How Jharkhand is Resolving the Migrant Crisis: An Analysis of the State’s Safe and Responsible Migration Initiative and its First Migrant Survey
By Deepanshu Bhat
On December 16th 2021, the state of Jharkhand launched the Safe and Responsible Migration Initiative (SRMI), a ground-breaking policy initiative to defend the rights of migrant workers and their families. Introduced for a period of 18 months, the policy aims to institutionalize the registration of migrant workers in the state and develop technology to assist authorities in tracking and examining their source and destination neighbourhoods.
Further, under SRMI, the Jharkhand government is conducting the state’s first ever Migrant Survey to fill data gaps on the scale and extent of migrant numbers. The main goal is to create a database of migrant workers to guide the government’s policy-making efforts and welfare delivery system. The survey is expected to be completed by the end of February 2023.
Migrant Crisis During the Pandemic
With nearly 27% tribal population, Jharkhand has the most significant percentage of migratory outflows in the country (approx. 5 million as per the Economic Survey, 2017). The state of West Bengal, and the city of Surat incorporates a chunk of migrant workers from Jharkhand. Other cities that also receive a significant number of migrant workers from Jharkhand include Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Pune (2011 Census).
But the pandemic reversed migration patterns in the state, causing its socio-economic system to be suddenly overwhelmed. Between March 2020 and October 2020, almost 10 lakh migrant workers returned to Jharkhand. Among all districts, Girdidh recorded the highest numbers of returnee migrants at 1.58 lakhs followed by Palamu (1,09,438 employees), Garhwa (78,539), Hazaribagh (78,414), Godda (69,752), and Koderma (42,932). The absence of comprehensive social security in the state drove these migrants into unemployment, poverty, and a lack of access to public utility services. At the same time, many of these employees experienced illness and harassment during migration.
Need for Safe and Responsible Migration Initiative (SRMI)
In light of this, the dearth of information on migrant labour in Jharkhand emerged as a significant problem for timely delivery of welfare services during Covid-19. Thus, the Jharkhand government launched its “Safe and Responsible Migration Initiative” to facilitate systematic registration and monitoring of migrant workers. Anchored by the Department of Labour, Employment, Training, and Skill Development, Government of Jharkhand, the policy is carried out by the Policy and Development Advisory Group (PDAG). This includes the Indian School of Business’s Bharti Institute of Public Policy (BIPP), Partnering Hope into Action Foundation (PHIA), and Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID) (ISB).
Role of Consortium Partners:
PDAG will produce the Jharkhand Migration Report, state advisory work, and migration survey.
PHIA would pilot Safe & Responsible Migration Centres in high-burden areas and provide capacity-building and operational support.
CMID will be in charge of establishing and putting the SRMC into action with the target state, and improving collaboration with local stakeholders, including government officials.
ISB will provide technological skills, research and knowledge outputs for the migration survey and White Paper.
Based on inputs from the state’s migration control room, migrant labourers from Gumla, West Singhbhum and Dumka districts were selected for the SRMI pilot project. As next steps, migrant workers all over the state are being enumerated so that the state government can provide them timely assistance during a disaster. The program requires all state districts to establish migration centers and develop a corpus fund for migrant workers who may pass away in other states or countries. The state government will cover the costs of transporting the deceased employee’s body from his place of employment to his hometown. Currently, a database of migrant labourers who have found jobs in the states of Delhi, Kerala, and Leh-Ladakh is being put together. Additionally, prioritizing migrant workers’ rights in terms of socioeconomic justice, establishing the e-shram platform for their registrations, and creating a framework for cooperation with all other states is being worked on.
Goals for Safe and Responsible Migration Initiative are to:
Create a framework for evidence-based migration policy and consider the specific socio-economic variables affecting Jharkhand migration patterns.
To improve last-mile service delivery to migrant workers and their families through creative, iterative digital and offline methods.
Establish an effective structure for interstate cooperation so that migrant employees may receive social welfare benefits and rights.
Jharkhand’s First Migrant Survey
The Jharkhand Migrant Survey (JMS) is a crucial exercise under SRMI to design state-level policy, and fill in data gaps on the scale and extent of migrant workers in the state. The main goal is to create a database of migrant workers that can inform the government’s policy-making and welfare delivery systems. Beginning in January, 2023, the survey is based on population statistics from the 2011 census. 60 enumerators are dispersed throughout 400 locations covering all 24 districts of the state to gather information from approximately 11,000 households for the Survey. This will help identify leading industries in which employees are engaged, pinpoint social security benefits received by their families, and map the many health risks they encounter.
The questions are separated into numerous categories based on their nature and type, including household characteristics, knowledge of arriving and departing migrants, push and pull factors, respondents’ quality of life, use of remittance funds, engagement of women at home, and their thoughts on the type of employment being sought.
The primary objective of this survey is to compile a database of migrant workers that will aid in formulating government welfare policies. As a result, the state government will be better prepared to conceive and implement livelihood initiatives for migrants. The questionnaire will also feature a specific section to comprehend migratory women’s socio-economic circumstances and employment choices. To better help women migrants, the policy will consider their unique requirements.
As mentioned earlier, tribal tribes make up approximately 27% of the population of Jharkhand, according to government statistics. For generations, these communities have had limited access to opportunity and education, which has caused a high rate of out migration among those of working age. The survey will also include indigenous communities, and will take note of their issues to enhance the effectiveness of social service delivery to them. The government will also collect information about forests, land ownership and use of these communities to create regulations for protecting forests from exploitation on the one hand and benefit those who rely on them on the other hand.
Way Forward: Key Lessons from Jharkhand’s Migration Initiative
Jharkhand is now one of the few states that conducts its own migrant survey. Kerala has been a pioneer in this field, followed by states like Tamil Nadu and Punjab who have adopted their own surveys. But the labour movement in Kerala and Jharkhand is fundamentally different from one another. While most workers in Kerala move outside the country, primarily to the Gulf states, the problem in Jharkhand is internal: migration within india. The Jharkhand Migrant Survey is yet to be officially produced in the public domain, so the comparison with other states like Kerala will only be fair post its release.
But the point I’m making is that Jharkhand’s migrant survey has been designed more comprehensively, incorporating multiple stakeholders that include research centers and state agencies to understand the needs of migrant workers better. For instance, the survey includes questions on the availability of social welfare schemes, access to essential services, and the impact of the pandemic on migrants’ mental and physical health. The survey focuses on the aforementioned indigenous tribal group and women’s migration. The survey also intends to gather information on the factors that led migrant workers to leave the state and return before the epidemic.
If Jharkhand’s migrant survey succeeds (and I’m hopeful it will), it will be critical for policy makers to study the case of Jharkhand; and other states which are yet to formulate policies addressing the migrant crisis could learn several lessons from it. Firstly, other states could understand the importance of gathering comprehensive data on migrant workers to help design effective policies and programs for their welfare. Secondly, the survey could highlight the importance of involving civil society organizations and community leaders in the data collection to ensure that the survey’s findings accurately represent the migrant population. Lastly, other states could learn from Jharkhand’s initiative to develop a long-term plan for integrating migrant workers into the state’s economy and society.
Deepanshu Bhat is currently interning at India Migration Now.
Editorial Support by Pooja Bhatia.
