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Covid-19 Surge: Will India Witness A Second Exodus Of Migrant Labourers? -Lola Nayar

-Outlook India

If talks of lockdown turn into reality and if it gets implemented for a month or more, then a reverse migration of daily wage labourers can be expected from impacted cities, say experts

Mixed signals from some of the states like Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka among others is giving rise to concern that a repeat of last year’s exodus of migrant labourers during the extended lockdown would once again impact operations in many sectors like manufacturing, retail, logistics, textiles, etc. However, experts, including those working with migrant labourers, say it is too early to fear the worst unless the talks of lockdown gather pace and it is implemented for a month or more.

Though there are reports that migrants in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore are exploring options of returning home to their villages, the numbers are so far not significant, assure experts.

“We have so far not received any report of regular workers/ employees going back to their villages. The uncertainty over an extended lockdown is possibly affecting daily wage workers and casual workers, particularly those facing uncertainty of livelihood and sustenance with no family backup in cities. But we are not seeing any exodus in large numbers,” assures Anil Bhardwaj, Secretary General, Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME).

It is sectors like leather, textiles and garment besides the construction sector that employ large number of workers on daily wages or as casual workers. These are the sectors that could see some exodus of workers if there are no wages to fall back on. Experts stress that memories of last year’s hardship that many of them faced have not faded and so if talks of lockdown turn into reality and it gets extended beyond a couple of weeks, reverse migration from impacted cities could be expected.

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