With the unexpected COVID 19 pandemic, both economic and emotional factors had prompted migrants to return villages where their families live. But in the immediate future, the hunger and hopelessness were again pushing them back to the cities in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.

Hunger Driven Migrants Back to City

During the coronavirus lockdown, hunger forced many migrant workers from their dream cities to languorous villages, which now pushing them thousands of miles away with vibrant life and activity.

Many employers who had abandoned them are sending train and flight tickets to bring them back. As with the return of migrants factories get back their life, construction activity picks up, and the seed season would start. Express trains run to locations like Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Secundrabad and Bengaluru, from where these workers hurried back to the city.

Several companies in the manufacturing, industrial goods and real estate sector have even chartered aircraft to bring back their skilled and semi-skilled employees. The migrants returning to cities would suggest that economic activity may return to normal in India sooner. 

Among the reasons many labourers were returning to work is the fact that the majority of poor households have low savings. Upon returning to their homes, in a couple of days, the savings have run out. The professional jobs or companies in cities, where these employees are working for several years, produce much higher wages than those in the villages. Fear of the loss of employment would also motivate many to return, particularly for those who have worked in a certain organization for many years.

Although not all migrants can come back, they can be a significant number. The advantage is that the economy will return to normal much faster than expected. Employers can get employees and start companies. With the months of lockdown, many businesses and construction sectors have faced not only cash and demand constraints but also a labour shortage. This challenge will be solved as migrants come back.

However, with the migrants returning to the city would pave the way for reforming economic activity and revive the real estate sector.

By: Shailaja K