A Study on Aftermath of COVID-19 on Migrant Workers in Odisha with Special Reference to Ganjam District

Abstract

The unprecedented and life-threatening pandemic COVID-19 has not only become a health disaster but also an economic crisis for the whole world today. The outbreak of novel corona virus has proved fatal for many businesses and also the global economic activities have come to a standstill. This fast-spreading contagion has prompted many countries to lock down, reduced business hours and practiced to maintain social distancing and all these have a major impact on GDP which disrupted the economic growth. Although the COVID-19 crisis has hit hardly the global economy, but the shock to the labour market, mostly the migrant labour market has been proved more fatal and devastating. Odisha being an agrarian economy backed by push and pull factors such as single cropping facilities, small landholdings, poor irrigation facilities, poor agricultural wages and restricted industrial avenues for employment serves as the root cause of labour migration to various advanced cities and states. Among all other districts and cities of Odisha, Ganjam district tops the list of economic migration. The present study posits on the Ganjam district of Odisha mirroring the migration crisis and its preparedness to alleviate the miseries of migrant workers to survive in this pandemic. The study would also address the economic desperation at the root of migration in the Ganjam district which has now become the hotbed for the spread of coronavirus and their issues relating to their livelihood and survival and the positive growth perspective in the changed scenario. This is a purely qualitative research, high in content analysis sourced from different news magazines, articles, blogs and comments posted by some migrant workers keeping their identity confidential.