Understanding benefits of internal migration in India at the destination and the role of relative deprivation among socio-economic groups in actualizing gains

Pinak Sarkar, Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum

The study aims at highlighting the relevance of internal migration in India and the extent to which it becomes a rewarding phenomenon for all groups of migrants. In a geographical vast country like India, given the persistent economic inequality which exists across regions and socio-economic communities, migrants cannot be seen as homogenous groups. It is observed from the empirical analysis that internal migration in general is a rewarding phenomenon when compared between the individual migrants at the destination and the non-migrants at the origin for all groups of migrants. However, in this study economic gains are not seen in terms of economic variables such as employment or wage, but rather in terms of belonging or progressing in the economic ladder or wealth quintile. Also, using the ‘Index of Relative Deprivation’ (RDI) it is observed that though all the heterogeneous groups’ grains from migration, these gains are not proportion across groups and the advantaged groups attains higher economic transition compared to the less advantaged groups. The advantaged and disadvantaged groups are broadly categorized on the basis of literacy (illiterate vs. literate), by origin (rural vs. urban), and social groups (scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, & other backward classes vs. others).