Leave no one behind: Migrants should be given viable livelihood options

Dairying may well be a viable livelihood option for migrants, given its low capital investment, short operating cycle and steady income flow

When economies undergo structural transformation, there is an inevitable shift of labour from farming to the manufacturing and services sectors. In the words of former secretary-general of the United Nations Ban-ki-Moon, “migration is an expression of the human aspiration for dignity, safety and a better future. It is part of the social fabric, part of our very make-up as a human family”.

In India, rural to urban migration has primarily been due to push factors such as poverty, unemployment, low agricultural productivity, frequent crop failures, poor education and health care, and the lack of credit facilities. Such migration, however, does