Inflow of workers alters rural economy, society

The current mass exodus of migrant workers from their workplaces to their homes is not just a vast human tragedy but also a huge socio-economic issue, which the states will grapple with for many years to come.

Take the case of Bihar, where a large chunk of migrants - an estimated three million people - have decided to leave their workplace after enduring the economic hardship due to the long lockdown.

A similar mass exodus of migrant workers, mostly from the eastern states, who had migrated to faraway places like Surat and Delhi, has made the situation grim.

Migration has long been an integral part of rural livelihood in economically-disadvantaged states of the country. Although once seen mainly as a distress response to rural crisis, it is now recognised as a key instrument in reducing poverty and initiating social change in a semi-feudal society. Those suffering the most are ‘circular’ or seasonal migrants, who are the most vulnerable and form the bulk of migrants from rural areas.

During the lockdown, in a situation where even getting two square meals a day was a challenge, they preferred to head home, leaving behind the city that once gave them better livelihoods.

Now, these migrants are not welcome in their villages too.

States like Bihar and Jharkhand, which have a huge surplus of labour, are now grappling with the problems of unemployment. According to the CMIE data, Bihar has an unemployment rate 46.6% whereas for Jharkhand, it stands 47.2% - this is almost double the national average of 23.52%.

The huge inflow of labour could also impact the rural labour market, galvanizing the current agrarian crisis. Rural wages are set to fall after the lockdown ends, owing to oversupply of unskilled workers. Most of the migrants who returned recently would look for employment in farming.

It would be a herculean task for the state governments to get these workers employed. Most of the migrant workers are unskilled or semi-skilled, working in informal sectors. Most of the state governments are now planning to generate employment through MGNREGA to meet the ongoing crisis. But the rural employment scheme is currently not equipped to generate such a huge magnitude of employment in rural areas.

The remittance by migrant workers was often the only source of income for many families, accounting for about 5% of the GDP (estimation) in a state like Bihar. The drying up of this source of income could also affect the rural consumption market. The social implication of this is also high, with many places at risk of social unrest. More importantly, the people would also be bereft of the “social remittances” of migration that has changed the contour of life in rural areas in the country.

(The writer is a Patna-based political analyst and journalist)