There has been a surge in internet adoption particularly in rural India post pandemic, but most migrant workers are yet to use their...

Seasonal workers who seek jobs at bakeries in the region, especially during Ramzan and Eid, are now staying back in the Valley for longer Tauseef Ahmad Sajid Raina Amir Teli, a migrant labourer from Uttar Pradesh, sells Eid sweets like katlam  and feni  outside a shop in Bandipora town. Arshdeep Singh/The Migration Story. BARAMULLA, Jammu and Kashmir : Mohammad Salim, a 32-year-old seasonal migrant from Bihar, arrived in Kashmir in 2017 seeking better wages. He found a job as

The Migration Bulletin is a monthly round-up that compiles migration news from across various publications. In the seventh edition, we...

A bunch of initiatives in Assam try to bring back migrant workers’ children to school, but the impact of the COVID-led break in their...

The recent execution of Shahzadi Khan, an Indian migrant worker in the UAE, has exposed the lack of legal aid and consular support in serious cases Zoya Hussain Shahzadi Khan's visa Pic credit: Special Arrangement  GHAZIABAD / BANDA, Uttar Pradesh: It’s been only a month since Shabbir Khan received the news of the execution of his youngest daughter, Shahzadi, on charges of killing the four-month-old infant she was nanny to in the United Arab Emirates. But the farmer from  Mat

Restrictions to control air pollution turn winter into a season of discontent for migrant workers in the construction sector Manthati Sai Kiran Daily wage workers sitting along a roadside barrier waiting for work opportunities at the Khora labour chowk in Noida. Manthati Sai Kiran/The Migration Story Noida, Uttar Pradesh : Hundreds of daily wage labourers struggle to make their presence felt   as a thick blanket of grey-black smog engulf them at the Khora Labour Chowk near Se

The recently concluded Kumbh mela drew not just pilgrims but toy sellers, chaat makers and sanitation workers from across Uttar Pradesh and also neighboring states who turned up in large numbers to tap the world’s largest religious gathering to boost incomes Anuj Behal Pictures by Rajneesh Verma Camel rearer Faisal chats with a fellow nomad at the Sangam Ghat, in Prayagraj, March 1, 2025. PRAYAGRAJ, Uttar Pradesh:  The Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious gathering, conc

From orientation training for prospective migrants to bilateral agreements, Kerala’s unique department for its non-resident citizens is exploring several paths to safe migration  Mahima Jain India has the largest diaspora in the world, with over 35.4 million Indians overseas, and illegal migration is a concern. A trainer at the pre-departure orientation on safe migration provided by the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NoRKA) in Ernakulam, Kerala on February 5, 2

The Migration Bulletin is a monthly round-up that compiles migration news from across various publications. In the sixth edition, we look at the Budget 2025, the clamp down on undocumented immigrants in the US and UK and more. Pic credit: Representational image (Photo: iStock) In her presentation of the eighth Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that one crore gig workers will receive official identity cards and healthcare benefits, under the PM Jan Arogya

A school under a flyover at one of the busiest traffic junctions in Thane has created rare opportunities for their students and alumni, all children from migrant families Mansi Bhaktwani Primary students settling down after their lunch break in the oldest shipping container classroom at the Signal School under a flyover in Thane. Mansi Bhaktwani/ The Migration Story Thane/Mumbai, Maharashtra:  Twenty five-year-old Mohan Kale is a junior engineer at a civil engineering firm in

Writer Amitav Ghosh’s latest book - Wild Fictions - explores themes of climate change, migration, the forces of empire and greed of commercial developers. He speaks to  The Migration Story  about the growing vulnerability of migrants, the dangers of climate reductionism and where energy transition policies lack Urvashi Sarkar MUMBAI: Amitav Ghosh’s latest book Wild Fictions  is a sprawling read. Part literary memoir, part historical chronicle and part political philosophy. It

