Climate change has induced migration in Rajasthan: Study

JAIPUR: Changes in the climatic conditions and its respective consequences on the socio-economic front is the reason for increasing migration in Rajasthan, as per a report by the International Institute for Environment and Development, based in the United Kingdom. The study also added that 28 per cent of households in the state have at least one person migrating two times in a year due to the declining economic opportunities owing to drought.

The report also said that 97 per cent of the migrants are those who earn up to Rs 5,000 per month and a majority of them are headed to Delhi for employment followed by Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Jammu. The report revealed that 35.56 per cent of the migrants have moved due to climate shocks including 28 per cent of them who migrated due to repeated droughts. Other factors include land degradation, loss of income in season, etc.

The report also mentioned that the average age of a person intending to migrate is 44 years and almost 76 per cent of them are males. It also added that 58 per cent of the migrants were into agriculture and 22 per cent of them were dependent on MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee).