Attracting factors for Labour Migration: A Study in Mahabubnagar District of Telangana State

Abstract

Migration comprises a multitude of physical movements in space and time. It is a process which is spatially subdivided into sending areas, routes of migration and receiving areas. With regard to the motivations of migrants, three types of migration can be distinguished: enforced migration, voluntary migration and distress migration. The first is decided upon by external powers. Resettlement programmes of governments for instance fall into this category. The second is the outcome of a decision-making process of migrants and their families. It refers to labour migration for the purpose of education or marriage. The third type of migration is caused by deprivation. In this case the decision of migration is made in order to escape from an environment which is no longer felt to guarantee survival. Migration due to drought, crop failure and famine is among other causes covered by this category. Economic reasons were identified the main factors for migration of labourers in Mahabubnagar district as factors like poverty, attraction of getting higher wages as compared to the place of origin and indebtedness were ranked as first, second and third respectively. The study revealed that the migrant labourers were being exploited to the extent that they were made to work for more hours without being paid for. In spite of the exploitation, not good but satisfactory working conditions, not enjoying the benefits of a permanent labourer as most of them were working as temporary labourers and health being affected by the working conditions. Among the local labourers working in the state all were males while among the migrants that were working in the industries, some were females. A larger number of migrant labourers were married as compared to the locals and also they had larger number of children than the local labourers which explains their need to earn money to sustain their families. The need of the locals to have more than one earning individual is explainable by the fact that they have more social obligations are aware of good living and educational standards and thus required more money for the same