Host: Rajiv Khandelwal, Director, Aajeevika Bureau

Moderator: Gautam Bhan, Indian Institute for Human Settlements

Panelists

Amita Bhide, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

Anant Maringanti, Hyderabad Urban Lab

Ravikant Joshi, Urban Management Centre

Renu Desai, Independent Researcher

The report, using findings from the pre-COVID period, examines the lives of migrant workers in Ahmedabad and Surat, across multiple work sectors and diverse castes, genders, language groups and source regions. Through the report, the researchers have asked the question, “How do migrant workers access public provisioning–housing, water, sanitation, food, and healthcare – in urban areas?”

The findings of the report suggest that the severe humanitarian crisis for over 100 million migrant workers is not unanticipated or caused solely by the COVID outbreak. It is rooted in India's urban policies and economic growth model, which excludes and alienates this vast group of workers while using them to boost industrial and infrastructural growth. For decades, migrant workers have relied on informal networks to access basic provisioning, which has severe implications for the cost, quality, and reliability of access to a basic, dignified survival. The panel discusses the above themes and looks at policy and practice opportunities for moving towards migrant-inclusive cities in the post-COVID 19 period.

Read the full report at:

https://bit.ly/unlockingtheurban

The summary of the report is available at:

English version: https://bit.ly/UTUenglishsummary

Hindi version: https://bit.ly/UTUhindisummary