Background:

• Migration of workers from one state to another state is a continues process, and dynamic in nature. 
• As per the Report Migration in India, 2020-21, based on Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2020-21, released by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the total migration rate in India was 28.9% and in rural was 26.5%. 
• Out of the total migrant persons, around 10.8% migrated due to employment related reasons. 
• The employment related reasons include in search of employment/better employment, for employment/ work (to take up employment/ to take up better employment/ business/ proximity to place of work/ transfer) and loss of job/closure of unit/lack of employment opportunities. 
• A law by Karnataka to reserve private jobs for locals has called for a study into the lives of millions of migrant workers.

Issues faced by Migrant Workers:

• Exploitation and Vulnerability: Migrant workers, particularly those from other states, often face exploitation due to their lack of local support and familiarity with the area. They are less likely to protest unfair working conditions, making them vulnerable to lower wages and poor treatment.
• Lack of Job Security: Many migrant workers are employed in informal or gig sectors, where they lack the job security and benefits that come with formal employment. This precarious nature of their work leaves them exposed to sudden loss of income and poor working conditions.
• Limited Access to Social Security: Migrant workers often struggle to access social security schemes due to the requirement of domicile status in many states. This limits their ability to benefit from health, education, and welfare programs that could improve their living conditions.
• Discrimination and Hostility: Migrant workers frequently face discrimination and hostility from local populations, who may view them as competitors for jobs or as an underclass. This social tension can lead to poor living conditions and mistreatment.
• Language Barriers: Migrant workers from different linguistic regions often face challenges in communication, making it difficult for them to integrate into the local workforce, access services, or advocate for their rights.
• Inadequate Living Conditions: Migrant workers, especially those in urban areas, often live in overcrowded, unsanitary, and unsafe environments. These poor living conditions contribute to health problems and a lower quality of life.

Measures Taken by the Government:

• Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979: This law aims to regulate the employment of inter-state migrant workers and ensure their rights and working conditions. 
  • It mandates the registration of employers, the provision of proper wages, and welfare measures like housing, medical facilities, and displacement allowances.
• One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) Scheme: Launched in 2019, this scheme allows migrant workers to access their subsidised food rations under the Public Distribution System (PDS) from any fair price shop across India, regardless of where they are registered. This ensures food security for migrants even when they move between states.
• Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC) Scheme: Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) Urban initiative, this scheme was launched to provide affordable rental housing for urban migrants and the poor. 
• Social Security Code, 2020: This code consolidates and amends various laws relating to social security, including provisions to extend social security benefits to gig workers and platform workers, many of whom are migrants. 
  • It also includes the establishment of a social security fund to provide coverage for unorganised workers, including migrants.
• Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY): During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government announced this relief package, which included direct financial assistance, free food grains, and gas cylinders for migrant workers and their families to help them cope with the economic impact of the lockdown.
• National Database of Unorganized Workers (NDUW): Also known as the e-Shram portal, launched in 2021, this platform is designed to create a comprehensive database of unorganised workers, including migrants, to provide them with targeted benefits and link them with various welfare schemes. 

Way Forward:

• Migrant workers provide necessary services to the settled region and provide support for the empowerment of their native region. 
• The services of the migrant workers should not be at the cost of their own exploitation or deprivation of locals. This requires a long sighted intervention of the Governments rather than the short sighted laws by states like Karnataka.
• States like Kerala have gone out of their way to provide government benefits to many of the inter state migrants. The state had also named these workers as “Guest Workers”, with the realisation of their worth.