UP Elections 2022: Employment and the Migrant Vote

Reverse Migration, Rising Unemployment and A Frailing Rural Economy When the nationwide lockdown was announced in March 2020, it created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. Train and bus services stopped overnight, making intra and inter-state travel extremely difficult. Movement was restricted, people were asked to stay where they were and avoid travelling, especially long distance travel. Very quickly, offices adapted to a remote working system, non-essential services came to a halt and essential services were allowed to operate with strict COVID-19 protocols. Amidst all the mayhem of responding to the crisis, the migrant labourers bore the economic cost of losing their source of livelihood and an even heavier personal cost of being away from their families during an unprecedented