HYDERABAD: A study on migration of people from rural areas of Bihar to other states for work by an IIT Hyderabad researcher has revealed that social hierarchy in the State plays an important role in the migration destination and the kind of work a migrant undertakes. The researcher reports that majority of the migrants, 78 per cent of the study sample, moved to urban areas of the country. However, those who moved to urban areas were mostly from the upper echelons of the society, whereas, those from lower socio-economic classes moved to rural areas.
The researcher found that migrant workers who are higher placed in the socio-economic ladder, and more educated tend to step out of the village without having worked at all in the local rural economy. Whereas, those placed at the bottom of the ladder predominantly undertake manual work and when they migrate, are more likely to move to other rural areas.
Titled ‘Poverty, Migration and Development in Rural Bihar,’ the study was undertaken by Dr Amrita Datta, assistant professor, development studies, department of liberal Arts, IIT-H. This work has been done in collaboration with Institute for Human Development, New Delhi.