ABSTRACT
Internal migration is a defining feature of India’s socio-economic landscape, intricately tied to rural distress, climate variability, and uneven economic growth. This chapter examines the scale, nature, and consequences of labour migration, with a focus on the health and well-being of migrant workers and their families. It highlights how migration, while offering economic respite, simultaneously exposes workers to systemic vulnerabilities rooted in nutritional insecurity, hazardous occupational conditions, substandard housing, and gendered marginalisation. Drawing on grassroot experiences and empirical research, the chapter outlines how these intersecting factors adversely affect migrants’ health outcomes.
The chapter further critiques the ‘sedentary bias’ inherent in India’s social and health policies, which excludes migrants from critical entitlements. It analyses the shortcomings of existing policy frameworks, such as the Integrated Child Development Services, Ayushman Bharat, and urban health initiatives, in addressing the unique needs of migrant populations. Through case studies of promising interventions – such as community-based crèches, migrant-responsive healthcare models, safe housing initiatives, and occupational safety programmes – the chapter also demonstrates feasible pathways for enhancing migrant well-being.
Ultimately, it argues for a comprehensive, migrant-responsive policy architecture that integrates at the minimum health, housing, nutrition, migrant-responsive healthcare, and occupational safety to ensure inclusive growth. Without a deliberate policy shift, the goal of universal health and well-being will remain out of reach for India’s vast and vulnerable migrant communities.
