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COVID-19, Internal Transitions and Vulnerable Citizens: Narratives of the Migrant Crisis in India during the Pandemic

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  • Niyathi R. Krishna
  • P. Sivakumar
  • Supriya Subramani
  • S. Irudaya Rajan

Abstract

This article illustrates how the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic led to an internal migrant crisis in India, making the country realise the presence of physical borders within itself. Through a narrative analysis of the chronicles of internal migrant workers and the migrant crisis published in print media during the first wave of COVID-19, this article elucidates how internal borders within a country became impermeable, affecting the rights and well-being of vulnerable citizens, who were labelled ‘disease carriers’. The discrimination and othering faced by migrants aggravated during this period, making them more prone to fall through the cracks of the crisis. Although mobility restrictions were important public health tools to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 infections, they undoubtedly exacerbated the pre-existing socio-economic inequities and vulnerabilities. Problematising these aspects of the migrant crisis during the pandemic, this article proposes migration policies and governance through effective public communication, inclusive decisions and human rights as a way forward.

Suggested Citation

  • Niyathi R. Krishna & P. Sivakumar & Supriya Subramani & S. Irudaya Rajan, 2024. "COVID-19, Internal Transitions and Vulnerable Citizens: Narratives of the Migrant Crisis in India during the Pandemic," Review of Development and Change, , vol. 29(1), pages 5-24, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:revdev:v:29:y:2024:i:1:p:5-24
    DOI: 10.1177/09722661241246837
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ravi Srivastava, 2020. "Labour Migration, Vulnerability, and Development Policy: The Pandemic as Inflexion Point?," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 63(4), pages 859-883, December.
    2. S. Irudaya Rajan & P. Sivakumar & Aditya Srinivasan, 2020. "The COVID-19 Pandemic and Internal Labour Migration in India: A ‘Crisis of Mobility’," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 63(4), pages 1021-1039, December.
    3. Grove, Natalie J. & Zwi, Anthony B., 2006. "Our health and theirs: Forced migration, othering, and public health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(8), pages 1931-1942, April.
    4. Deutschmann, Emanuel & Gabrielli, Lorenzo & Recchi, Ettore, 2023. "Roads, rails, and checkpoints: Assessing the permeability of nation-state borders worldwide," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    5. Joshy Jesline & John Romate & Eslavath Rajkumar & Allen Joshua George, 2021. "The plight of migrants during COVID-19 and the impact of circular migration in India: a systematic review," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-12, December.
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