The Reality of Urban Migrants in India

The Reality of Urban Migrants in India

It is an irony of Indian Economy that thousands of rural poor have to leave their home and live on roads without shelters in the big cities. In India, daily thousands of migrants come to Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Punjab from U.P., Bihar, Jharkhand and North East, to search for job, because they do not have any livelihood in their respective rural areas. India's Population has increased from 286 million in 2001 to 377 million in 2011 and is expected to go up to 600 million by 2030.

UNESCO-UNICEF publication on internal migrants: "Internal Migration and Social Protection: The Missing Link." has analysed problems of urban migrants in India. Here are some problems of Urban Migrants in India

Problems of Urban Migrants in India:

• In govt Slum Rehabilitation Schemes, a beneficiary is eligible only if he has Address proof of that city. So a migrant does not have the address proof, so he has to live without house, on the road.
• To have a ration card, one must have to have an address proof, so the migrant also has to live without subsidized food
• Seasonal Migrants who migrate when there is no crop season, this affects the education of their children, so it becomes sure that the next generation is also going to be a non skilled worker and a migrant
• Migrants are vulnerable to occupation health hazards, and non-communicable diseases 
• Migrants are not accepted by the city people and always seen as a criminal.
• Low wages
• No access to toilets, because there is lack of facility of toilets for the people who live without shelters
• According to controversial criteria for BPL people given by Planning Commission, there are only 8% people are BPL in Delhi, But in reality there are 30% people are living in slums and 4% are living on the Road  
• Similarly 53% people are living in slums and 8% on roads in Mumbai
• Supreme Court has ordered of providing ration card to homeless people without address proof, but this has not been properly implemented yet 

Now we see, what can be the solution for the problems of urban migrants:

Possible Solutions:

• Redefine the BPL Criteria and 50% weightage should be given to lack of basic amenities, schools and hygine
• Ration cards to homeless people
• More and more investment in Rural Areas, so these people need not migrate for livelihood
• Reservation for migrants in Housing Schemes like JNURM  
• Employment Schemes for urban areas like MGNREGS