Episode 31: Stuck in a Limbo - Migrant Workers amid India’s Lockdown

On 25th March 2020 the Indian Prime Minister declared a nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19. Four hours after the Prime Minister’s announcements, all forms of transportation stopped. Millions of internal migrant workers found themselves without a job as most economic activities came to a halt and left with little choice but to walk hundreds or thousands of kilometres back to their home villages, only to find inter-state borders close. In this conversation with Dr Indrajit Roy (University of York), we look at the scale of the phenomenon, what kind of assistance are migrants receiving and what implications this massive internal migration will have on India’s political economy.