Abstract (click to view)
According to statistical research, Indian industries have had a large number of internal migrant workers having a sizeable impact on the economics of India. Rural to urban migrant workers mostly engage in unskilled work, characterized by low wages, job insecurity and economic vulnerability, which are peculiar characteristics of informal work environments. The Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted the internal migrant workers in India, displacing and leaving them stranded. With factories and workplaces shutting down due to the 68 day lockdown imposed by the Indian government, the migrant worker community dealt with great uncertainty about job security, loss of income, displacement of homes and health. While this impact was greatly monitored by the Indian government and local media outlets, poor policy implications left the workers under great distress. Many were left with no of access to any form of transportation enabling them to return back to their homes, forcing them to cover the distance on foot. Most available research surrounding the migrant workers focuses on the impact of migration from villages to cities and other socio-political and economic implications of the move on their families and lives. However, there is little study of the impact of this pandemic on their lives and into exploring and comparing differences within the migrant worker community.
Trisha Punamiya
Majors: Economics and Statistics
Faculty mentor: Thomas Osang
Trisha, thank you for your presentation. I would also want to know about the effect the large number of migrant workers had on overall COVID numbers in Mumbai. With so many people under presumably crowded conditions, you would think that would cause a huge increase in cases. Thank you!
Excellent work, Trisha! I will be particularly interested if you have policy recommendations after you’ve finished your analysis. I’m so glad you were able to focus on the issues faced by this population