ABSTRACT
Labour migration from cities and towns in India back to villages happened twice – the first during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the second in 2021 when the second wave of the pandemic hit India. The recurrence of both COVID-19 and migration forces one to ask whether any lessons were learnt from the tragedy of 2020. The first lockdown of 68 days, from March 24, 2020, to May 1, 2020, saw an exodus of around 1.14 crore migrant workers who left jobs in cities and went back home with their families and sparse belongings. In 2021 when the second wave of COVID-19 hit India, there was no nationwide lockdown. Instead, lockdowns were partial, decentralised, and declared in telescoping stages by state governments.
