ABSTRACT
Millions move within India, either temporarily or permanently, to seek livelihoods pushed in many instances due to burgeoning debts and fallow lands. In a rapidly urbanizing country like India, rural-to-urban migration is the fastest type of migration as migrants choose to work in non-agriculture related occupations where wages are much higher. Both de Haan (1999) and Skeldon (2002) highlight that migration plays a positive role in improving livelihoods and reducing poverty. Deshingkar (2006) further argues that internal migration in Asia has a greater role to play in poverty reduction as migration is seen as an economic survival strategy for the poor. This chapter examines the connections between population mobility and livelihoods. It argues that internal migration is a livelihood strategy to overcome poverty for migrants who move between Karnataka and Goa.
