A Report

Migration is an integral part of human history. Global civilization is shaped by continuous movement of people due to factors such as climate change, natural disasters, socio-economic and political reasons. It is a world wide phenomenon that affects both the places of origin and destination. It leads to qualitative and quantitative changes in the demography and social fabric of a society.

These changes raise certain issues related to migration as a process and the migrants, as a displaced category. These issues need to be addressed and demand intense attention of scholars. To understand the complexities and challenges of migration process, a two-day national conference was jointly organized by the Departments of Sociology and Geography of the IIS University, Jaipur.

A brief report of the deliberations of the conference is as follows:

No endeavour is successful without invoking the blessings of the Divine. The inaugural session of the conference began with the lighting of the lamp, after which Dr. Ashok Gupta, Conference Chairman and Vice Chancellor, The IIS University; Jaipur extended a warm welcome to the guests, participants and Resource Persons. He expressed the need for a critical examination of issues related to migration and development of effective strategies thereof. Mentioning the interesting importance of immigrants in our day to day life, Prof. N.K. Jain, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The IIS University, Jaipur; highlighted the Aims and Objectives of the Conference.

Dr. Margaret Walton Roberts, Director, International Migration Research Center, Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario, Waterloo, Canada, in her Key Note Address on Transnational Arbitragers discussed the role of immigration consultants, who capitalize on “War of talent”. She also

highlighted the relationship between changing Canadian immigration policy and wider societal changes in Punjab. The session ended with a vote of thanks by Organising Secretary,               Dr. V.K. Bhardwaj.

The Inaugural session was followed by the plenary session of the first technical session chaired by Dr. Margaret Walton Roberts. Prof. B.C. Upreti, Director, South Asia Studies Center, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur; Prof. Rajiv Gupta, Head, Department of Sociology, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur; Dr. N.N. Sawant, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Smt. Parvati Bai Chowgle College, Margaon, Goa and Prof. Krishna Mohan, Chairman, Department of Geography, Panjab University, Chandigarh, were the speakers of this session. Prof. Upreti mentioned the complexities of South Asian region. Migration, he believes, can be dealt with effectively if SAARC takes an initiative to manage it. Prof. Rajiv Gupta expressed his views on this impact of               neo-liberal economy on the socio-political dimensions of migration in India. Dr. Sawant presented an interesting case study on overseas migration of the Goan Catholic menfolk and its impact on their family and spouses. Prof. Krishna Mohan expressed his concern over inter-state migration and its threat to the social and economic fabric of the nation.

The presentations in this technical session focused on issues related to International migration and Diaspora displacement. Ms. Sameena Hamid elaborated upon the contribution of Indian Migration to gulf economy as well as the challenges faced by the Indian community in the gulf during contemporary turmoil facing the Arab Region and their prospects post Arab Spring.                        Dr. J.D. Soni discussed the future trends of International migration vis-à-vis India. He discussed the various dimensions of effective strategic framework for managing migration. Prof. Nisha Yadav presented her views on trends in reverse migration of trained professionals from the United States and its reasons thereof. She also suggested some strategies to be adopted in order to prevent ‘out migration’ of talent and support ‘reverse migration.’ The session ended with the concluding remarks of Prof. Krishna Mohan, Chairperson of the session.

The historical aspects and trends in migration, impact on genetics and sex ratio, traditional knowledge system and challenges to livelihood were brought forth by the participants in the parallel session on Indian Migration: Development and Challenges (Parallel Session-II A) chaired by Prof. Rajiv Gupta. Mr. Nalin Singh Negi analyzed the migration complexities in India and assessed its course from historical background. Dr. Vipin Saini noticed the growth of urbanization with reference to western Rajasthan. Ms. Sarika Bhatt presented various trends and implications of migration in the State of Uttarakhand. Dr. Alpana Trivedi presented a case study

of Madhya Pradesh and explained the effect of internal migration on human development.              Dr. Sreemoyee Chatterjee discussed migration with respect to endogamy and its impact on genetics. Dr. Archana Purohit put forward her views on changes and challenges among the immigrants of Madhya Pradesh. Dr. Smriti Ashok presented an analysis of Traditional knowledge system and livelihood. Dr. Sarina Kalia viewed the tourist industry as an asset for the economic development of the country. Ms. Pratibha Asudani examined the social and cultural implications like multiculturalism and diversity in her paper. Ms. Sujata Ganguli presented a case study of  Rural Varanasi in India in which she put forward the plight of wives left behind by their husbands. Dr. Raakhi Shukla presented a paper depicting the socio-economic status of immigrants in the urban fringe of Indore.

