Abstract
Migration takes place due to various social, cultural, economic or political reasons. Previous Census reports of India show that employment-induced out-migration is a common feature of several states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and other states. In the case of Kolkata, informal labours have enormous employment opportunities in big business centres and small manufacturing units of the city. With the help of D-series Census Data of the years 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011, this study focuses on the migration pattern and the reasons for migration to Kolkata. Secondary data fails to give an idea about the migration pattern of non-Bengali informal labours in the city. Through intensive field survey, the present study tries to identify the dominance of non-Bengali single (without family) male labour migration and to explore the migration streams to the informal sectors of Kolkata. With the help of both secondary data on migration over different decades and by using the primary data, the article argues that non-Bengali migrants represent the informal labour community in Kolkata especially from undivided Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and the pattern of migration is mainly occupation-induced single male labour migration.
Highlights
Migration is a process that moves cultures, resources and ideas from one place to another
This indicates that the trend of migration from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh is more significant in Kolkata in comparison to the other districts of West Bengal
This paper discusses and analyses in detail that the trend of in-migration from Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh to the informal labour market in Kolkata City has deep roots to the historical past. These three states provide around threefourths of the total inter-state migrants to West Bengal and Kolkata
Summary
Migration is a process that moves cultures, resources and ideas from one place to another. In another study, De Haan (2000) stated that the labours involved in different informal sectors in Kolkata are mainly migrants. Migrant informal labours have been targeted for this study after analysing the economic activities of inter-state and inter-district migrants of Kolkata city from the Census Report of 2001. In the report of Census of India, economic activities of migrant workers are divided into eighteen categories, under which two categories which are concentrated by informal labours are dominated by migrants from other states (Table 1). These sectors are ‘other than household industry’ or manufacturing units, and ‘wholesale and retail trade’ or business areas.
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