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Labour migration, remittances and its’ impact on rural households: A study of out-migration of Muslims from rural West Bengal, India

Vortrag
Teil der Sitzung
[FS-367] Themen der Geographie
Sitzungstermin
Donnerstag (21. September 2023), 11:00–12:30
Sitzungsraum
SH 4.107
Autor*innen
Md Selim Reja (Cooch Behar College)
Kurz­be­schreib­ung
The paper mainly focuses on the migration of youth Muslims, considered India's most oppressed and backward communities. Through this paper, an attempt has been made to highlight the reasons behind their migration from their place of origin and the impact of remittances on the livelihoods of the family members at the origin place. This paper has found that the migration is circular and mostly moves from their rural areas in search of jobs to economically better-off states far away from West Bengal instead of migrating to nearby states. Mostly engaged in low-skilled jobs in the construction sector. High wage rate in the destination place. The remittances have a great impact on the livelihoods of rural families. The women in the households play an important role in managing and utilising remittances at the household level.
Schlag­wörter
Labour migration, Muslims, Rural areas, Remittances,

Abstract

Out-migration of people from rural areas searching for jobs is very prominent among socially backward communities such as Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and minorities in India. This paper aims to understand the regional pattern of the recent migration of Muslim youth from rural Bengal and examine the reasons for their migration. As this pool of labour migrants creates substantial remittances, this paper will focus on the nature and characteristics of these domestic remittances and assess their impact on rural households.

A field survey that comprises a sample of 2000 migrant households was conducted in the district of Murshidabad, the second-highest Muslim-majority district in India. Then different statistical techniques, such as multiple response techniques for exploring various reasons for labour migration and multivariate analyses for examining the factors affecting remittance size among migrant workers, are executed.

The study found that most migrants mainly migrated to economically better-off states located far away from West Bengal instead of migrating to nearby states. The out-migration is related to a lack of job opportunities, low income and landlessness in rural areas. In contrast, the prospects of higher income and better job opportunities in the destination place encourage the Muslim youth to migrate. Furthermore, constructing their own pucca houses in the village is the prime motivation behind their migration. The multivariate analyses of the factors affecting remittance size among migrant workers find that the income of the migrants at the destination is the most critical factor in deciding remittance size. The study finds that migrant households receive significant amounts of remittances regularly, which positively affects the education, health and overall economic development of the migrant families.