From Migration to Protection: Building a Safety Net for Families
Migration Resource Centre in Khunti
Migration is a common livelihood strategy for many families in Khunti district of Jharkhand. However, seasonal and distress migration often places migrant workers and their children in vulnerable situations. Families move across districts and sometimes across states in search of work, but in the process they lose access to social protection, education, and basic services. To address this gap, a Migration Resource Centre (MRC) is being established in Khunti to ensure protection, tracking, and access to welfare schemes for migrant families.
One of the major challenges is the absence of a proper tracking system for migrant families. When parents migrate for work, children often accompany them, leading to school dropouts and disruption in education. In many cases, this increases the risk of child labour and trafficking. There is also no systematic tracking of married girls who migrate after marriage, making them vulnerable to exploitation and social exclusion. The invisibility of migrant families within governance systems further deepens their marginalization.
Migrant workers frequently lack essential documentation and social security coverage such as Labour Cards and E-Shram registration. Without these protections, they face unsafe working conditions, wage exploitation, and lack of access to government welfare schemes. There is limited coordination between source and destination districts for inter-district and intra-state migration, making it difficult to respond in cases of distress, accidents, or rights violations.
The aim of the Migration Resource Centre is to identify and register migrant families at the Panchayat level before migration and to create a reliable tracking mechanism for workers and their children. The Centre will facilitate linkage with social welfare schemes, ensure labour registration, and support access to entitlements. Special attention will be given to children to prevent school dropouts and to promote continuity of education through coordination with schools at destination areas. Awareness on safe migration practices, labour rights, and anti-trafficking measures will also be provided to communities.
The long-term vision of the initiative is for the Panchayat to take ownership of the Migration Resource Centre after the pilot phase. Once the model is strengthened and refined in Khunti, it can be replicated in other Panchayats within the district and expanded across Jharkhand and other migration-prone states. By building a locally owned system, the initiative seeks to ensure sustainability and institutional accountability.
The Migration Resource Centre represents a proactive step towards creating a protective environment for migrant workers and their families. By strengthening tracking systems, improving access to social protection, and safeguarding children’s education and well-being, the Centre aims to transform migration from a risky survival strategy into a safer and more dignified livelihood option.
