Jharkhand was one of the very few Indian states that immediately responded to the plight of migrant workers from the state in various parts of India, during the COVID-19 induced national lockdown. As part of evolving evidence informed policymaking on welfare of migrant workers under the Safe and Responsible Migration Initiative (SRMI) anchored by Government of Jharkhand, a state level migration survey (Jharkhand Migration Survey or JMS) was carried out during January to March 2023. The survey which followed the Kerala model of Migration Survey (KMS) canvassed a sample of 10,674 households across all districts. Findings from JMS estimate that 45 lakhs persons from Jharkhand migrated to various places for livelihoods. The JMS also estimate that the state received a monthly remittance of Rs 2549 crores in 2023 which primarily contributed to subsistence of some of the most marginalised.
Rajan et al. (Sat,) studied this question.