Deliberations were also made on migration from Rural to Urban spaces in the parallel session on Rural-Urban Migration: Indian Context (Parallel Session II B). Its effects and implications were discussed and a need for effective policy intervention was emphasized. The session was chaired by Dr. N.N. Sawant. The first speaker, Dr. Deepa Pareek, analyzed the reasons of migration from rural to urban areas. Dr. Mini Mathur dealt with the study of inter-district rural urban migration and its socio-economic implications in Rajasthan. Ms. Renu Poonia presented her views on Rural-Urban Migration in the context of gender inequalities. Dr. Arti Sharma expressed the need for effective policy interventions to safeguard the interest of women labourers.               Dr. Govind Ram Yadav and Pawan Aswal, while dealing with rural migration, stressed upon the need to reform and strengthen the strategy to accelerate the rate of development in south-western Rajasthan. Ms. Shivani Batra in her presentation gave views about NREGA and its role in preventing migration in some of the areas of Rajasthan. Dr. Hansa Lunayach analyzed the factors concerning Displacement due to geographical reasons.

The second day of the conference (Sepember10, 2011) started with deliberations on ‘Migration in South Asia: Its Complexities and Challenges’.

The Plenary session of the III technical session was chaired by Prof. R.N. Mishra, who invited          Mr. Simon Chilvers and Dr. V.K. Bhardwaj to deliver their lectures. Mr. Chilvers stated that studies, typically in emphasizing the spatial movement of populations, tend to downplay the historical discontinuity that exists among different practices of South Asian migration and that different institutions frame the decisions of collection of individuals at different times.                He illustrated his perspective with a synoptic presentation of Deccan history from the earlier to the present times. He emphasized on a critical understanding of ‘migration’ as an ideological category. Dr. Vinod Kumar Bhardwaj illustrated the problems and practices of women trafficking

in Nepal. He stressed on strengthening social institutions to combat the problem of Human Trafficking.

The presentations in this session focused on various issues related to the trends and patterns of migration in South Asia. Prof. R.D, Doi discussed the threats posed by the Bangladeshi migrants in Jaipur City. Mr. Dinoj Upadhyaya analyzed the displacement of people from Afghanistan and discussed how ‘state-building’ can promote development and control displacement. He also discussed the major challenges to state-building in Afghanistan. Ms. Deepshikha Parashar analyzed the problems and prospects of Bangladeshi migrants in India. Dr. Archana Gupta presented her views on trends and patterns of migration in South Asia. Dr. Nidhi Sharma discussed migration due to climate change in the Asia-Pacific region. Mr. Ashwini Kumar and Javed Khan addressed the issue of socio-economic implications of Bangladeshi immigrants in Assam. The session ended with the concluding remarks of the Chairperson, Prof. B.C. Upreti.

The parallel session of the IV technical session, Human Trafficking: Issues and Challenges, chaired by Mr. Simon Chilvers, focused on the Issues and Challenges of Human Trafficking.             Dr. Sumanna V. Pandey elaborated on human trafficking and child labour in Rajasthan. Mr. Prem Bahadur discussed the legal complications of labour trafficking in Nepal. Ms. Chanda Asani put forward some case studies related to human trafficking.

The presentations in the session on Health Hazards and Migration chaired by Prof. R.D. Doi focused on the nutritional status of children of migrated families and physical and mental health challenges among the migrants. Prof. Ila Joshi presented an empirical study on the nutritional status of children of migrated families. Ms. Priyanka examined the factors determining the health risks and quality of life of the migrants. The sessions ended with the concluding remarks of chairpersons.

The conference concluded with the Panel discussion initiated by Prof. N.K. Jain, involving the participation of Dr. A. Rehman and Dr. Walton Roberts and Prof. Nisha Yadav.

The two day conference on Human Migration has provided the required platform to all researchers and academicians to deliberate on this really important issue which is the need of the hour. Many issues have been raised and effective strategies to cope with these issues have emerged. We hope that this conference proves to be a milestone in the field of Human Migration and we are able to carry forward our researches in this direction to come up with more concrete solutions and strategies to face the complexities and challenges of migration.