22.5%
in urban areas.
• 86.8% females migrated for marriage while 49.6% of the males
migrated in search of employment.

What is the Significance of Migration and Migrants?

• Labour Demand and Supply: Migration fills gaps in demand for

and supply of labor, efficiently allocates skilled labor, unskilled
labor, and cheap labor.
• Skill Development: Migration enhances the knowledge and skills
of migrants through exposure and interaction with the outside
world.
• Quality of Life: Migration enhances chances of employment and
economic prosperity which in turn improves quality of life.
• Economic Remittances: The migrants also send extra income and
remittance back home, thereby positively impacting their native
place.
• Social Remittances: Migration helps to improve the social life of
migrants, as they learn about new cultures, customs, and
languages which helps to improve brotherhood among people
and ensures greater equality and tolerance.
• MIGRATION IN INDIA, 2020-2021,
A report named ‘Migration in India 2020-21’ was released by the
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• The ‘Migration in India’ report, which is based on first-time
collection of additional data during the annual round of Periodic
Labour Force Survey for July 2020-June 2021, separates the
categories of ‘temporary visitors’ and ‘migrants’.
• ‘Temporary Visitors’ have been defined as the ones who arrived in
households after March 2020 and stayed continuously for a
period of 15 days or more but less than 6 months.
• ‘Migrants’ have been defined as those, for whom the last usual
place of residence, any time in the past, is different from the
present place of enumeration.

Key findings of the report;

• After the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, 0.7 per
cent of India’s population was recorded as a ‘temporary visitor’
across households during the July 2020-June 2021 period.
• Over 84 % of these 0.7 % ‘temporary visitors’ moved for reasons
linked to the pandemic ranging from loss of job, closure of
educational institutions and health related reasons.
• The all-India migration rate was 28.9 per cent for July 2020-June
2021, with 26.5 per cent migration rate in rural areas and 34.9 per
cent in urban areas.
• Females recorded a higher share of migration rate of 47.9 per
cent, with 48 per cent in rural areas and 47.8 per cent in urban
areas. The migration rate for males was seen at 10.7 per cent,
with 5.9 per cent in rural areas and 22.5 per cent in urban areas.
• Among females, the highest level of migration rate was seen at
86.8 per cent for marriage, while 49.6 per cent of the males
migrated due to employment related reasons.

What is the Legal Framework for Migrant Labour Welfare?

• The legal framework for migrant labour welfare in India is

provided by the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979.
• The Act mandates the registration of establishments that employ
migrant workers and requires contractors to obtain licenses from
both the home and host states. However, the Act has not been
fully implemented in practice.
• The Act has been subsumed into four broader labor codes, which
are:
• The Code on Wages,2018
• The Industrial Relations Code,2020
• The Code on Social Security,2020
• The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions
Code,2020
• The implementation process is delayed as states are yet to finalise
their rules under these codes

What are the Issues with Legal Framework for Migrant Workers?

• Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979 has not been fully

implemented in states.
• Small Startups and Informal Sector Left out From Social Security
Coverage.There are no specific provisions for social security of
employees in small startups, Micro, Small and Medium
 Enterprises or workers in small establishments having less than
300 workers.
• Migrant workers, self-employed workers, home-based workers,
and other vulnerable groups in rural areas are not covered under
social security benefits.
• This would enable companies to introduce arbitrary service
conditions for their workers.
• What are the Steps taken by Government for Migrant Welfare?
• Central Government’s Steps:
• The Union Government has approved the proposal for the
continuation of the 7 existing sub-schemes under the “Relief and
Rehabilitation of Migrants and Repatriates” scheme.
• In 2021, NITI Aayog, along with a working subgroup of officials
and members of civil society, has prepared a draft National
Migrant Labour policy.
• The ramping up of One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) project
and introduction of the Affordable Rental Housing Complexes
(ARHC), PM Garib Kalyan Yojna scheme and e-Shram portal
reflected a ray of hope for migrants.
• State Governments’ Steps:
• In 2012, with the help of the International Labour Organisation,
an MoU was signed between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to track
labourers migrating from 11 districts of Odisha to work in brick
kilns in then-united Andhra Pradesh.
• Kerala has set up facilitation centres for migrant workers to
maintain data regarding migrant workers arriving in Kerala as well
as help migrant workers navigate any problems they might face.
• Jharkhand has started the Safe and Responsible Migration
Initiative (SRMI) in 2021, which aims at enabling systemic
 registration of migrant workers for monitoring and analysis in the
source as well as the destination districts.
• Jharkhand government will have help desks which will be known
as ‘labour consulates’ in various states.
Way Forward
• Merely enrolling workers in a registry will not be effective unless
they also have access to social security benefits. Therefore, it is
crucial for the central government to collaborate with states and
coordinate their actions in safeguarding the rights of workers.
• Issues faced by Marginalised Sections:
• Whereas the people who are poor or belong to a marginalised
section do not find it easy to mix up.
• Social and Psychological Aspects:
• Many times, migrants are not easily accepted by the host place
and they always remain as a second-class citizen.
• Any person migrating to a new country faces multiple challenges,
from cultural adaptation and language barriers to homesickness
and loneliness.
• Exclusion from Political Rights and Social Benefits:
• Migrant workers are deprived of many opportunities to exercise
their political rights like the right to vote.
• Moreover, the need to provide proof of address, Voter IDs and
Aadhaar cards, which is difficult due to the fluidity of their lives,
deprive them from accessing welfare schemes and policies.
• What are the Government Initiatives Related to Migration?
• In 2021, NITI Aayog, along with a working subgroup of officials
and members of civil society, has prepared a draft National
Migrant Labour policy.
• The ramping up of One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) project
and introduction of the Affordable Rental Housing Complexes
 (ARHC), PM Garib Kalyan Yojna scheme and e-Shram portal
reflected a ray of hope.
• However, the story of migrants is still a tale of distress in India.