Whether migration is a cause or a consequence of development has been widely debated in academic circles. Himachal Pradesh observes a huge group of migrants coming to the state every year. According to a study, every year in May, more than 70,000 migrant laborers travel from the plains of central India to the higher altitudes of the Himalayas to work with the Border Roads Organization. They live alongside the roads in small (about 40-200 persons) temporary settlements made of plastic sheets and flattened tin barrels and move as the roads they build advances into new territories. 1 These migrants are contributing to the overall development of the state in terms of construction, facilitating tourism, as well as contributing to the economy of the state. But their living status and condition gets largely overlooked by the government as well as by the local residents. These workers and their families face problems in securing shelter, education and health care. The dichotomy regarding the child laborers, for instance, is clearly reflected in report of National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to Planning Commission, India “Abolition of Child Labor in India.
URL : http://www.iitmandi.ac.in/istp/projects/2014/reports/Group%2005%20Health%20Nutrition.pdf