Putting Migrants First

Context: Given the significant role played by migrants and the problems they face, it is important to prioritize vaccination of migrant workers.

Significance of migrants:

• High contribution to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
  • Almost 90% of Indians work in the informal sector, 75% of whom are migrants,
  • As of 2020, India has approximately 600 million internal migrants.
• Vulnerable circular migrants manage most of the essential services.

Steps taken by the government for the welfare of migrant population: during COVID 19 pandemic

• For ensuring food security: Announced Rs 1.7 lakh crore spending plan and free foodgrains for 80 million migrant workers.
  • One Nation One Ration Card permitted migrant workers to obtain free foodgrain anywhere.
• For enhancing income:
  • Average daily wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) were increased to Rs 202 from the earlier Rs 182.
  • Nearly Rs 1,000 crore from the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund was allocated for the support of migrant workers.

Problems faced by migrants:

• Loss of livelihoods: Millions of migrant workers lost their jobs, forcing them and their families to go hungry, and they were not provided with wages during the lockdown period
  • Second-largest population displacement since Partition: Displaced nearly 200 million migrants.
• They are “vulnerable” and “circular”: Due to their weak position in the job market and seasonal movement between urban workplaces and rural hometowns.
• Poor living conditions: They are often denied adequate healthcare, nutrition, housing as well as sanitation facilities as the majority of them operate informally.
• Inadequacies and lapses in addressing migrant issues: E.g. area-specific ration cards that require registration, inaccessible fair-price stores and lack of awareness about One Nation, One Ration Card scheme.

Conclusion: Failure to prioritize vaccination for migrants will lead to a fall in their developmental indicators like health and education and a major economic crisis with low productivity, increasing unemployment and breakdown of the critical and informal services sector.