Interstate Migrant Workers in Kerala: An Assessment of Welfare Measures in the State of Kerala

Abstract

In recent years, Kerala has witnessed a large-scale inflow of migrant labourers from different parts of the country. They are mainly from West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Higher wages for unskilled labour in the state, enormous opportunities for employment, and a shortage of local labour resulted in the massive influx of migrant labour. Kerala state has been a front runner among India's states in initiating social security schemes for different vulnerable sections of society. Moreover, the state of Kerala ranked top in the IMPEX Ranking, 2019. IMPEX ranking was developed by the Mumbai-based research non-profit India Migration Now (IMN). It sought to measure the integration of the interstate migrants and compare all the states of India based on their migrant integration policies and migrant-friendly policy regime, but they are still under the purview of vulnerable groups. Better education standards as Kerala's labour force are moving out of the country for better employment opportunities; the in-migrant labourers are an inevitable part of our economy today. The contribution of migrant workers to the economy is enormous but remains down in return for their security and well-being. The Kerala government proactively supported the migrant labourers during the Covid-19 pandemic-related lockdown. It provided transport for the migrant workers, gave food through the community kitchen, and provided access to shelter. Even though the programme has its drawbacks and limitations, this paper makes an attempt to analyse the effectiveness of welfare measures and problems faced by migrant labourers in general and during the pandemic.