Effects of COVID-19 on Migration in Murshidabad District of West Bengal

The devastating disease of the twenty-first century, COVID-19, was spreading rapidly across the globe. The adverse effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have spread the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) around the world, including in India. The coronavirus pandemic started its journey in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The unimaginable human crisis brought on by the COVID-19 epidemic continues. This pandemic is not only causing health damage; it is also causing socio-economic vulnerability around the world. There have been 2,118,508 confirmed cases and 21,531 deaths in West Bengal (the death ratio is 1.02%) as of December 7, 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic ( West Bengal COVID-19 Health Bulletin). In response to these increasing COVID-19 reports, the Government of India, on March 24, 2020, proclaimed a lockdown without warning throughout the entire nation and without systematic basic arrangements. Almost all sectors, including private and government schools, universities, all kinds of large and small shops, temples, offices, cinema halls, airports, and public transportation, came to a complete standstill. Unwanted gatherings of people are prohibited to reduce the harmful effects of COVID-19. This is the main cause of all immigration difficulties. Unskilled laborers in Murshidabad who migrate often from one location to another (migrant workers) and provide temporary services lost their jobs overnight and were left stranded at their workplaces without the most basic facilities. This lockdown has led to an existential crisis among them. For example, lack of sustenance, economic hardship, unemployment, wage cuts, and fear of COVID-19 infection were commonly observed. Murshidabad’s most emigrant laborers are engaged in construction work, loading and unloading goods at the port, working as goldsmiths in industrial factories, food manufacturing companies, etc. in other states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala, Chennai, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The closure of most workplaces leads to unemployment, which forces them to return home, but only a few migrant workers have managed to return home due to the immobilization of vehicles. The GDP growth rate has fallen to −6.60% during the lockdown in our country (source: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, 2022). The government has tried to provide assistance to migrant workers stranded during the lockdown to help them deal with the challenges they face, but it has been less than desirable. Despite the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, many industries remain stagnant and have failed to pay workers their due wages. As a result, most of the migrant workers decide to make a living in their local area. They are associated with various types of work, viz., local construction, factory work, toto driver, retailer, hawker, beedi worker, and farming. Migration affects the social cohesion, identity formation, and overall conduct of a community. The current study looks at the COVID-19 transmission risk among migrant workers who are stranded and the difficulties they face both during and after lockdown.