minimum rights as compared to the 7% elite working class Indians. The condition of Migrant workers in the 93% unorganized sector is worse than the others. Before I really delve into the issues of migrant rights and reforms let us get acquainted with some core facts so that we can get
a better understanding of the issue. Do know that when I say labor I refer to the migrant working class in the 93% unorganized sector working class. According to census 2001, 27.78% of Indian population was urban while 78.22% of Indian population was rural. In the 1950s 15% of Indian population was urban while the rest was rural. Clearly the pace of urbanization has been slow as compared to the overall population growth thereby promoting migration from deprived rural areas to the more prosperous urban areas. Millions of migrant workers from the rural as well as underprivileged areas flock to other cities in search of greener pastures
so that they could sustain their families back home. As a result of which we see a huge seasonal in surge of migrants in various cities and big towns in India. These laborers work under strenuous conditions and often with no labor and human rights thereby depending entirely on the employer to decide their rights. As is clear, these migrant laborers enjoy little or no labor rights as compared to the organized sector workers. These laborers often are subjected to mental, physical and emotional harassment. The fact that these migrant laborers are also from same nation as themselves is often forgotten by their employees who leave no stone unturned to seep out even the last drop of their blood. Yesterday as I was walking across ranade road in Mumbai I became witness to a minor accident where a motorcycle was hit by a taxi. There were no damages- physical as well as economical- on the scene but still the reaction with which the young men got off from the bike and started thrashing the poor taxi guy without getting into the reasons of the accident was heart wrecking and forced me to rethink my ideas about the empowerment of the migrant workers/laborers. The fact that two constables were standing nearby doing nothing further compounded my fears.
Would the reaction have been the same in the hometown of the taxi driver or was it that the bikers knew that the taxi driver won’t be able to do anything as he was a migrant? How would have the constables reacted in the hometown of the taxi driver? What the incident taught me was that unless all the states come together on the centre stage and form a committee under the centre’s leadership and tackle the issues of migration, these incidents will continue unabated. Yes the labor rights will continue to be compromised. Of course the above incident may be passed off as a hate attack but the fact is that in the absence of strong grievance redresssal system for the migrant workers such incidents will happen again and the inhabitants will continue their violent pursuits against the migrants with impunity. So what we can do to improve the condition of migrant workers?The reasons behind migration are simple and easy to understand and tell us why the migrants are forced to leave their hometown. The most prominent of these reasons is the scourge of unemployment which is at an alarmingly high rate in the rural areas thereby forcing migration. Many a times, unavailability of proper education, healthcare and sanitation also forces migration. Although we have celebrated more than 60 years of our independence the fruits of development have not really percolated to the weaker sections of the society. This inequitable growth also forces migration to more successful regions. This fact is evident from the fact that rather than having multiple business centric cities we
only have 4-5 cities where 70-80% of India’s business happens. This results in the uneven distribution of employment and wealth thereby promoting migration especially of migrant workers. It doesn’t come to us as a surprise if we consider the fact of India being ranked 132 among 180 nations in the annual Human development index (conducted by UNDP) behind this backdrop. In fact it is a testimony to the fact that we have inequitable growth in the country. So what can we do? A few solutions to the problem of migrants especially of unskilled nature are - Financial and social inclusion
- Application of technology in the empowerment of the poor
- Building and sustaining of multiple centers of business cities
- Encouragement of entrepreneurship in backward/underdeveloped areas through financial means
- Labor reforms
- Focus on empowerment through education
- Encouraging small/medium sector industries in rural areas with Public as well as private sector banks as partners
- Spreading of awareness about labor rights
- Proper deliverance of social services by the government by checking on corruption
The government has already started working on the theoretical aspect of the above points. Take for instance the unique identification authority (UID) under the chairmanship of Mr. Nandan Nilekeni which will present a database of over a billion people thereby making it easier for the government to deliver their services effectively and efficiently. Also while in the tenth plan allocation to education was 7.7 percent it has increase to an unprecedented 19 percent in the 11th plan. Although many other measures such as the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and others has reduced migration to an extent but still a lot needs to be done by the government. We should not forget that historically India’s Achilles heel has been the implementation part or the actual deliverance of service and various schemes to people it is actually targeted at. So let’s hope that this time around we will see a change from the earlier times and that the past mistakes will not be repeated and we will see a more resurgent and confident India where the principles of equality prevails. May god bless India!!!!!!!!
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