IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ijlaec/v63y2020i4d10.1007_s41027-020-00293-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Internal Labour Migration in India: A ‘Crisis of Mobility’

Author

Listed:
  • S. Irudaya Rajan

    (Centre for Development Studies)

  • P. Sivakumar

    (Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development)

  • Aditya Srinivasan

    (Centre for Development Studies)

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on migration. The rapid spread of the pandemic caught countries across the world off guard, resulting in widespread lockdowns that clamped down on mobility, commercial activities and social interactions. In India, the pandemic precipitated a severe ‘crisis of mobility’, with migrant labourers in many major cities seeking to return to their hometowns. Their desperate attempts to return home by any means available rendered the lockdown ineffective in several areas, prompting clashes with authorities, last-minute policy relief and, eventually, the arrangement of transport measures. This paper aims to shed light on the vulnerability of India’s internal migrants in terms of their mobility, gender and mental health. In addition, it critically analyses the limitations of public policy in addressing migrants and suggests recommendations for the way ahead.

Suggested Citation

  • S. Irudaya Rajan & P. Sivakumar & Aditya Srinivasan, 2020. "The COVID-19 Pandemic and Internal Labour Migration in India: A ‘Crisis of Mobility’," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 63(4), pages 1021-1039, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ijlaec:v:63:y:2020:i:4:d:10.1007_s41027-020-00293-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s41027-020-00293-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s41027-020-00293-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s41027-020-00293-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ravi Srivastava & Rajib Sutradhar, 2016. "Labour Migration to the Construction Sector in India and its Impact on Rural Poverty," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 10(1), pages 27-48, April.
    2. Zovanga L Kone & Maggie Y Liu & Aaditya Mattoo & Caglar Ozden & Siddharth Sharma, 2018. "Internal borders and migration in India," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 18(4), pages 729-759.
    3. Dhanya M.B, 2013. "Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and Informal Economy in India: Trends, Initiatives and Challenges," Working Papers id:5580, eSocialSciences.
    4. Mehrotra, Santosh K., 2019. "Informal employment trends in the Indian economy persistent informality, but growing positive development," ILO Working Papers 995066393502676, International Labour Organization.
    5. Imbert, Clément & Papp, John, 2018. "Costs and Benefits of Seasonal Migration : Evidence from India," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1161, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    6. Mehrotra, Santosh & Parida, Jajati K., 2017. "Why is the Labour Force Participation of Women Declining in India?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 360-380.
    7. S. Chandrasekhar & Mukta Naik & Shamindra Nath Roy, 2017. "On the Importance of Triangulating Datasets to Examine Indians on the Move," Working Papers id:12126, eSocialSciences.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rashmi Umesh Arora & Tapan Sarker, 2023. "Financing for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 35(1), pages 1-19, February.
    2. Irudaya S. Rajan & Pooja Batra & Reddy Sai Shiva Jayanth & Tharatha Moolayil Sivadasan, 2023. "Understanding the multifaceted impact of COVID‐19 on migrants in Kerala, India," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 41(1), January.
    3. Mishra, Pulak & Das, Pinaki & Ghosh, Soumya Kanti & Dandapat, Akash & Dasgupta, Soumita, 2024. "Agriculture-livestock-forestry nexus and household income diversification: Experiences from selected villages of West Bengal, India," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    4. Puja Krishna & Aditya Raj, 2022. "Health Condition of Internal Migrants in India: A Review," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 16(1), pages 169-179, April.
    5. Zeliha Özlü-Erkilic & Oswald D. Kothgassner & Thomas Wenzel & Andreas Goreis & Anthony Chen & Veysi Ceri & Aylin Fakhr Mousawi & Türkan Akkaya-Kalayci, 2021. "Does the Progression of the COVID-19 Pandemic Have an Influence on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Young People? A Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-14, December.
