Vulnerable Internal Migrants in India and Portability of Social Security and Entitlements

According to the 2011 Census, India has 450 million internal migrants. However, this figure underrepresents poorer seasonal and circular migrants, especially in the informal sector, due to methodological limitations. 

Migrants lose subsidized food access at destination locations due to state-specific ration cards. Only nine states had implemented “One Nation One Ration Card” by January 2019. 

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) system links migrants to a single address, excluding multi-locational workers. Further, registration issues while accessing UIDAI and non-acceptance of aadhaar as valid and sufficient documentation reinforce exclusion. 

Migrant workers lack access to public healthcare facilities due to their free access often being restricted to local residents. Ayushman Bharat, the public funded insurance scheme does not give clarity on portability. The paper adds that relevant authorities should organise regular mobile clinics and health camps in, or in proximity, to the labour camps.

Children of migrant workers who are in the school-going age are often either out of school (these children may never have enrolled, or may have enrolled and dropped out) or nominally enrolled. Those nominally enrolled also eventually drop out of schools because they often move with their migrating parents. Site schools, seasonal hostels which are set up at migrants’ origin location and provide staying facilities, bridge courses remain under-implemented despite government guidelines under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

Urban policy regimes relegate migrants to informal makeshift settlements. Schemes for EWS houses are often done on the basis of BPL cards. Inter-state migrants who may have BPL cards issued in their State of origin are often not considered for these schemes. The papers suggests that government policies should lower the barriers to housing for migrants, while also increasing the focus on rental and temporary housing.

The Code on Social Security bill, which was introduced by the Ministry of Labour and Employment in December 2020, fails to ensure portability for migrant workers, compartmentalizes organized/unorganized workers and ignores inter-state mobility, the paper notes. 

The author recommends that social protection programs should be designed with principles of universality and portability in mind. This includes all central and centrally-sponsored schemes support mobility and portability. Governments should provide policy direction and financing to incentivize states to offer social protection to migrants. This could involve IT-based national data networks to track entitlements levels across states. The paper underscores the need for consensus between states on the basic principles of portability of social protection entitlements to migrant workers.

Focus and Factoids by Aravind M.