What the examiner wants

Discuss how internal and international labour migration patterns have changed over roughly 1975-2015.

Demand-wise check

1. 1Internal: from rural-rural to rural-urban and urban-urban; seasonal and circular migration; rise of women migrants for work (not only marriage); Bihar, UP to Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, South≈35 words
2. 2International: Gulf boom after 1973 oil price rise (semi-skilled), later IT and professionals to US, UK; students; recent shifts to Europe, Israel, Japan≈35 words
3. 3Drivers: liberalisation, construction boom, IT revolution, agrarian distress≈35 words
4. 4Issues: remittance dependence, Kafala system, COVID-19 reverse migration, portability of welfare (One Nation One Ration Card)≈35 words

Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.

Answer plan

Value addition

• DataEconomic Survey 2016-17, using railway data, estimated about 9 million inter-state migrants a year between 2011 and 2016.Economic Survey 2016-17
• DataIndia has been the world's largest recipient of remittances; inflows crossed USD 100 billion in 2022.World Bank, Migration and Development Brief