    6. Ajit Jha, 2021. "Vulnerability of Construction Workers During COVID-19: Tracking Welfare Responses and Challenges," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 64(4), pages 1043-1067, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ishita Pal & Balhasan Ali & Preeti Dhillon & Neelanjana Pandey, 2021. "Factors Determining Paid and Unpaid Work in Young Adults: Evidence from a Cohort Study in Bihar, India," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 64(1), pages 133-153, March.
    2. Sonalde Desai & Omkar Joshi, 2019. "The Paradox of Declining Female Work Participation in an Era of Economic Growth," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 62(1), pages 55-71, March.
    3. Soma Wadhwa & Devutty Retnakaran, 2020. "Barriers and Enablers to Women’s Participation in the Workforce: A Case Study from India," Review of Market Integration, India Development Foundation, vol. 12(3), pages 114-138, December.
    4. Zovanga L Kone & Maggie Y Liu & Aaditya Mattoo & Caglar Ozden & Siddharth Sharma, 2018. "Internal borders and migration in India," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 18(4), pages 729-759.
    5. Vijayalakshmi, Akshaya & Dev, Pritha & Kulkarni, Vaibhavi, 2022. "Domestic workers and sexual harassment in India: Examining preferred response strategies," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    6. Albert MILLOGO & Ines TROJETTE & Nicolas PÉRIDY, 2021. "Are government policies efficient to regulate immigration? Evidence from France," Region et Developpement, Region et Developpement, LEAD, Universite du Sud - Toulon Var, vol. 53, pages 23-49.
    7. Singh, Abhijeet & Romero, Mauricio & Muralidharan, Karthik, 2024. "COVID-19 Learning loss and recovery," University of California at San Diego, Economics Working Paper Series qt3jj1b8hb, Department of Economics, UC San Diego.
    8. Komeda, Kenji, 2021. "Environmental Factors and Internal Migration in India," Warwick-Monash Economics Student Papers 20, Warwick Monash Economics Student Papers.
    9. Sudipta Sarkar, 2021. "Indian Construction Industry: Employment Conditions of Migrant Male Workers of Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 64(2), pages 461-484, June.
    10. Robertson,Raymond & Kokas,Deeksha & Cardozo,Diego & Lopez-Acevedo,Gladys C., 2020. "Short and Long-Run Labor Market Effects of Developing Country Exports : Evidence from Bangladesh," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9176, The World Bank.
    11. Bina Agarwal, 2020. "Labouring for Livelihoods: Gender, Productivity and Collectivity," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 63(1), pages 21-37, March.
    12. Augsburg, Britta & Baquero, Juan P. & Gautam, Sanghmitra & Rodriguez-Lesmes, Paul, 2023. "Sanitation and marriage markets in India: Evidence from the Total Sanitation Campaign," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    13. Alison Andrew & Orazio P. Attanasio & Britta Augsburg & Jere Behrman & Monimalika Day & Pamela Jervis & Costas Meghir & Angus Phimister, 2020. "Mothers' Social Networks and Socioeconomic Gradients of Isolation," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 2261, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    14. Mohammad Niaz Asadullah & Zaki Wahhaj, 2019. "Female Seclusion from Paid Work: A Social Norm or Cultural Preference?," Working Papers ECARES 2019-10, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    15. Franziska Braschke & Patrick A. Puhani, 2023. "Population Adjustment to Asymmetric Labour Market Shocks in India: A Comparison to Europe and the United States at Two Different Regional Levels," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 66(1), pages 7-35, March.
    16. Vasavi Bhatt & S. Chandrasekhar & Ajay Sharma, 2020. "Regional Patterns and Determinants of Commuting Between Rural and Urban India," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 63(4), pages 1041-1063, December.
    17. Shiba Shankar Pattayat & Jajati Keshari Parida & Kirtti Ranjan Paltasingh, 2023. "Gender Wage Gap among Rural Non-farm Sector Employees in India: Evidence from Nationally Representative Survey," Review of Development and Change, , vol. 28(1), pages 22-44, June.
    18. Gröger, André, 2021. "Easy come, easy go? Economic shocks, labor migration and the family left behind," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    19. Khed, Vijayalaxmi D. & Krishna, Vijesh V., 2023. "Agency and time poverty: Linking decision-making powers and leisure time of male and female farmers of Central India," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 29(C).
    20. Baird, Matthew & Chari, A.V. & Nataraj, Shanthi & Rothenberg, Alexander & Telhaj, Shqiponja & Winters, L. Alan, 2019. "The public sector and the misallocation of labor: evidence from a policy experiment in India," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 102605, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ijlaec:v:63:y:2020:i:4:d:10.1007_s41027-020-00293-8. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.