Thousands of diamond workers have left Surat as the processing hub grapples with sanctions on Russia, falling exports, and U.S. tariffs. Bansari Kamdar A worker at a diamond workshop in Surat. File picture SURAT, Gujarat: Bapu Ganpat, a diamond polisher from Una, Gujarat, lived in Surat for more than two decades, scraping together enough to support his two children. Over the last five months, after his monthly wages were halved, rent, school fees, and daily expenses had eaten

Rain-fed farming has traditionally escaped policy and funding attention, though it engages more than 60% of India’s farmers. In Karnataka’s Koppal, it now finds itself competing with state-backed solar farms for real estate, at a considerable social cost Bhargavi S Rao Work-in-progress on the solar park installation in Talakkal in Koppal, Karnataka. Bhargavi S Rao/The Migration Story KOPPAL, Karnataka: A sea of solar panels has replaced the millets, pulses, and vegetables tha

Even as thousands of informal-sector workers struggle amid the construction slowdown in Gujarat, the government spent less than 20% of its labour cess funds for workers’ welfare last year Bansari Kamdar Young labourers wait at Gurukul naka, hoping to be hired for the day’s work as dawn breaks at the labour market in Ahmedabad. Bansari Kamdar/The Migration Story  AHMEDABAD, Gujarat: Every morning at 7 o’clock, Jitubhai Somdhi walks to the Gurukul labour centre or kadia naka, o

Data centres worldwide consume vast amounts of electricity and water, potentially straining resources. With AI’s growth, the footprint is set to balloon. Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar Pic credit: Wikimedia Commons Last month, a UK government agency called  on residents to help mitigate the country’s water crisis.  Among the Environment Agency’s suggestions on how people could save water were expected common-sense ones such as turning off taps and fixing leaking pipes. And then the

Many young migrant workers are signing up to construct renewable energy parks in India, but wage delays and lack of amenities is forcing them to quit their jobs within months Anuradha Nagaraj An under construction solar park in Kachchh district of Gujarat. Anuradha Nagaraj/The Migration Story KHAVADA, Gujarat:  A month into his new job at the world’s largest renewable energy park in Khavada in Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch, Anawar Alam was planning his escape. Hired along with 17 o

Idol makers from the Mogiya community from Kumbhalgarh in Rajasthan migrate to Pune every year to sculpt idols for Ganesh Chaturthi. Stephin Thomas

Archana Kotecha, founder and CEO of The Remedy Project discusses the ways in which global supply chains are linked with abusive working conditions Namrata Raju

In Gurugram, hundreds of Bengali-speaking workers, many of them Indian citizens, now live in fear after a police crackdown on “illegal Bangladeshi migrants”  Naila Khan Uzair Usmani

Workers ensure a flow of funds home to Kalahandi from Kerala, transforming lives of their families, with many aiming to save enough to build local businesses Purusottam Thakur With few jobs available in Kalahandi's remote and underdeveloped Thuamul-Rampur block, young men move to Kerala in search of a steady income, July 20, 2025. Prajjwal Thakur/The Migration Story KALAHANDI, Odisha:  Lachchman Majhi remembers watching traditional folk theatre in Gopalpur village from a vant

The ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) drive in Bihar has sparked a debate on the process and its impact on voter registration. In India's second highest outmigration state, the drive could have a disproportionate impact on low income migrant workers and their families.  Anuja

The yellow taxi isn’t just a vehicle—it’s a livelihood, a symbol, whose history has been carried by generations of migrant drivers in...

The migrant workers’ exodus from Gurugram amid a crackdown by the police has disrupted domestic work and sanitation, with residents becoming aware of the growing fear amongst the poorest to prove their citizenship  Sanskriti Talwar Kusum Sharma, RWA chairperson at Suncity township, Sector 54, at a meeting with 250 domestic workers and the local SHO to clarify required documents. Picture courtesy: Kusum Sharma GURUGRAM, Haryana:  On 19 July, 2025, Vandana Kohli, a resident of

Waste pickers, the backbone of global recycling, are demanding recognition, income security, and a just transition as the world moves toward reuse, repair, and refill Ravleen Kaur

The continued suffering of migrants owing to extractive work practices and discriminatory legal and policy regimes in the Gulf explains why it is essential to collect more data on international migration? Namrata Raju Akshay Ramuhalli

The recent flash floods in Uttarkashi aren’t surprising for campaigners speaking up against rising pilgrim numbers, unchecked development, and recurring natural disasters in Uttarakhand’s sacred circuit Rishabh Shrivastava Municipal workers collecting waste in their van in Kedarnath Dham.  Ashutosh Pandey/The Migration Story Char Dham is a well-known religious circuit situated in the snow-capped Himalayas of Uttarakhand. The circuit comprises four holy sites, including Kedarn

In the Mangalajodi wetlands of Odisha’s, men migrating for work turn conservationists and guides for birding enthusiasts during tourist season  Aishwarya Mohanty   Sugyan Behera scans the wetlands, trying to spot birds on a monsoon afternoon. Aishwarya Mohanty/The Migration Story Mangalajodi, Odisha: The place is Mangalajodi wetlands. The tourist on the wooden rowing boat wanted his boatman and guide, Sugyan Behera, to pluck one of the lovely, purple water lilies blooming acr

Dizzy spells, irregular periods and no access to medical aid. Delhi's scorching heat before the rains hit the capital impacted its informal workers the worst, documents a researcher on the heat trail Tulika Bansal Illustration by: Tulika Bansal In May 2025, as Delhi reeled under temperatures nearing 50°C, its most vulnerable workers buckled up to bear the onslaught of the escalating climate crisis. Despite the heat, the city continued to function thanks to the people holding

As the World Breastfeeding Week (August 1–7) concludes today, we take you to brick kilns of Uttar Pradesh where informed choices, community support, and mothers’ courage are building a healthier future for children. Soha Moitra File Picture “ I t was mid-noon and we were working under a scorching sun, when suddenly I heard a shrill cry. My baby was crying. I rushed to the makeshift brick shed, and just as I started feeding her, a hoarse voice roared from outside. It was our s

The carnage seen at Sigachi factory blast in Telangana is not the first where workers and their families have borne the brunt and will repeat itself elsewhere unless drastic steps are taken Rosey Mukherjee File photo of rescue operations at the Sigachi chemical factory in Telangana. Picture via special arrangement HYDERABAD, Telangana : On June 30, 2025, a massive explosion ripped through Sigachi Industries’ chemical plant in Pashamylaram industrial area, Telangana, about 50

Over 1,700 ghost villages now lie empty across the Himalayan state, homes locked, fields barren, and communities lost. Aishwarya Mohanty