Wanted: A Return Policy

The national argument about the movement of migrant workers during the lockdown is fuelling a twin crisis. Some state governments want migrants to be allowed to return home, while others would rather the ‘virus carriers’ stay put where they are. On one hand is the humanitarian issue—these workers have been left to fend for themselves in the harsh financial climate of the lockdown. On the other is the economic issue—the restrictions on movement and uncoordinated response by central and state governments have created a crisis of labour scarcity in cities and towns across India.

Experts say the humanitarian crisis is the outcome of abject apathy and a total failure on the part of the authorities to understand the conditions and take responsibility for the well-being of workers. Meanwhile, migrant workers find themselves practically devoid of agency, at the whim of state government policies that might hold them back or push them out. “In states like Maharashtra, migrant workers have been