It has been clearly visible that in many states of the country, the migrant labours are flowing to urban pockets in search of employment. While the spread of the virus has stabilised in large cities, unexpected lockdowns in rural pockets to control the pandemic have affected their travel to cities. Migrant workers were hoping that they would find jobs closer home but that has not materialised.

In the meantime, remittances from labour hubs like Madurai, Surat, Jaipur, Faridabad, Jamshedpur, and Lucknow have seen a surge, with flows nearly back to levels seen before the pandemic. That is likely reflective of a return to normality in several geographies with significant economic impact. This is an indicator of revival in the migrant economy, which means the labour crisis that peaked during April and May is slowly easing.

In Odisha, especially in Ganjam district migrant workers returning to their workplaces due to lack of livelihood options, though the district administration has tightened rules to check the trend. Following a directive from the administration, officials in various blocks of the district are keeping a strict watch on buses that are being used to transport migrant workers back to their workplaces. As per the new norms, migrant workers now need permission from authorities at their workplace and the local administration for return.

After the lockdown, over four lakh migrant workers had returned to their native places in Ganjam from different States. However, many workers have started returning to their places of work in the absence of employment opportunities.

Surprisingly, though the administration has sealed all entry points to the district due to the spike in Covid-19 cases, hundreds of migrants have managed to leave for Surat and Chennai in buses. The returnees are supposed to register themselves in the labour office and apply for their return. But no such applications have been received so far.

It is well known fact that, most of the skilled migrant workers used to earn around Rs 1,000 per day by working in spinning mills and tile factories. In Ganjam, the work available hardly fetches them Rs 200 in a day.  Owing to which despite restrictions by the administration, some migrant workers are leaving for their workplaces clandestinely. Even, the workers now trying to reach Bhubaneswar from where they are taking trains to reach their work place.