5 Lakh Labourers from Assam Stranded in Kerala; Return to Cause Worry for Govt?

Guwahati, May 4, 2020:

At a time when the debate over the return of migrant labourers in the country has taken centrestage, reports that over 5 lakh migrant workers in Kerala could return to Assam has raised concerns once again that the state could be overburdened by an influx of its own citizens presently plying their trades in the Southern Indian State.

According to data extrapolated from the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation by Shenoy Karun and TC Sreemol, 5.9 lakh of the total 34.12 lakh people in Kerala are from Assam alone. Sure to burden the health system as well as the badly-affected economy, the return of these migrants posits several intriguing questions.

Where will they be put up? Since the extradition of these migrants already seems to have begun, how prepared is the Assam Government to deal with this? Will they find adequate employment opportunities?

Time and again, Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has urged red-zone residents to stay put where they are, has cautioned that a second phase of the outbreak could soon be reported in Assam, especially if the lakhs stranded elsewhere do indeed return home. Interestingly, though, Sarma mused, how willing are they to come back?

Since these lakhs left Assam for work opportunities in other states, surely they could simply just return to their work places once the restrictions are eased?

This is likely.

However, with the lockdown entering its third phase, and emphasis being put on sectors such as agriculture to revive the economy, they might just quit the greener pastures for a simpler life back in the safety of their native land.

This is indeed a staggering number, especially when the Assam administration has said that 20 lakh people stranded across the country could be eyeing a return back home to Assam.

For Kerala, the coronvirus battle has been a long and arduous one. So far 499 people have been infected with the coronavirus, which has claimed three lives, including that of a four-month baby girl from Malappuram. The death of the child created shockwaves across the nation and is perhaps the darkest chapter in India's struggle with the COVID-19.

Guest Workers and Shramik Trains in Kerala:

Now, Kerala, which has been lauded for its preventive measures to fight the virus, is seeking to set things right. Migrant workers from other states such as UP, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, et al, have now become the mainstay of the blue-collar work force, and they must now be eyeing a return.

This, Kerala proposes to do via its special trains meant only for the working classes.

Seeking to arrange their return, the Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has announced that ever since Kerala announced the provision of special non-stop trains, around 13,818 migrant workers have gone to their respective states in the last two days.

At the same time, the CM has urged Indian PM Narendra Modi to arrange special trains for Keralites stranded in other states. In a letter, Vijayan requested the Centre to allow the 'Shramik Special' trains, currently taking migrant labourers stranded in Kerala to their home states. Kerala, which perhaps woke to the peril of the COVID-19 slightly earlier than other states, shut its border on March 24.

Today, Vijayan announced that over one lakh Keralites stranded in other states have registered via NORKA (Non-resident Keralites Affairs) portal for returning to their home state. "28,000 have applied for pass and 5470 passes have been distributed till 4 pm", said Vijayan.

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