Trajectories of Migrant’s Mobility amid Covid-19 Pandemic in Odisha

Abstract

The unforeseen lockdowns across Indian states due to the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the labour forces involving millions of migrant workers, particularly engaged in the informal economy. The situation became complex when with ease in lockdown, migrant workers started returning to their source states. Odisha, an eastern state of India, witnessed a similar challenging situation when it had to receive thousands of desperate and distressed migrant workers who returned home amid the pandemic. The situation however revealed the inadequate knowledge about the migrant workers, despite their contribution to the state’s economy with remittances and skills. The situation also tested our personal knowledge about migrant workers, with disappointment and ineptitude, both professionally and academically. The existing studies rarely acknowledge the complex lived realities of the migrants in their own voices. After conducting in-depth interviews with returnee migrant workers amid COVID-19 situation, this study, while limited in its generalizability, illustrates the multifaceted complexities of migration situation through a grounded perspective from migrants themselves.