A survey conducted by the Inferential Survey Statistics and Research Foundation (ISSRF), formed by a group of retired government officers. This group surveyed 2,917 migrants during July-August 2020 in 34 districts across Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. These are the states from which the majority of migrant workers come. This survey found that 67.6% migrants wanted to come back to the towns and cities where they had worked. Another such survey was conducted by the ‘Rapid Community Response to Covid-19’, a collective of 20 grassroots civil society organisations. This survey covered 11,000 respondents across nine states in May 2020. The sample included 2,889 migrants, 66% of whom wished to go back. A study by Action Aid, conducted in the third phase of the lockdown towards the end of May, also threw up a similar finding. More than 56% of those surveyed said they wanted to return to where they worked when economic activity resumes. The survey by ISSRF found that over a third of the migrants had found no work after they moved back. The Rapid Community Response to Covid-19 found this percentage to be at nearly three-fourths of the migrants that returned home. Urgent attention and concerted action needs to be taken on the question of livelihoods for migrant workers, along with the inclusivity and liveability of our cities, the study by ActionAid concluded. All that is different for now is a little more awareness about hand washing and sanitisation and an increase in exercising precaution, Srivastava said.
Link : https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/for-indias-migrant-workers-all-roads-lead-back-to-cities