Covid Pandemic & Reverse Migration: WHY, HOW And WHAT Next?
Tamal Bandyopadhyay
Consulting Editor, Business Standard & Senior Adviser, Jana Small Finance Bank. Linkedin Top Voice in 2015 & 2019
A recent study of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) throws light on many interesting facets of migration and reverse migration after the four-phased, 68-day national lockdown (between 24 March and 31 May) in Asia’s third largest economy, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.
The study is based on feedback from 397 reverse migrants from 35 districts in seven Indian states which had seen the maximum flow of reverse migration.
The seven states are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Rajasthan.
The survey was conducted between 24 May and 2 June, 2021, amidst the second wave of the pandemic.
What are the key findings of this survey?
# WHY MIGRATION?: The reverse migrants were originally low-income earners and marginal earners in their native places. 72% of the migrants were earning Rs6,000 per month where they lived before migration.
# DID MIGRATION HELP?: Of course, it did. After migration, almost all of them started earning more. Only 1.5% of the respondents reported earnings of less than Rs6,000 per month. They earned and saved well. Average savings were Rs7,845 and average remittance Rs6422.
# WHAT DID THEY DO IN CITIES? : Most of them were casual labourers or self-employed in cities without any social security or job contract. Many had worked in the construction sector.
# WHY REVERSE MIGRATION?: 3 % of respondents returned to villages for employment under MNREGA; 40% for drop in income; 42% under family/peer pressure to be with the community; 63% because of the Covid pandemic in cities; and 70% for lack of employment.
# LIFE AFTER REVERSE MIGRATION : At least 62% of the reverse migrants had access to subsidized food; 79% were not aware of any development activities near their villages.
Only 20% of the respondents are aware of skill development programmes near their villages.
# LIFE AFTER REVERSE MIGRATION: 41% of the reverse migrants relied on agriculture for livelihood. 16% of them found work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee (MNREGA) scheme.
At least 70% of the respondents saw a drop in income. 48% of them used their savings to overcome difficulties while 22% borrowed to tide over the tough time.
Of the respondents who borrowed, only 16% accessed credit from formal sources.
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At least 12% of them are unemployed.
# WHAT NEXT?: 55% of the reverse migrants want to return to cities.
The pull is higher income opportunities. 14% of the respondents are attracted to better infrastructure in urban India; 14% see limited use of the skill they have acquired in cities; 41% see job opportunities in Cities; 61% feel they could earn more in urban pockets.
# WHY MANY STILL DON’T WANT TO RETURN TO CITIES?:??25% of the respondents wish to stay back in the village.
The main trigger for staying back is concern for safety due to the pandemic.?13% see lack of livelihood opportunities in urban India post pandemic; 6% don’t want to go back to cities because of family pressure and children’s education in villages; 5% say they have multiple skills which can be used in their villages for earning livelihood; and 3% own land and/or livestock.
Around 20% are still indecisive.
Writes Banker's Trust every Monday in Business Standard.
Latest book Pandemonium: The Great Indian Banking Tragedy
Amazon link?https://www.amazon.in/dp/819464335X/
Twitter: TamalBandyo
Website:?https://bankerstrust.in
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experience guy in home loan and LAP for more than 5 years deep knowledge about the home loan property verification Responsible for sourcing files sales
3 年Tàmal sir this is kind request for my mother she is hospitalized covid positive but now negetive but due to that her left artery block doctor has told me to place strain in her heart it will cost 1.4lk how can I arrange I hav sold my bike and 1gold ring plz it's my kind request kindly donate something on milaap charity fundraising platform they r helping me for operation plz its emergency I m begging for help I don't have my father my mother is everything for me *Arpan Fouzdar *8335031306 Hi I m here for asking for help for my mother she is hospitalized covid positive under ventilation her condition is serious also she is a neuro patient having epilepsy also having hear problem so I request you all to donate for my mother to save my mother life Read more - https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-arpan-10?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=fundraisers-title&mlp_referrer_id=1170521 To pay via Paytm (for Android users only) - https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-arpan-10/deeplink?deeplink_type=paytm
Operation Manager (South Zone)at JAGARAN MICROFIN PVT LTD.
3 年Very useful for every sectors. Thank you Sir.
Proud Indian, Entrepreneur, Founder and Managing Director of VFS Capital
3 年Thank you Mr Bandyopadhyay for telling us about the Nabard study on reverse migration. It’s an eye opener. Going beyond its role as a refinance agency, Nabard also does some seminal research in relevant fields. It’s an example of such work. Thank you Nabard.
Development Economist
3 年It should not be fire fighting mode....When pandemic comes give some files and forget..The basic question is to addressed....As to why labour migrate to far off urban areas for wage labour...And why they could not continue to stay back..Ie.they are hanging on fire on a daily basis work in unorganized sector..Why can't they get some insurance cover to face such eventualities..The sample is to small and diluted over a large geographical space.. Prof Vasudeva rao ,PhD economics
Chief General Manager Retd NABARD (Mentor / Consultant / Freelance / Author) Sr VP / Chairman Society for The Blind / Institute for the Blind
3 年This is educative. We have to generate economic opportunities in the villages and semi urban hubs. Doles were in order to tide over the initial shock. This also implies better social and physical infrastructure and a focus on skill development and a commercial orientation. Subsidy oriented credit linked schemes work upto a point only. The states have to invest