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BPSC 66 T H
PERFECTION IAS M A IN S QU E ST IO N
Q. Recent COVID 19 pandemic heavily impacted and underlined the
vulnerability of migrants in the nation. Elucidate. Also, throw some
light on the Government's efforts to address this and suggest some
measures that are further needed.

ANSWER:-

The COVID-19 crisis has posed unprecedented economic challenges for

governments across the world with certain sectors becoming more and more
vulnerable to this pandemic.

Migration implies the movement of people away from their usual place of
residence either to within the nation or to another nation.

 Some of the facts related to migrants in India:

❖ According to the Census 2011, India had 45.6 crore migrants in 2011
which accounts for 38% of the population compared to 31.5 crore
migrants in 2001 which accounts for 31% of the population.
❖ Between 2001 and 2011, while the population grew by 18%, the
number of migrants increased by 45%.
❖ In 2011, 99% of total migration was internal and immigrants
(international migrants) comprised 1%

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The plight of migrant laborers in India during lockdown has shown fault
lines not only in the economy but in the society too. It has worsened the condition
of migrants as it has put severe challenges to poverty eradication programmes and
increasing the income of farmers.
 Major issues faced by migrant labour:

❖ Lack of portability of state-provided benefits especially food

provided through the public distribution system (PDS)
Under the Public Distribution System, a ration card is issued by state
governments which is not portable across different states. As a result,
this system excludes inter-state migrants from the PDS unless they
surrender their card from the home state and get a new one from the
host state. During the pandemic time, the migrants suffered to get
basic food amenities due to lack of income and lack of portability of
ration cards.

❖ Lack of access to affordable housing and basic amenities in urban

areas - Given the fact that the proportion of migrants in urban
population is 47%, there is an inadequate supply of low-income
ownership and rental housing options and is resulting in an increase of
slums. COVID - 19 showed how this kind of situation aggravates the
disasters due to lack of affordable houses and rapid spread of COVID.
❖ Poor implementation of protections under the Inter-State Migrant
Workmen Act, 1979 (ISMW Act) - According to a report in 2011 by
the Standing Committee on Labor noted the fact that the registration
of workers under the act was low and implementation of protections

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outlined in the Act was also poor. It pointed out that the Central
government had not made any concrete and fruitful efforts to ensure
that contractors and employers mandatorily register the workers
employed with them enabling access to benefits under the Act.
❖ Fundamental Right of the migrants to settle and move across the
nation is taken away.
❖ Lack of affordable medicine and sanitation equipment.
 Government’s efforts to address this:

❖ Some of the state governments have announced one-time cash

transfers for returning migrant workers as a financial relief in the
times of job-loss.
❖ Under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, a scheme for Affordable
Rental Housing Complexes for Migrant Workers and Urban Poor was
launched for providing affordable rental housing units under Pradhan
Mantri Awas Yojna.
❖ In May 2020, under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, the
Government announced that free food grains would be provided to
migrant workers who do not have a ration card for two months.
❖ The Government announced the speeding up of the “One Nation One
Ration card” programme and will be implemented by March 2021 for
providing portable benefits under the PDS.
❖ The central government allowed the states to use the “State Disaster
Response Fund” (SDRF) for providing accommodation to traveling
migrants.
❖ Further, the States were advised to set up relief camps along highways
with medical facilities.
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 Needed measures:

❖ Making agriculture as a sustainable and remunerative sector for the

farmers so that migration can be arrested.
❖ Increasing the minimum wages under the MGNREGA scheme.
❖ Strengthening the urban and rural local bodies with proper taxing
powers in order to cater to the needs of the local people.
❖ Increasing the funding capacity under the PMAY.
❖ Enlarging the land under the ambit of the city administration for
affordable housing projects.
❖ Enacting a holistic rental law in the nation
❖ Proper delineation of functions among center, states and local bodies
while dealing with the subjects of land, water and sanitation.
The idea of ‘National Land Reforms Policy’ under which a small piece of
agricultural land to every rural household is allotted so that it may provide stable
income to those landless laborers is a welcome move by the Government in this
regard.