The Migration Bulletin is a monthly round-up that captures issues related to migration that have been reported on various media platforms. In its fourth edition, we look at migrants becoming a terrorist target in Kashmir yet again and the top court’s warning to states to issue ration cards to their migrant workforce among other stories
Two migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh were shot and injured by terrorists in Budgam, Central Kashmir, on Friday, Nov. 2. The migrants were identified as Sufiyan and Usman Malik who worked in the Mazhma area of Budgam, the Hindustan Times reported. They were shifted to Srinagar Hospital and doctors attending to them said they were stable. They were working as daily wage workers with the government’s Jal Shakti Department, according to the media reports.
This is the fifth targeted attack in the Valley on migrant workers after the Omar Abdullah-led government assumed power on October 16; recently, six workers and a doctor were killed, raising concerns over targeted killings.
The Migration Story had earlier reported about migrants migrating to Kashmir to beat the extreme heat at their homes and workplaces. The Migration Story spoke to several workers who migrated to Kashmir as heat left them hapless and rendered work difficult in their hometowns. “If summers were not as scorching as it was this year, I would not have travelled so far to earn the same wage — around Rs 350-500 a day—II was getting back home,” said Najim, who was a migrant from Madhepura, Bihar.
Internal remittances need focus too, says Jairam Ramesh
Congress's General Secretary, Jairam Ramesh, welcomed RBI Governor's Shashikant Das proposal for reducing the time and cost of remittances from abroad last month but pointed out that 3 out of 10 Indians are internal migrants, those who live in another state and send money back home, and they should get attention as well.
Ramesh said on social media platform ‘X’, formerly Twitter, that data on internal remittances is not collected cohesively, and some findings show interstate remittances could be a tenth of remittances from abroad.
“A study done some years back had estimated that remittances from Kerala to other states were about a third of the remittances Kerala receives from other countries. And less than half of such internal flows flow through formal institutional channels,” he wrote on X.
SC sets timeline for issuing ration cards to migrants
The Supreme Court has given states and union territories time until November 19 to provide migrants with ration cards, the Hindustan Times reported last month. The court has directed the states and UTs to comply with the deadline, or the top officials—either the food secretary or concerned authority of the states—will have to appear in court in person and explain the reason for non-compliance, the Hindustan Times reported.
The bench of justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah during the hearing strictly warned the state and union territories and gave a last window to comply with their order. A stern order was issued after the court was informed that despite previous deadlines, many states were yet to identify the beneficiaries who would be receiving the ration card, and those identified had not received the ration card.
The court questioned the centre about whether it was serious about this matter and asked the states to provide food grains to those who had been issued ration cards.
The Migration Story has previously reported on the trouble migrants were facing in accessing ration cards. Development economist Dipa Sinha, who is also a member of the Right to Food campaign, spoke about the confusion around digital verification - e-KYC - with migrants travelling to their home states to get it done. “We have seen a lot of confusion, also in Uttar Pradesh, of migrants going back to their villages only to get their e-KYC done,” she said.
Registration of Migrants in Shimla mandatory
Shimla’s district administration has implemented new rules for employers to register migrants working for them. The administration has mandated all employers, traders, and contractors to verify and identify migrant workers engaged in both formal and informal work. They are required to submit personal details and a photograph to the Station House Officer (SHO) in the nearest police station of migrants.
This directive covers the whole of Shimla district and is applicable to all forms of employment, from minor job opportunities to contractual labour. As per a report inThe Himachal News, last month, the rules were introduced to strengthen security and to streamline employment for migrant workers. This is also applicable for individuals visiting the district for self-employment, non-formal trade or to seek work.
Those not complying with the new rules can be charged under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023. These orders of the District Magistrate have come into immediate effect and will be in force for two months.
According a report by PTI, this move comes after a demand by several Hindu groups and trader outfits for identification and verification of migrants coming to the state. There have been protests in various parts of Himachal Pradesh over the influx of migrants.
A committee has been formed by assembly speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania to frame a policy on street vendors.
These protests had begun initially to demolish a certain ‘unauthorised portion’ of a mosque, which spread to other parts of the state. During the protest, on September 11, 10 people were injured in the Sanjuali area of Shimla, and two days later the protest erupted in Mandi where water cannons were used to disperse the protestors.
Migrant worker’s death in Chennai sparks political controversy
The death of a 35-year-old migrant worker from West Bengal on September 30 in Chennai allegedly due to starvation sparked a political controversy. The state government’s Migrant Welfare Board has denied the allegations of death due to starvation.
As per a report in The Hindu, last month, Samirul Islam, Chairperson of the West Bengal Migrant Workers Welfare Board, stated that officers had been in contact with a group of migrants since September 18 after they were hospitalized in Chennai. These workers, from Chandrakona, Paschim Medinipur, had travelled to Chennai without informing their families, and the middleman was unresponsive when the families tried to reach him.
After a medical inquiry, doctors said the victims had consumed a fish curry which apparently led to acute gastroenteritis.
Dr Therani Rajan, head of Madras Medical College and dean of Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, in conversation with The New Indian Express, said that they experienced common symptoms of food poisoning such as vomiting and diarrhoea, and Samar Khan, a migrant worker from West Bengal, suffered from complications related to acute gastroenteritis caused by contaminated food.
He further added that a group of 12-13 people, including Khan, had travelled to Chennai for work and were living near the Chennai Central Railway platform for two-three days. Out of several patients admitted, one was critical, another was in bad shape, while four others were severely dehydrated but conscious.
The critical patient was placed on a ventilator for seven days. Following some improvement in their condition, the ventilator was removed. However, two days later, the patient developed complications again, leading to multiple organ failure.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, in his address, criticized the state government for its failure to protect migrant workers. He accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of neglecting the welfare of migrants, such as Khan, who leave the state in search of better opportunities.
West Bengal BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya attributed the lack of investment to the state's precarious law and order situation.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed concern about the deaths of West Bengal migrants in various Indian state and pledged ₹2 lakh for the families.
Compiled by Mansi Bhaktwani
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