Breaking Borders
Written on 7th June, 2019 for Millennial Impact India
Breaking the misconceptions about Migration in the context of Rural and Urban mobility in India
‘The 21st Century is the century of human mobility and migration. We can no longer think about our economies, societies or cultures without thinking about human mobility. According to all the available information, this human mobility is expected to increase and nearly double in the near future’-Ms Laura Thompson, Deputy Director General, International Organization for Migration (1)
According to the IOM(2), migration is ‘The movement of a person or a group of persons, either across an international border, or within a State. It is a population movement, encompassing any kind of movement of people, whatever its length, composition and causes.’ It is a colossal process that has been happening in all directions for thousands of years. This is an umbrella term often used interchangeably with ‘Refugee’, who changes his or her country of residence irrespective of legal status. They have been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so. War and ethnic, tribal and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries. This is also different from the term ‘Immigrant’ who shifts to different country for the purpose of settlement. In recent times, biased political statements and a one dimensional commentary in mainstream media have narrowed our vision and reduced our sensitivity on this topic. With a worrying rise in discrimination, xenophobia, exclusion and human rights violations of migrants in the world, there has developed an urgent need for a balanced and evidence-based dialogue. By only viewing them, a prominent form of globalization, as a statistical ‘burden’, we fail to see migrants as agents for empowering economic growth, enabling innovation and most importantly, fellow human beings.
According to the State of World Population report(3), more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and the number is steadily growing every year. India, where the majority of the population is still dependent on agriculture is no exception. As per the census, the level of urbanization in India has increased from 27.81% in 2001 to 31.16% in 2011. One of the main drivers of migration is a search of an improved livelihood. While migrants to the city used to come mainly from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, now, people are streaming in from Odisha, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The textile and diamond industries alone have attracted over 600,000 migrants from just one state, Odisha. There is a great difference of income between the Rural and Urban sector in India. Citing examples, the report said Bihar, with one of the highest outflows of domestic migrants, has a per capita income around ₹36,130. On the other hand, Kerala, a destination for in-migrants, has a per-capita income four times that of Bihar’s; around ₹1,63,266(4).
There are many benefits to Rural-Urban mobility. They create an ethnically diverse and work-efficient environment(5). The most common misconception is that immigrants ‘steal’ jobs leading to high rates of unemployment. In reality, states and countries where unemployment is higher have lower immigration rates. This could be, amongst other reasons, to the fact that migrants move to places where they are more likely to find jobs, away from areas where they would have to struggle more. They take up the low skilled jobs that are undesirable to the natives, which in turns allows natives to take up higher-skilled and more remunerative employment. Like most complex issues, this poverty-induced rapid urbanization flow does not come without challenges. More than a half of the urban labour force in India, work in the informal sector of petty sales and services, construction, manufacturing, health care, hotel, textile and domestic work. Villagers are recruited from their hometowns through an elaborate network of contractors who take advantage of a loose monitoring and regulating state apparatus in an unorganized and chaotic migrant market. They enter this system at an early age, and due to the lack of education, monetary backing, experience or upward mobility, remain stuck in hazardous and subjugating jobs. They face a spectrum of issues such as non-payment of wages, physical abuse, and undocumented accidents. Provided the undeniable positive impact that is shouldered by them, the only solution for the world’s fifth largest economy to reach its optimal potential is to first acknowledge the existence of this ‘poor and marginalized' class and start including and addressing their issues at the ground level.
On the other side of the coin, there are the highly skilled migrants, often coming under the term of ‘Expatriate’. It is a heavily loaded word that carries connotations about class, privilege, education and salary, hence a lot of people choose to not associate themselves this label. They fuel innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth which in turn raises incomes, living standards and provides opportunity. For example, companies such as Google, Intel, PayPal, eBay and Yahoo! have all been co-founded by migrants. These companies were responsible for generating more than 52 billion dollars’ worth of sales and creating almost half a million jobs as of 2005. Such contributions have only increased in the past decade. In the fourth Industrial Revolution, technology has proven to be both a disruptor and a creator of employment in India, the down side being the ‘Brain Drain’(6); where trained and talented professionals emigrate from the country of origin to a developed country, resulting in a depletion of skills resources; dominantly in the fields of of information technology, software engineering and health care. As there is a growing disparity in the working conditions between richer and poorer countries, this movement is seen as the ‘Journey of Hope’ (7) - in search for a better standard of living and quality of life, higher salaries, access to advanced technology and more stable political conditions. In order to develop and sustain our human capital, we need to promote a holistic education system as opposed to a single stream theoretical learning and create an inclusive environment for all economic classes to thrive in.
In conclusion, migration is always a cause for celebration, not concern. If well organized, it can fuel a multicultural environment that generates tolerance, creativity and hybridity. Often, cracks in the system are widened and exploited by politicians and self-serving individuals. By creating awareness and demanding for a fact based policies and legislative framework, it will enable a smooth transition and integration of migrants into society, across borders worldwide.
Footnotes
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1 https://www.iom.int/speeches-and-talks/world-move-benefits-migration,
published September 25 2014 - 01:39, last accessed June 7 2019
2 https://www.iom.int/key-migration-terms, last accessed June 7 2019
3 www.unfpa.org/press/unfpa-state-world-population-2016,
published 20 October 2016, last accessed June 7 2019
4 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/10/india-has-139-million-internal-migrants-we-must-not-forget-them/, published 1st October 2017, last accessed 28 May 2019
5 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/why-we-shouldn-t-fear-mass-migration, published 14 January 2016, last accessed May 28 2019
6 https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/lifestyle/brain-drain-becoming-cause-concern-india, published November 2018, last accessed June 7 2019
7 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1275994/,
Sunita Dodani, Ronald E LaPorte, J R Soc Med. 2005 Nov; 98(11): 487–491, last accessed June 7 2019
Rebalancing India's Economy
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Written on 23rd April, 2019 for Millennial Impact India
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As history dictates, women, globally, have faced an uphill battle on an uneven playing field to earn the right to be treated as an equal citizen, legally and socially. While the feminist movement has made great strides, a struggle is still prevalent today. In 2019, the hindrance for women to thrive in the workplace is certainly not the lack of qualification or ability. Everyday sexism, lack of transparency, gender wage gap and sexual harassment is the tip of the ice berg.
It was Melinda Gates who said, 'When we invest in women, we invest in the people who invest in everyone else.' In order for India's economy to progress, we need to create an empowering environment that promotes women, at all levels, to reshape the conversation, change the dynamic and make sure that their voices are heard.
In a deeply patriarchal society, one may ask the question, 'Why is there a need for equal female representation in the workplace?'
The answer lies in the statistics. The current female population in India is 48.4%. From this, the labor force participation rate for Indian women is a meagre 28.5%. This means that there are 235 million missing workers. An unbalanced ratio that certainly puts India (the second largest economy in the world) at a developmental disadvantage.
We have made humble progress in closing the gender gap in the last decade, rising from the rank of 98th to 87th in the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Report, which aggregates a range of indicators from health and education to economic and political participation. If we were to rebalance and equalize our workforce, the IMF estimates, that India would be 27% richer, effectively turning into a developed nation. This unrealized contribution of women is one unfortunate reason why 60% of India is still in poverty.
The Working Woman
The Oxford Dictionary defines success as 'the accomplishment of an aim or purpose'. 'Who' and 'What' defines the yardstick to measure success in the workplace is open to interpretation. Is it the amount of zeroes in a salary, the field of authority is one’s possession, the capacity to balance a personal and professional life?
While each employee/employer may hold a different position and have unique experiences in the World of Finance, there is a shared link. The appreciation for being accountable for the decisions made by them i.e. the ambition and monetary independence earned through the role of a working woman.
Work-Life Balance
'A routine work day makes me feel that 24 hours is not adequate'. We have all heard the saying, 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy (or Jill a dull girl)'. Maintaining a work-life balance is essential for productivity, holistic living and mental health. For women employed in typically male dominated industries, finding this balance can be an idealistic fantasy. Extended office hours, pressure to work harder than male counter parts for equal recognition and the challenge against remaining in a subordinate position to prioritize household responsibilities can be the dominant deterrents.
Parental Responsibility
Employers are required to provide 26 weeks of paid maternity leave. There is no obligation to provide paternity leave. This creates the stigma of a 'motherhood penalty' for working women. Along with this, Indian mothers are expected to shoulder the burden of domestic duties. By creating flexible work hours, childcare benefits, on-site day care facilities to be utilized by both parents would promote equality, reduce stress, and promote an efficient employment approach and lifestyle. This also enables an inclusive and women-friendly work environment.
The Concern for Safety in the Workplace
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act was enacted in 2013 by the Indian Government. It covers all women, irrespective of their age or employment status and protects them against sexual harassment at all workplaces both in public and private sector, whether organized or unorganized. At the time of employment, women should be made aware of their rights and how to apply them. A secure human resources department, having transparent procedures in place and a 'prevention is better than the cure' mentality already fixes a lot of problems.
The Small Steps that have been taken towards Change
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The Ministry of Women and Child Development has invested over ₹300 crores in the past 15 years to to empower rural women. The initiatives (Support Training Employment Program, Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, National Mission for Empowerment of Women) have supported 45 million underprivileged women gain access to skills, markets and business development services. As a result, they have experienced greater food security, better access to finance, and higher incomes that benefit themselves and their families.
Last year, Prime minister, Narendra Modi launched the Amma Scooter Scheme - the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government’s flagship programme – in Chennai. In this initiative, the state government offers a Rs 25,000 subsidy for women to buy two-wheelers for an easy and safe commute to work.
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