International migration is a controversial issue: it’s as much about the 70,000 people who have died or gone missing since 2014 in their desperation to reach foreign shores, as it is about legal, orderly migration.
Dr S. Irudaya Rajan, chairman of the International Institute for Migration and Development, has studied this issue for many years.
In this conversation on The Gist, Dr Rajan believes that the 21st century belongs to migrants and that international migration has only just begun. Migrants, in his view, must be looked upon as partners in development, not competitors.
But on the issue of Indians migrating to foreign shores, he warns that the right people should go to the right place at the right time and should be provided the right wages. This is made clear by India’s labour mobility agreements negotiated with foreign governments, that lay down legal and secure migration.
This shows that India disapproves of its citizens migrating illegally to other countries, and places a high value on legal and ethical migration.
He notes the rising demand for Indian migrants across the world given that India has the highest population of youth under the age of 30 who can be skilled to do various jobs, demand for which is very high in Japan, Russia and several European and African countries.
He believes this is the chance to create new migration corridors. “If America is closing the door on us, we can open the door to other countries like European nations,” he says.
But India suffers from lack of data and deskilling that affect migrants. Dr Rajan says that while India doesn’t have an exact count of those who leave the country, an ‘evidence-based policy’ is required.
Watch The Gist for more insights into current trends in Indian and international migration, it’s impact and the legal and other changes that need to be made.
