India should be concerned about distressed internal migration: Jairam Ramesh
Recent estimates show that internal migration accounts for about 326 mn, or nearly 30% of the total population
New Delhi: Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said India should be concerned about distressed internal migration that later results in practices such as bonded labour and trafficking of women.
“I don’t think we can say that we have abolished bonded labour. While it may be true on paper and we have laws on it, but we haven’t managed to finish it," he said on Thursday at the release of a report on ‘social inclusion of internal migrants in India’.
According to the report, prepared by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), about three out of every 10 Indians are internal migrants. “Internal migration accounts for a large population of 309 million as per census of India 2001, and by more recent estimates, 326 million (NSSO 2007-08), nearly 30% of the total population," it says.
The constraints faced by migrants are many, the report says and adds that the current public discourse does not adequately address issues such as seasonal and circular migration, and gender-specific and child-specific facets of internal migration.
Ramesh said the biggest policy intervention by the government to address internal migration has been the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
The rural jobs scheme, launched in February 2006, aims to enhance the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing 100 days of employment in a financial year to each rural household.
“There is one conclusion that because of MGNREGA, distressed migration from distressed districts in the country has come down," said Ramesh, adding that wage rates had increased.
The rural development minister said that internal remittances are important to some states in the same way that international remittances are important for the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
“10% of Bihar’s gross state domestic product (GSDP) is from internal remittances, while 3-4% of Uttar Pradesh’s GSDP is because of them," he said.
Ramesh said total internal remittances in the country is ₹ 70,000-1,20,000 crore.
Elizabeth Roche in Delhi contributed to this story.
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