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Bengali Migrant Workers in South India: A Mixed-Method Inquiry into Their Earnings, Livings and Struggle During Covid Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Monalisha Chakraborty

    (Institute of Development Studies Kolkata)

  • Subrata Mukherjee

    (Institute of Development Studies Kolkata)

  • Priyanka Dasgupta

    (Institute of Development Studies Kolkata)

Abstract

This study has tried to compare the earning and non-earning aspects of migrant workers from West Bengal engaged in different types of work in Karnataka and Kerala based on survey of 111 Bengali-speaking migrant workers and a number of in-depth interviews and FGDs. The study has found that most of the migrant workers landed in south India only after working in Kolkata, northern or western Indian cities. Lack of regular employment opportunities and low-wage rate in rural as well as urban West Bengal are the dominant reasons for their migration. Hostile social environment and increasing earning uncertainties in northern and western Indian cities along with higher-wage rate in south India are reasons for the migrant workers shifting to south India. On an average, they earn Rs. 1.7 lakhs annually and are able to send almost two-thirds of their earnings as remittances. Except the rag pickers in Bengaluru, all other migrant workers live without their families at destination locations. The living conditions of the migrant workers, especially the rag pickers, are poor. Continuous inflow of migrant workers from eastern and north-eastern India is now a challenge for the incumbent Bengali migrant workers in south India; however, majority of them are not willing to return to West Bengal in future. The pandemic and successive rounds of lockdown in destination and home states have unsettled their lives. Not only their income has fallen, getting job and movement across different destination locations has become uncertain too. They have now hardly any resource to cope up with this continuing uncertainty.

Suggested Citation

  • Monalisha Chakraborty & Subrata Mukherjee & Priyanka Dasgupta, 2022. "Bengali Migrant Workers in South India: A Mixed-Method Inquiry into Their Earnings, Livings and Struggle During Covid Pandemic," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 65(2), pages 425-443, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ijlaec:v:65:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s41027-022-00374-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s41027-022-00374-w
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Benoy Peter & Shachi Sanghvi & Vishnu Narendran, 2020. "Inclusion of Interstate Migrant Workers in Kerala and Lessons for India," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 63(4), pages 1065-1086, December.
    2. Reimeingam, Marchang, 2016. "Migration from North-Eastern region to Bangalore: Level and trend analysis," Working Papers 371, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bhupesh Gopal Chintamani & Lalitagauri Kulkarni, 2023. "Determinants and Effects of International Remittances: Evidence from Ratnagiri District of Rural Maharashtra," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 66(2), pages 617-637, June.

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