Assessing the role of the state-supported rural employment scheme in mitigating distress migration in Odisha, India

This study examines the relationship between Odisha’s state-supported rural employment scheme and distress migration. Specifically, the program intends to supplement the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) by providing additional workdays and wage top-ups across four migration-prone districts. Data were collected from a total of 20 blocks across the four districts and analysed using a fractional regression model and independent t-tests. Peer influence and discrimination were identified as key push factors driving people to migrate. The results of the regression analysis indicated that both longer durations of employment and having a labour card were significantly negatively associated with migration. The wage differential was positively associated with migration rate, indicating that increasing wages is not enough to compensate for the potential increase in earnings at the destination. Therefore, creating sustained job opportunities is more effective than simply increasing wages as a way to reduce distress migration.