Migration Trends in India post-Covid-19

• 25 Mar 2025

For Prelims: Migration, Smart Cities Mission, e-Shram Portal, Remittance, Donkey Route 

For Mains: Migration trends in India post-COVID-19, Challenges in migration governance and policy implementation 

Source: IE 

Why in News? 

Five years after the Covid-19 pandemic, migration patterns in India have seen significant shifts. While rural-to-urban migration has resumed, international emigration has diversified. 

• Understanding these trends and improving migration governance is crucial to addressing the migrants challenges and maximizing the benefits of migration. 

What are the Key Migration Trends in India post-Covid-19? 

• Urban to Rural Migration: The Covid-19 crisis caused unprecedented urban-to-rural reverse migration, with 44.13 million moving from urban areas to rural regions during the first lockdown and 26.3 million in the second.  
  • Returning migrants, primarily low-skilled workers, faced wage theft, food insecurity, lack of healthcare, discrimination, economic strain, and unemployment as urban jobs disappeared. 
• Rebound of Rural-to-Urban Migration: Rural economies failed to absorb the returning workforce, as inadequate employment (MGNREGA offered only partial relief), low wages, and urban aspirations pushed migrants back to cities.  
  • The Smart Cities Mission (aims to develop 100 cities into modern urban hubs and relies heavily on migrant labour) is encouraging urban migration. 
  • According to the Economic Survey 2023-24, it is expected that by 2030, more than 40% of India's population will reside in urban areas. 
• Climate-Induced Migration: Climate change is influencing aspirational and distress migration, especially from agrarian states like Odisha (FAO-IIMAD report). 
• International Migration Shifts: During Covid-19, Indian emigrants faced job losses, wage cuts, and poor healthcare access, yet remittances remained strong (USD 83.15 billion in 2020), accompanied by growing global demand for Indian healthcare workers 
  • Post-Covid, many Indian migrants shifted from the Gulf to advanced economies (AEs) for better opportunities. 
    • Indians are exploring Europe (via the EU Blue Card programme in 2023 for skilled professionals) and Africa for opportunities in IT, manufacturing. 
    • Canada’s Express Entry and Australia’s immigration policies attracted skilled Indian professionals, offering high-paying jobs and boosting remittances (USD 118.7 billion in 2023-24). 
  • Student migration surged post-pandemic, with Kerala’s student emigrants doubling from 1.29 lakh in 2018 to 2.5 lakh in 2023. 
    • Education-related remittances peaked at USD 3,171 million in 2021, reflecting a rise in international study trends. 

What are India's Challenges in Migration Governance? 

• Inadequate Migration Data Systems: Delayed Census 2021 and outdated migration figures limit policy planning. 
  • The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2020-21 recorded a migration rate of 28.9%, a marginal increase from the 28.5% recorded in 2007-08.  
  • However, this data, collected during the Covid-19 migration flux, fails to reflect long-term trends. 
  • The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) data tends to underestimate the number of emigrants, especially temporary and seasonal migrants. Additionally, illegal migration via 'donkey routes' remains unaccounted for in official records. 
• Weak Implementation of Social Security Schemes: e-Shram Portal (2021) aimed to cover unorganized workers, suffers from low awareness and digital exclusion. 
  • One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) aimed at food security for migrants but  large sections remain uncovered. 
  • The weak implementation of the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979, leaves many workers unregistered and unprotected due to inadequate monitoring and unlicensed contractors.  
  • The new Four Labour Codes introduced in 2020 aim to expand migrant worker protections but face delays in rule framing and enforcement. 
• Limited Portability of Entitlements: Migrants often lose access to state-specific schemes when moving to other regions. Despite ONORC and Ayushman Bharat, inter-state policy harmonization remains weak. 
• Neglect of Vulnerable Groups: Women and children are often overlooked in migration policies.  
  • Women face risks like trafficking and exploitation, while migrant children suffer from disrupted education, poor healthcare, which increases their chances of being marginalized and mistreated. 
• Weak Protection for Low-Skilled Migrants: Gulf nationalization policies (Nitaqat, Emiratization) reduce job opportunities, while low-skilled migrants face poor working conditions and wage theft. 
  • There are gaps in providing adequate skilling and pre-departure orientation for emigrants, which affects their preparedness and safety abroad. 
• Limited Role of Local Governance: Panchayats often lack the mandate, resources, and capacity to support migrant populations. 
• Climate-Induced Migration Overlooked: Migration due to climate stress (e.g., floods, droughts, sea-level rise) is not recognized in disaster or climate adaptation policies. 
  • This leads to policy neglect for communities undergoing distress-induced mobility. 
• Stigma and Discrimination: Migrants often face xenophobia, cultural alienation, and lack of social inclusion, especially in destination cities. 

How can India Strengthen its Migration Governance? 

• National Migration Data Models: Kerala Migration Surveys provide robust data, shaping better policies. States like Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Punjab are replicating this model.  
  • A national-level adoption could standardize and enhance migration governance. 
• National Migration Policy: Expedite NITI Aayog’s draft National Policy on Migrant Workers, which focuses on their overall development.  
  • Consider formulating a unified framework addressing both internal and international migration, ensuring inter-ministerial coordination (Labour, MEA, Urban Affairs) with rights-based and gender-sensitive provisions. 
• Enhance International Migration Frameworks: Expand labour mobility agreements with emerging destinations in the European Union (EU), and Africa. 
  • The India Centre for Migration (research think-tank to MEA) can help to strengthen Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT) and skill-building programs, aligning them with destination-specific demands. 
• Improve Social Security Access and Portability: Implement the Code on Social Security, 2020 effectively to ensure coverage of all unorganised and migrant workers, including inter-state portability of benefits. 
  • Ensure portability of entitlements (ration, health insurance, pensions) across states via digital platforms. 
  • Establish one-stop migrant facilitation centres in urban clusters for enrolment, legal aid, and grievance redressal.

What is Migration? 

Click here to Read: Migration 

Drishti Mains Question: 

Discuss the major challenges in India's migration governance post-COVID-19 and suggest policy measures for improvement. 

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs) 

Q. What are the main socio-economic implications arising out of the development of IT industries in major cities of India? (2021)

Q. Discuss the changes in the trends of labour migration within and outside India in the last four decades. (2015)Q. Discuss the changes in the trends of labour migration within and outside India in the last four decades. (2015)