Throughout human history, migration has been a courageous expression of the individual’s will to overcome adversity and to live a better life. Today, globalisation, together with advances in communications and transportation, has greatly increased the number of people who have the desire and the capacity to move to other places. Because of this, migration draws increasing attention in the world nowadays.
To recognise the efforts, contributions and rights of migrants, the United Nations’ International Migrants Day is observed on December 18. The day is celebrated to identify and curb all kinds of violence and abuse faced by the migrants and their family members and advocate respect for their primary human rights.
According to the 2011 Census of India, about 61.8 per cent of the working populations are engaged in agricultural activities. However, the country suffers from major issues of inter-State migration. Migration has been considered as an endemic problem of Odisha for a long time. The State suffers from distress migration, mostly from south west regions, including KBK districts. According to the 2011 Census of India, Odisha has got a working population of 17,541,589, among them 61 per cent are main workers and rest are marginal workers. The level of urbanisation increased from 27.86 per cent to 31.16 per cent in the Census 2001-2011, while the proportion of rural population declined from 72.19 per cent to 68.84 per cent. It had a rural unemployment rate of 8.7 per cent and an urban unemployment rate 5.8 per cent as per the 68th National Sample Survey (2011-2012).
The prevalence of small farmers having small sized land holdings and seasonal unemployment in Odisha forced the people to search for alternate sources of livelihood. Besides, migration is an outcome due to the repeated disasters that strike Odisha at regular intervals. Cyclones, floods, droughts and famines hit the State at different times in different regions. Due to this, thousands of people from Odisha leave their native village in search of food and employment. They work in brick kilns in the neighbouring State of Andhra Pradesh and other States besides construction sites of the other cities. Thousands of Odia people visit Surat every year in search of work. Today there is also mass migration of villages where the whole family migrates in search of job.
Economic reason is the main motive behind most of the migrations. Migration will become more urban-oriented, but increasingly this will happen within expanding regional urban system. The relationship between rural-urban migration and development is conclusive and very complex. The process of migration is related to the concept of development. Even though the migration cannot be entirely stopped but due focus must be made for the holistic development of the migrants.
The inclusive growth policy can do more to address the problems of exploitation and exclusion of migrants. Migrants can be directly supported by providing skills training, and information about jobs and risks of migration. The trend of migration should be thoroughly checked to avoid various socio-economic hazards. Both the State and Central Governments have to adopt thorough statistical measures to represent realistic assessment. The State Government should focus on agriculture and food safety programmes in order to avoid migration in such areas. The Food Security Act, the Public Distribution System and all other information and awareness systems must be facilitated to bring overall improvement of these regions.
Areas with urban centres, administrative headquarters like Bhubaneswar, and business sectors attract the migrants from backward areas where employment opportunities are very less. Migrant labourers of Bhubaneswar are the construction workers, shop man, rickshaw pullers and daily workers. Some are also engaged as street vendors, hawkers, domestic jobs like house and utensil cleaning etc. The migrant labourers of Bhubaneswar generally settle in the Bastis of various slum pockets of the city. Some of them are attached to some labour contractors who engage them in jobs of relatively long term nature. Many of them reside in kutcha houses in Basti and some have no house in Basti also. They sleep on the verandahs of the shops and markets in night. lack of employment in the surrounding rural pockets is the main reason for their migration to the capital city. In the town, they get better wage compared to their villages. Some of them are seasonal migrants. Whenever agricultural works start they go back to their villages and during the off - season, they come to the city in search of work.
Bhubaneswar is one of the fast growing cities in India which has lost its earlier planned status due to massive growth of migrant population and increased informal sector activities in the recent years. During the initial planning stage, construction workers, people engaged in service sector were not envisaged as a permanent sector of the city’s growing population. In fact, cities grow in different ways, which can be difficult to distinguish. It may be through migration or the natural growth of the city’s population. Migration to cities significantly contributes to urbanisation. Therefore, the city should plan for the migrants.
Unplanned migration can be a serious problem for the city. Migrant population should be included in the city planning process. If well planned, migration can enhance dynamism of cities making them healthier, more profitable and more interesting places to live.
(Dr Praharaj teaches in Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar)