Post-Covid 80% of male migrants migrated from urban to rural areas: Official data

By Puneet Kumar Shrivastav, Amandeep Kaur*
The much-needed migration data was collected in the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for the first time during 2020-21. Throughout the Covid-19-induced first nationwide lockdown in 2020, and even after that, too, migration, migrant, returned migrant, migrant worker and returned migrant worker etc. were the buzzing words.
The ‘Migration in India’ report was released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI), Government of India (GoI) on June 14, 2022. The report highlights that Covid-induced migration, i.e. after March 2020, was 3.1 percent of the total migration in the country. Migration rate for India, the proportion of migrants in total population, for 2020-21 is reported to be 28.9 percent in the report.
A ‘migrant’ is defined as a household member whose last usual place of residence (UPR), any time in the past, was different from the present place of enumeration (POE). UPR of a person is the place (village/town) where the person has been staying continuously for at least six months or his/her intention is to stay there continuously for six months or more then that place was as his/her UPR.
PLFS is a household-based sample survey which is mainly designed to capture the employment and unemployment situation and also provides the detailed information related to the labour market in the country. The survey, has taken March 2020 as the cut-off period in order to capture the impact of covid/ lockdown on migration while fulfilling the wide data gap on migration data.

Estimating the numbers

The first wave of Covid in 2020, followed by a complete lockdown, caused mass movement of migrants from their place of work/residence to their permanent native places facing all the vulnerabilities and difficulties. This created an awkward situation for the government and policy makers.
However, due to lack of realistic numbers of migrants in the country, the immediate proper policy measures could not be taken. A large number of jobless and homeless people started walking on road to reach their native homes without any facilities. Later on, the issues were resolved to a great extent and transportation facilities and raw food material were provided by the government to such migrants.
Considering the total population of India, approximately to be 135 crore as on July 1, 2020, based on the Census of India’s projection, absolute migrants really become a significant phenomenon. The total migrant population estimates in the country stood at approximately 39 crore during 2020-21, of which the Covid-induced migration was estimated to be 1.2 crore, which is again huge in number.
The continuation of lockdown for around a couple of months caused loss of income and livelihood for many and forced them to go back to their native or other places from the place they were working/searching of jobs/residing prior to lockdown.
The PLFS unit level data on migration revealed that 11.4 percent of migrants moved back to their last UPR, i.e., the places where they used to live earlier, during 2020-21. These migrants, estimated to be around 4.45 crore, may be considered as returned migrants.
Moreover, the phenomenon of Covid/lockdown-induced returned migration becomes even more significant, because loss of jobs and lack of opportunities to earn livelihood forced migrants to return to the place which once in a while was their UPR in the past.
The unit-level records also reveal that 53.1 percent migrated to the Place of Enumeration (POE), which was their earlier UPR in the past during the post lockdown period. The number of such returned migrants in the post-lockdown period stood to be more than 6.4 million. Thus, the data deliberates the mass movement of the migrants due to Covid and lockdown.
Within the country, the migration flows are mainly of four types -- rural to rural, rural to urban, urban to rural, and urban to urban. The ‘Migration in India' report highlights that the rural to urban migration for male category remained 53.7 percent during July 2020 to June 2021. However, contrary to this, in the post-lockdown period, the urban to rural migration for male category was reported to be 79.6 percent.

Thus, male migration was much higher in the post-lockdown period from urban to rural areas, which implies that those who had gone to the urban areas for jobs/ in search of jobs had returned to the rural areas due to Covid/lockdown.
The PLFS 2020-21-unit level estimates reveal that 9.16 percent people moved out of their last UPR because of employment reasons. Of this, 4.38 percent was because of transfer, better job employment opportunities and proximity to place of work, and the rest 4.78 percent in search of employment.
Moreover, major chunk of unemployed (54.2 percent) migrated only because of search of employment. The report shows that 42.9 percent of males migrated only because of employment reasons, whereas marriage (86.8 percent) remained the prominent reason of migration for females.

Policy calls

The role of migration in the development process is clearly evident. Migration takes place for both economic and non-economic reasons. The economic reasons mainly consist of search of employment, search for better employment, remittance, better quality of life and access to better services etc. while the non-economic reasons are mainly marriage and education.
Therefore, given the situation and evidences, for engaging such returned migrants into a gainful employment, there is a need for strengthening rural infrastructure and the rural non-form sector. A boost in rural economy is utmost requirement through Aatmnirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, MGNREGA and other rural development schemes.
As for those who are part of potential labour force but have returned/migrated with the parent/earning member of the family to the rural areas, for them, a call for quality education and employment-oriented skill development should be the top-most priority in rural areas.
---
*Dr Puneet Kumar Shrivastav is Assistant Director at the National Institute of Labour Economics Research & Development (Under NITI Aayog, GoI) & PhD in Economics from BHU; Dr Amandeep Kaur is Assistant Professor of Economics at Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Sector 62, Noida & PhD in Economics from IIT Roorkee. Views are personal

Comments

Adani coalmine delayed? Australian senate fails to pass crucial "reform" amendment for project's financial closure

Adanis' Mundra power plant, controversial in Australia By A Representative In what is being described as a new “new hurdle”, the proposed Adani coalmine in the Queensland state of in Australia failed to get the crucial Australian Parliamentary nod, essential for financial closure for one of the biggest coalmining projects in the world. The government lost the Senate vote 35-33, meaning the legislation won't pass until the Senate returns in mid-June.

Aurangzeb’s last will recorded by his Maulvi: Allah shouldn't make anyone emperor

By Mohan Guruswamy Aurangzeb’s grave is a simple slab open to the sky lying along the roadside at Khuldabad near Aurangabad. I once stopped by to marvel at the tomb of an Emperor of India whose empire was as large as Ashoka the Great's. It was only post 1857 when Victoria's domain exceeded this. The epitaph reads: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast." (The rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave) The modest tomb of Aurangzeb is perhaps the least recognised legacies of the Mughal Emperor who ruled the land for fifty eventful years. He was not a builder having expended his long tenure in war and conquest. Towards the end of his reign and life, he realised the futility of it all. He wrote: "Allah should not make anyone an emperor. The most unfortunate person is he who becomes one." Aurangzeb’s last will was re...

Beyond his riding skill, Karl Umrigar was admired for his radiance, sportsmanship, and affability

By Harsh Thakor* Karl Umrigar's name remains etched in the annals of Indian horse racing, a testament to a talent tragically cut short. An accident on the racetrack at the tender age of nineteen robbed India of a rider on the cusp of greatness. Had he survived, there's little doubt he would have ascended to international stature, possibly becoming the greatest Indian jockey ever. Even 46 years after his death, his name shines brightly, reminiscent of an inextinguishable star. His cousin, Pesi Shroff, himself blossomed into one of the most celebrated jockeys in Indian horse racing.

Haven't done a good deed, inner soul is cursing me as sinner: Aurangzeb's last 'will'

Counterview Desk The Tomb of Aurangzeb, the last of the strong Mughal emperors, located in Khuldabad, Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, has this epitaph inscribed on it: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e maa ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast" (the rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave).

Trust, we (from People to PM and President) did not take a Holy Dip in some Holy Shit!

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava I could see two deeply interlinked aspects between human and water in #MahaKumbh2025. Firstly, the HOPE that a ‘holy dip’ in the River Ganga (colloquially referred as dubki and spiritually as ‘Snan’) will cleanse oneself (especially the sins); and secondly, the TRUST that the water is pure to perform the cleansing alias living the hope. Well, I consider hope to be self-dependent while, trust is a multi-party dependent situation. The focus here is on the trust and I shall write later on hope.

Hyderabad seminar rekindles memories of the spark lit 50 years ago by students

By Harsh Thakor* History is something we constantly remember and reflect upon, but certain moments and events bring it back to our memory in a special way. For the Telugu people, and Telangana in particular, the memorial seminar held on February 20–21 was a significant occasion to recall the glorious events, transformations, leaders, and heroes of past struggles. Thousands of students rewrote the history of people's movements in Andhra Pradesh, carrying revolutionary zeal and the spirit of self-sacrifice to levels comparable to the Russian and Chinese Revolutions.

State Human Rights Commission directs authorities to uphold environmental rights in Vadodara's Vishwamitri River Project

By A Representative The Gujarat State Human Rights Commission (GSHRC) has ordered state and Vadodara municipal authorities to strictly comply with environmental and human rights safeguards during the Vishwamitri River Rejuvenation Project, stressing that the river’s degradation disproportionately affects marginalized communities and violates citizens’ rights to a healthy environment. The Commission mandated an immediate halt to ecologically destructive practices, rehabilitation of affected communities, transparent adherence to National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders, and public consultations with experts and residents. The order follows the Concerned Citizens of Vadodara coalition—environmentalists, ecologists, and urban planners—submitting a detailed letter to authorities, amplifying calls for accountability. The group warned that current plans to “re-section” and “desilt” the river contradict the NGT’s 2021 Vishwamitri River Action Plan, which prioritizes floodpla...

Vadodara citizens urge authorities to adhere to environmental mandates in Vishwamitri River Rejuvenation Project

By A Representative A coalition of environmental activists, ecologists, and urban planners in Vadodara has issued an urgent appeal to state and municipal authorities, demanding strict compliance with court-mandated guidelines for the upcoming Vishwamitri River rejuvenation project. Scheduled to commence in March 2025, the initiative aims to mitigate flooding and restore the river, but citizens warn that current plans risk violating National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders and jeopardizing the river’s fragile ecosystem, home to endangered species like crocodiles and Indian Softshell Turtles.

Buddhist communities in Michigan protest for Mahabodhi Temple’s return to Buddhist control

By A Representative Buddhist communities in Michigan have staged protests demanding the return of the Mahabodhi Vihara in Gaya, Bihar, India, to full Buddhist control. The Mahabodhi Temple, regarded as the holiest pilgrimage site in Buddhism, is currently managed under the Bodhgaya Temple Act of 1949, which grants a majority of control to non-Buddhists.

IFC withdraws funding for waste-to-energy incinerators in Gujarat: A win for public health and environment

By A Representative In a significant victory for environmental activists and local communities, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private lending arm of the World Bank, has decided not to invest in the proposed $40 million funding for waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration plants in Gujarat, India. The decision comes after strong opposition from civil society organizations, which highlighted concerns over pollution, health risks, and violations of sustainable waste management practices.

Search This Blog