Two-thirds of migrants have returned to cities or said they would like to
New Delhi:
Nearly two-thirds of migrant workers, who had returned home due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, have returned to cities or wish to do so in the absence of skilled employment in villages, according to a new study that investigated out of 4,835 households.
The collaborative study on “How to unlock the hinterland” was carried out by the Aga Khan Rural Support Program (India), Action for Social Advancement, Grameen Sahara, i-Saksham, PRADAN, SAATHI-UP, SeSTA, Seva Mandir and Transform Rural Foundation of India.
The study is based on a rapid assessment survey of 4,835 households in 11 states in 48 districts, conducted from June 24 to July 8.
The study found that 29% of the migrants, who had left for the villages, are now back in the cities, while 45% want to return to the cities.
“The lack of skilled employment in the villages is reflected in the fact that nearly 2/3 of returning migrants have either migrated again or wish to do so,” he said.
The study also found that the migrants who returned work mainly in the villages – over 80 percent of them – reflecting the lack of skilled jobs in the villages.
“More than a quarter of migrant workers are still looking for work in villages,” the study found.
He also revealed that one in four households plan to take their child out of school (24%).
“Although the distress is still considerable, structural changes are not yet visible and the health risk of COVID-19 in rural areas of India is increasing,” the study warned.
The survey found that 43 percent of households still reported reduced meals, while 55 percent said they cut down on meal items.
“Marked improvement (compared to the period during the lockdown) in food intake – it is likely that the availability of cereals through the PDS (public distribution system) has helped households to improve consumption and reduced the need for ‘buy in the market,’ the study noted.
The study found that about 6 percent of households mortgaged household items, while 15 percent sold their livestock to deal with financial hardship.
Regarding the sale of productive assets to cope, the study found that 2 percent of households each sold dried and dairy cattle.
About 2 percent mortgaged their land, while one percent of households surveyed sold their land, according to the study.
About 10% of households borrowed from extended families, while 7% borrowed from lenders, according to the study.
The survey revealed that women in households where migrant members returned suffered a higher workload than other household members.
Regarding government programs, the study found that 71 percent of households have LPG and 85 percent of those who have it through Ujjwala Yojana.
“80 percent of Ujjwala beneficiaries received free top-ups last month (June 2020), while 90 percent of households are eligible for PM-KISAN and 38 percent of these received the Rs 2000 transfer », He indicated.
When changing plans, the study found that 35% of households postponed a ceremony, while 13% reduced the number of guests without postponing the ceremony.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
