2. Usually rural to urban / urban to urban migration is very common in India. But during Covid-19 reverse migration (from other countries to their own country / urban areas to their native village) was seen in India. What may be the reasons for this?
Answers
Answer:
Maybe it's to get farther away from people and people are going to their native villages because their family is there.
Explanation:
Answer:
In order to understand COVID-19-induced migration, it is important to understand the specifics of rural-urban migration. Circular migration forms a majority of rural-urban migration and involves the independent male members of rural households migrating to urban areas while maintaining close links with their villages and towns of origin. They send remittances home and often spend a few months, especially during the harvest season, at their native places.
There are various studies that have analysed the reasons for rural-urban migration, one by Kunal Keshir and R.B. Bhagat stated that people migrate due to poverty, inequality (in access to land), and discrimination, along with the mirage of city life consisting of better resources such as livelihood opportunities, education, housing and health facilities.
In a study on internal migrants in Delhi, Harsh Mander and Gayatri Sahgal find evidence of ‘distress migration,’ i.e. migration that takes place due to extreme impoverishment which leaves the individual or family no choice except to migrate in search of livelihood opportunities.
Also Read: How Much Do We Really Know About the Migrants Who Shuttle Between Bharat and India?
It has been established in studies that rural to urban migration brings about significant social and economic costs in urban areas such as higher unemployment rate, increased environmental costs, strained resources, and unacceptable living conditions. In addition, the movement of able-bodied, young, and perhaps better-educated people from rural areas to urban centres leads to an imbalance in human resources needed for rural development. This imbalanced development between rural and urban areas results in the former often being deprived of resources such as funds and lack of incentives from the government and private actors to develop infrastructure.
However, the same has been deemed misleading in a report by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the International Organisation on Migration (IOM). The report states that it is poor urban infrastructure and planning that causes shortages in urban-dwelling, congestion, crowding, and a declining standard of living in urban areas. When urban governance and policy responds to migration and migrants in a hostile manner, it leads to migrants being pushed to low-income, informal residences and such policies result in stigma and prejudice surrounding slums, slum dwellers, and migrants especially in a city like Mumbai.
Advocates of reverse migration often argue that if policymakers aim to improve urban areas, it is pertinent that they focus on improving rural infrastructure to decongest cities. Using the official data from the Ministry of Rural Development, a study found that there was an improvement in the wages and number of days of work offered under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS) during the COVID-19 lockdown in Rajasthan. The scheme also witnessed a rise in demand for work in May and June. There were up to 24.2 million rural households that demanded work in August 2020, which is a 66% increase from August 2019. This has been the highest level of demand for MGNREGS since 2013-14, resulting in many districts exceeding their annual MGNREGS job creation