For tangible economic progress, we need to emphasise development and wellbeing of the urban poor who migrate to cities in anticipation of a better life and livelihood. After the pandemic, a lot of the migrants who had then returned to their native places in rural areas have gone back to the cities in search of jobs.
Mechanisation has resulted in an increased displacement of people dependent on farms and the number of migrants in search of livelihoods is just going up. And with further urbanisation, half of the country’s population might turn out to be migrants.
Pandemic-driven job and income losses have forced many to withdraw their children from private schools and to go back to villages. Not only this, the cost of living including for essential commodities and healthcare facilities has also gone up. Under such circumstances, to make the lives of the urban poor better in the short to medium term, we need to focus on eight important aspects.
First, the access to public services for the migrants needs to be improved. Almost half of the urban population has access to cheap food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), but a lot remains to be done in this segment. There is no denying that with the portability of names and cards, there has been an enhanced access to grains. But if identity markers could be established based on the NFSA list, the number of deprived households could be reduced significantly; and this can be achieved through participatory identification of eligible households by community-based programmes.
Second, after identification of deprived households, they could be easily targeted through special campaigns and their access to social welfare schemes could be ensured. And it could be about a large range of schemes right from employment schemes, healthcare programmes like Ayushman Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, LPG connection, bank accounts, life and accident insurance, electricity, sanitation, drinking water, EPFO and ESI facilities, etc.
Third, there are nearly 70 lakh women in seven lakh Self-Help Groups under the National Urban Livelihood Mission, which means coverage of deprived households by the SHGs could be attempted.
Fourth, given the large number of migrants moving to cities, we could have Central Government-run urban migration monitoring centres wherein the migrants could be given necessary support in getting employment and housing and their movements could be effectively monitored and they could be protected from exploitation and harassment. And through these centres, skill development of interested migrants could be undertaken and apprenticeship could also be provided.
Fifth, we need to take sufficient steps for making the economic activities in the census towns and rural growth clusters identified by the Ministry of Rural Development as part of the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission more robust. As of now, a lot of progress has been made as regards infrastructure and livelihoods in 300 clusters across the country. There are farm and non-farm clusters, tourism clusters, etc. The emergence of the clusters has paved a new way for economic revival of the migrants and urban poor who can return back to their native places with more meaning to life and livelihood.
Sixth, the Atmanirbhar Health Infrastructure Yojana that prioritises strengthening of urban health centres and the creation of frontline health teams can be further augmented; and along with this, expansion of health facilities and improvement of schools and Anganwadis will be helpful in providing a better life to the urban poor.
Seventh, besides adequate steps should be taken for enforcing minimum wages. It is deplorable that lower-than-the-minimum wages are very often disbursed by the labour contractors which they deceitfully hide from being reflected in the records.
Eighth, it is time to draw elaborate plans for housing and welfare of the working classes. It will not only breakdown the caste and class hierarchies in the urban areas mostly due to the differences in the standard of living among the various urban working classes but also ensure dignity and equality among them which shall go a long way in ensuring a content workforce busy in nation building.
(The writer is an Addl. Central Government Standing Counsel, Central Administrative Tribunal, Cuttack and a Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Law and Media Studies, KIIT University. Views are personal)