Strategies for Integration and Inclusion of Migrants in urban areas

Migration which generally happens from rural to urban areas is very much conducive for urban areas due to various benefits it offers such as labour and skills. However, there are many challenges which migrants face when coming to urban areas.  Migration is largely treated as an issue of governance rather than one of development. World Bank in 2009 and UNESCO in 2013 have stated that preventing migration could even be counterproductive. Therefore, curbing migration would not be the right call.  The need of the hour is integration and inclusion of the migrants in the urban areas. Some of the key strategies which are suggested by UNESCO in 2013 are listed below:

Registration and Identity

There is an urgent need to ensure that internal migrants are issued with a universally recognized and portable proof of identity that can enable them to access social security programmes anywhere in India.

Political and Civic Inclusion

Special provisions are needed to ensure the voting rights of internal migrants, and their inclusion in decision-making processes and urban planning.

Labour Market Inclusion

Negotiate opportunities with employers including training, placement and skill upgrade with the help of NGOs. In case of uneducated and poor migrants, create awareness about their rights and support them.

Legal Aid and Dispute Resolution

Internal migrants should be able to access legal aid and counselling to protect themselves against work- and wage-related malpractices and provide grievance- and dispute-handling mechanisms to negotiate with employers/contractors.

Inclusion through Access to Food

The public distribution system (PDS) should be made more accessible to include the migrants.

Inclusion through Housing

Provide dormitory accommodation, rental housing and also enable private housing. The slums should be upgraded and there must be provision basic services.

Educational Inclusion

Provision of schooling could be made for the children of the migrants at the worksites with the help of civil societies.

Public Health Inclusion

Migrants are usually stigmatised and are kept aloof as they are viewed as carriers of diseases and infections. Therefore, health services must be reached out to the migrants.

Financial Inclusion

Extend banking facilities to promote savings and secure transfer of remittances in the source and destination areas.

Conclusion

Migrants must be looked upon as assets rather than liabilities because ultimately they would yield returns. However, migration also depends on the kind of migration- whether it is working age population or old people in which case it is a bigger challenge. Of course, if you have only working age population, typically they send more money away and they often leave. So having the capability to integrate migrants makes a difference.