About half the migrant labourers returning to their roots fear that may have to distress sell their land or jewelry to survive the COVID-19 crisis. It needs to be asserted that Covid-19 is not just a health-related disaster but also a social and economic emergency that has engulfed India.
The kind of economic insecurity and treatment labourers have faced, 54.6% of them are rather averse to migrating back should the Covid-triggered situation return to normalcy. About one-fourth (24.5%) of the returning migrants are indecisive whether they would choose to out-migrate again and if yes, when. Around one-fifth (21%) migrants, however, are clear in their minds to get back after the normalcy for workers gets restored.
These are findings of a Rapid Study on the returning migrant laborers conducted by Vikas Samvad. The study was conducted in ten districts of MP where more than 300 labourers were asked intensive questions.
A large section of labourers (91.2%) apprehend that they will be trapped in the crisis of unemployment. As many as 81% of the workers believe that there is an emergency of the pandemic and crisis of lack of treatment facilities looms large. 82.3% of the migrant laborers are worried that they will be caught in the web of debts.
Around three-fourth (76.5%) workers fear that there will be widespread hunger. Around half (53.5%) of them are worried that they may have to resort to distress selling of their land and that the women may have to sell off their jewelry.
The study also concludes that 23% of the returning migrant laborers were left with an amount of less than Rs 100 whilst 7% of the laborers did not even have a rupee with them. About one-fourth (25.2%) workers had money ranging from Rs100 to Rs 500 whilst 18.1% had money ranging from Rs 500 to Rs1000. Only 11% laborers had cash of more than Rs 2000.
All of the returning migrants expect that the rates of minimum wages must be raised to 150% of that of the existing ones. Around two-third (63.2%) workers expect to be covered in some pension scheme or be benefited with direct financial support. As many as 87.7% migrant laborers want better health services at the community development block level.
The average daily earning ranged from Rs 201 to Rs 300 for 29.4% of the migrant laborers, from Rs 301 to Rs 400 for 41.6% laborers and that 17.1% laborers earned from Rs 401 to Rs 500 per day.
