Nature and Composition of inter-state migrants into districts of Kerala: some evidence from Census of India, 2011 by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology

The state of Kerala has always been the forerunner in educational and social reforms in India, but now it is crucial to integrate inter-state migrant workers into its society for the state’s economic welfare. To achieve this, knowledge of the size of migrant population and their regional distribution is essential. It could be eventually used for planning, provision-ing health and welfare activities, sensitization of host communities, and making migrant inclusive policies. The main objective of this analysis was to describe the mobility into Kerala state by examining the inter-state and inter/intra-district migration streams, identi-fying the reasons for migration across the districts of Kerala using the data from the 2011 Census of India. In Kerala, 17.70 million (53.0%) were migrants by place of last residence while inter-state migrants in Kerala were 0.65 million. The largest proportion of inter-State migrants in Kerala was from Tamil Nadu (47.58%). Of all inter-state migrants in the dis-tricts of Kerala, the highest proportion was in Ernakulam district (12.3%). Among inter-state migrants from West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Assam (long-distance migrants), a minimum of 1.5-to-twofold increase among short duration migrants was observed. At the same time, about 20 percent reduction in proportion of short duration inter-state migrants from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka (short distance migrants) was noted. The main reason for internal migration was stated as ‘marriage’, but for inter-state migrants in Kerala themost common reason was ‘Moved with household’. Among in-state women migrants, the reason for migration among a sizable percentage is ‘Moved with household/family. The public health programmes in Kerala have to take this characteristic into their reckoning and provide for them as well.