Migrant workers continue to suffer despite the existence of many welfare schemes

Governments at the Central and State level have introduced several welfare schemes backed by law that entitle the poor and the marginalized access to various forms of social security. However, as was recently evidenced by the suffering that various poor/migrant urban dwellers had to endure during Covid19, migrants find themselves excluded from these schemes and entitlements. Possible reasons include poor policy design without keeping in mind the realities of lives of migrants in the urban workforce and poor on-ground implementation.

Many people migrate from rural areas to seek work and escape poverty, but often lose their entitlements in their home state. Despite numerous government schemes for the marginalized and the poor, effective implementation is lacking, irrespective of the ruling party. 

Migrants bear the brunt of these challenges. However, life in the cities proves to be difficult for these workers as they often accept inadequate wages, face exclusion from government schemes due to lack of required documentation and become vulnerable to various forms of exploitation. While some CSOs work to improve access to social security schemes, their efforts are limited to specific worker groups.