Mumbai’s early monsoon and rising heatwaves expose deep gaps in climate preparedness. Despite big plans and budgets under MCAP, vulnerable communities remain overlooked and underserved Mansi Bhaktwani Pic credit: Wikimedia Commons In 2025 , Mumbai, along with several other parts of India, experienced the early onset of summer in February, followed by record-high temperatures and intense heatwaves, and heavy rainfall in May, which disrupted daily life across the region. Follow

Moving towards EVs is necessary, but what happens to those employed in traditional automotive sector? Will jobs be created or lost? Namrata Raju

Migrant worker communities in cities occupy precarious residences, ranging from informal rentals, employer-provided rooms or squatting on vacant lands. Can cities be reimagined to provide them dignified housing? Renu Desai Rooms in temporary labour colonies for construction workers lack adequate sanitation forcing workers to build semi-open bathing enclosures (as seen in the left) where possible. Picture credit: Renu Desai India’s economy is sustained by a vast, informal migr

Aishwarya Mohanty From right to left: Kamala Kanhaiyalal, Badhu Narji, Kanku Laxman, and Ramila Ninama sit with their collection of sun-dried vegetables and seeds. This time-tested preservation practice, led by women, help ensure year-round food availability and resilience in the face of climate and economic uncertainties. Aishwarya Mohanty/The Migration Story BANSWARA, Rajasthan:  Earthen pots shut with clay lids line the corners of Kanku Laxman’s kitchen in her mud-walled h

In Kanthaliya, a small pottery village in Murshidabad, West Bengal, reverse migration is reviving a centuries-old craft, creating jobs, and restoring pride in rural life. Subhrajit Sen

River erosion in Assam renders tens of thousands landless every year. Rehabilitation is a solution, but the state’s promises and policies have not taken off, forcing many to migrate to urban centres in search of work  Mahmodul Hassan Seventy-year-old Abu Bakkar Siddique and his family evacuated from the land they had lived on for decades amid constant threat of erosion in Dhubri district of Assam. Mahmodul Hassan/The Migration Story DHUBRI, Assam: Anuwar Hussain’s family of

T he Indian government has this month officially notified the 2027 census, ending years of delay. But low income migrant workers have often found themselves being left out of the count due to a high mobility factor. Anuja

It’s not just rising temperatures—moisture, unpredictability, and urbanisation are reshaping how India experiences heat. Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar One of Sanskrit poet Kalidasa’s most famous poems celebrates the shifting moods of the Indian calendar year in six cantos titled The Pageant of Seasons.  Were the fifth-century poet writing today, he might have called this year: A Confusion of Seasons. Take the past six months. Winter ended early, skipping spring and jumping into su

The trajectory of labour employment in the manufacturing sector—from formal to unorganized—has deepened worker insecurities and raises questions about the quality of work that a younger, newly minted generation of workers can aspire to Rosey Mukherjee A file picture of workers’ unrest at the Wistron factory in Kolar, Karnataka in 2023.  Picture courtesy Rosey Mukherjee   Mahesh, 45, had been a permanent employee in a cement manufacturing company for 10 years when his company

Surging tourism brings income and migrants — but also crowds, traffic, and climate strain — prompting new restrictions in a town...

The Migration Bulletin is a monthly round-up that compiles news and developments pertaining to India’s migrant workforce from across India.  In this month's bulletin, we track air conditioned lounges for gig workers in Chennai, a survey in Andhra Pradesh to curb illegal immigrants and in Telangana to enumerate migrant workers from Chhattisgarh and more. The Migration Bulletin is a monthly round-up that compiles news and developments pertaining to India’s migrant workforce fro

A grandmother traces her grandfather’s migration journey  from over a century ago to better understand her equal love for avial, payasam and  litti chokha.  Geeta Ramani AI Illustration “Naani”, asked my five-year-old granddaughter, in all her worldly wisdom, “Where are my great grandparents?  Do you think they love me?” As I prepared to answer her inquisitive queries, my mind wandered, not just to her Great Grandparents but to mine as well - what a profound chord her innocen

The gradual disappearance of these trees, a part of the union territory’s  heritage, has impacted the sericulture trade and led to migration, climate change and a way of life   Khursheed Ahmad Shah Silkworms feed on new mulberry leaves in a local villager’s home in Putshai village in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir. Khursheed Ahmad Shah/The Migration Story KUPWARA, Jammu & Kashmir: In villages like Gundimancher, Audoora, Gazriyal and Shartgund Payeen, migration doesn’t always look

Scorching heat in Ludhiana grips migrant workers walking, cycling or taking buses to work – and even an early morning ride is a losing battle against heat stress. Anuj Behal A factory worker cycles to work in Ludhiana’s Industrial area-A in the early morning hours to beat the scorching heat. Rajneesh Verma/The Migration Story   LUDHIANA, Punjab: By 7 am, the sun is blazing and heating up both the asphalt and the bodies on the road. At the crack of dawn, Ram Kumar, 28, scramb

As  heatwaves sweep across large swathes of India, Aditya Valiathan Pillai, a doctoral researcher at King’s College London discusses Heat...

Domestic workers, largely women, go from their family to another family system to slave. There is an urgent need to regulate their wages,...

In North Delhi, at the foot of the Bhalswa landfill, women waste pickers battle deadly heatwaves, toxic fumes, and crumbling health every single day. Naila Khan Uzair Usmani

On the dusty outskirts of Mahemdavad, Gujarat, a three-year-old's death in a brick kiln peeled back the multiple layers of bonded labour,...

Workers in spinning mills suffer from headaches, dehydration, infections and worse due to intense heat, poor ventilation and a lack of...