Germany, with an ageing population, is increasingly looking outwards to find skilled workers to fill its green labour gap, mainly India. While both countries see a potential for India’s young population to contribute to their labour markets, young workers are not as enthusiastic about taking up green jobs Roli Srivastava Milou Dirkx Mohammad Atif Salim Khan poses for a picture inside an electric vehicle lab at the Don Bosco Industrial Training Institute in central Mumbai. Rol

Living conditions and the burden of daily wage work prevent young migrant mothers from availing state health services, including vaccination for their children Amoolya Rajappa Siddhartha Colony shelters workers from North Karnataka employed in construction, manufacturing, and domestic work in the nearby Peenya industrial area in Bengaluru. Amoolya Rajappa/The Migration Story Bengaluru, Karnataka:  Twenty-year-old Mahalaxmi got married three years ago. Last October, her daught

Marine fishing becomes a longer and more excruciating exercise for the fishermen off the Mumbai coast as a good catch becomes elusive owing to climate change and coastal degradation Hepzi Anthony Video Credit: Prashant Nakwe MUMBAI:  For eight fishing months every year, a mechanized fishing trawler roughly the length of a cricket pitch, is home as well as workplace for 49-year-old Vishwanath Laxmi Patil.  He had arrived in Mumbai almost 25 years ago from Kharoshi village in P

Restoration work of historical buildings in India has depended on traditional, caste-based skills of workers, but they are no longer as much in demand even as the need for their skills grows Aarefa Johari File image of restoration work at Gateway of India, Mumbai. Pic courtesy: Prashant Nakwe MUMBAI : For decades, the Horniman Circle Garden has served as a small but peaceful oasis in the chaotic bustle of south Mumbai’s Fort area, a heritage precinct. On weekday afternoons, o

As families await news on their loved ones trapped in the recent Kalamati mine accident in Assam, illegal rat hole mining continues to be the only livelihood lifeline say many in the state's flood-ravaged, impoverished villages Maitreyee Boruah Khudeja Begum, daughter of Jakir Hussain, who is trapped in the January 6 illegal rat hole mine accident in Kalamati, shows the last selfie her father sent to her at her Number 4 Sialmari village in Darrang district in Assam on Jan 19,

Higher wages and a more equitable work experience is drawing some of the most marginalised communities from Odisha’s Ganjam to Kerala  Aishwarya Mohanty Kuni Nayak with her daughter outside her house in Gundibira village in Surada block of Odisha’s Ganjam district. She lives in the village as her husband migrates to Kerala for work. Aishwarya Mohanty/The Migration Story Ganjam, Odisha:  Kuni Nayak, 30, from Gundibira village in Surada block of Odisha’s Ganjam district, proudl

US exit from the Paris Agreement leaves a global leadership vacuum, butoffers an opportunity for other countries to step up to the plate. Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar Edward Kimmel from Takoma Park, MD , CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Everyone knew it was coming, but it was still a bit of a shock. 2024 had just been declared the hottest year on record,  global temperatures had crossed 1.5C above pre-industrial levels for the first time—a danger mark that the Paris Agreement

A long fishing ban to protect the vulnerable olive ridley sea turtles coupled with growing climate risks has thrown up a conservation versus livelihood question for Odisha’s fishing community that is now forced to migrate for a living Rakhi Ghosh Fishing boats are anchored to the shore near Podampeta village at Ganjam as fishing is banned for seven months. Rakhi Ghosh/ The MigrationStory Ganjam, Odisha: The bustle of a full-fledged working day is absent on the beach at Sana N

After long hours of work, informal labourers employed to build metro networks in cities struggle with exhaustion and loneliness   Sonu Pandey Metro workers rest whenever they can during their long 12-hour shifts at work. Antara Banerjee/The Migration Story New Delhi:  Mukesh’s day begins at the crack of dawn, when he wakes up to cook himself breakfast, wash dishes and clean his room, before heading out to work. After 12 hours of working at a metro construction site in Delhi,