Migration of Labour to Punjab and Disquiet. An Assessment.
Dinesh K Kapila. CGM (Retd) NABARD
(A very well edited piece appears in The Tribune of 09/12/2025).
“Migration isn't a one-directional process; it's a colossal process that has been happening in all directions for thousands of years”. Says Mohsin Hamid. The large-scale migration of labour from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (UP) to Punjab has been a major socio-economic phenomenon for decades, primarily driven by the demand for cheap labour in Punjab's agriculture (post-Green Revolution) and industry, and the lack of economic opportunities in Bihar/UP. This migration has led to significant economic interdependence but has also sparked cultural and social tensions.
It is a sensitive issue and needs to be assessed from varied prisms. The trigger for this thought and reflection are varied posts by some otherwise well educated and aware citizens, bemoaning the loss of Punjabi Culture as residents from other states were working here. The maximum concern was for the rural areas. One view, Is it a caste issue or a community issue or a state issue. Why do people migrate, is there a vacuum within Punjab which creates a pull factor. For labour from other states to move to Punjab. When we say Punjabi culture or Punjabiyatis impacted, can we discount the effect of multiple factors such as wages, caste, the expectations from the employment market,economic factors, outward migration, all these have to be factored in.
The primary complaints from certain sections of the populationin Punjab often revolve around the following perceived impact, its mainly cultural homogenization and demography, there is a concern that the growing presence of migrants is altering the state's traditional demographic balance and distinct Punjabi culture, language, and ethos ("Punjabiyat"). Perhaps religion too. The second factor is the perceived strain on resources, issues often cited are an increased pressure on local resources, infrastructure, and public services (like health and water supply), especially in rural areas. A small group says law and order concerns are predominant, they associate the rise in migration with an increase in petty crime or an overall decline in local safety and law-and-order situation. Recent high-profile criminal incidents involving migrants have intensified this backlash, leading to demands for migrants to be sent back. The emotional issue of language and identity is manifested in the fear of the dominance of Hindi or Bhojpuri in migrant-dense areas and is sometimes viewed as a threat to the primacy of the Punjabi language. More worrying is the growing social alienation with some villages and localities having reportedly passed resolutions or issued informal ultimatums asking migrants to vacate rented homes, reflecting a growing sense of social division and othering. Well, Antonio Guterres did write, “Migration powers economic growth, reduces inequalities, and connects diverse societies. Yet it is also a source of political tensions and human tragedies”.
An objective analysis reveals that the relationship between the migrants and Punjab is complex, mutually beneficial, yet fraught with inequality. There are a number of Issues related to this subject A perusal of newspaper reports on farm labour and the need for workers on farms from Bihar indicates justification primarily ranging from better adaptability for working in the hot sun, wiry physiques, coming for a short stay only to their asking for lower wages than Punjab’s own labour. The last point is the crux. Wages. The farm labour within Punjab are predominantly from what the newspapers and media call the Dalit Labour. Correctly to be stated as Scheduled Castes, in fact they are deprived of economic opportunities by way of labour, in a higher economic plane as Punjab is (though much declined of late), this segment will also seek higher wages but then this causes friction. The Dalit labour seeks higher wages while the land owner, mostly from the predominant land owningcommunity is unwilling. It happens every year and in Haryana too at places. The migrant labour, the words used to label labourfrom Bihar and UP, is the default option. It is only natural that some of the migrant labour employed on a regular basis would stay on and then build their own network. And are welcomed by many rural communities too.
Some activists from the Scheduled Castes from Punjab during meetings at districts around 2005 would at times raise issues such as the lack of equal economic opportunities and access to land and they still do so. The sense of alienation could be acute at times, as economics would be impacting communities. Some of the Scheduled Castes have chosen to migrate but the majority are within Punjab only. The caste cum community cum aspiration angle, it’s quite a volatile mix, it is deep rooted.
This is an issue which needs to be understood with ground realities. Twenty odd years ago, I would officially travel across the districts of Ropar, Nawanshahr and SAS Nagar and nearby districts. During a monitoring visit for drinking water projects, the labour for digging pipelines was from Kashmir. I told the Sarpanch if the Kashmiri labour are happy to work here, then so should be our boys from poor families and it is not even technical. Across what are now SAS Nagar, Rupnagar and SBS Nagar (Nawanshahr), this was often witnessed. The XEN, SDO, JE, Draftsmen and the like were obviously Punjabi as were the contractors and their main employees, the labour and overseers were mostly from other states. This was discussed repeatedly but the response always was not for our young men, they want much more as wages and a different lifestyle. The labour to construct OHSRs (overhead storage reservoirs) was from a few districts of Uttar Pradesh, for UGSRs from another part of UP. This itself indicates even twenty plus years ago the challenges in the employment scenario, primarily driven by aspirations for higher wages and society driven attitudes. I found at a few places drilling of tube wells in hard rock by labour from MP but the machinery was owned very much by businessmen from Punjab. A similar scenario was there in Irrigation projects including lining of canals or in public health projects. All these projects generated employment even if one off but for citizens from other states.
The officers and contractors would simply accept this as a given,as normal, plus there is the sensitive issue of certain caste or community members, being acutely mindful about their identity, being unable to take up any assignment for some projects even as an overseer. Similar was the condition as regards the construction of roads, a mix of labour from UP, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand. This was common through other districts. I still remember, Mohali was upcoming as a major centre of construction and so was Zirakpur, so after much assessment, mainly by me with the District Level officers, two training camps, for plumbers and carpenters were organised. The simplethought, after talking to the District Level Officers was that these two activities held out much promise for the poor youth. The District Administration, specially the Heads of Departments and the ADC all had one caution, even if the trainers and facilities were located close to Kharar, the boys from the predominant landed community would be reluctant to join and even if they do, it would be a stepping stone for working in the Middle East but not here. This turned out to be very accurate.And a couple of officers were very curious about how a trainer from a non farming community (Tarkhans) would handle the some of the clannish boys. Its these issues which impact us. Even otherwise, the expectations are for higher wages and better quality jobs among the youth of Punjab. Perhaps a function of being a more developed state. Activities proposed such as backyard poultry at that time got limited traction. Skillsets not in conformity with market requirements is another subset of such factors.
We cannot wish away these realities when we discuss emotive issues such as migrant labour impacting the culture and ethos of Punjab and at times the attempt is to exaggerate the impact.
Many children of farmers are themselves unwilling to take on labour jobs in the field, even if hiring labour comes with a cost. The rural communities have at times views very different from ideologues or thinkers cum influencers. At some seminars that were organized that time, at the district level, progressive farmers, with residences in their villages, took on retired army and civil officers when observations were made about the loss of culture by employing labour from other states. They were clear about their priorities and economics and the place the labourheld in their areas. Many stated they had deep linkages with the families of migrant labour. At times the farmers said, the city based residents were more bothered about this issue then they were.
Recently, two gentlemen discussed the issue of plumbers from Odisha and Bihar being mainly recommended by stores selling hardware. My considered view is that we cannot legislate on this, emotions are one thing, reality another. The young men from within Punjab are not opting for this trade. If they did so, it would create its own demand. Markets, including for labour, abhor vacuum, that is the fact of it.
If this scenario prevails, then the only options left for the youth in Punjab are farming, the forces, Govt jobs, services sector and the like. The investments in industry are limited and would require a more robust positive climate for being channelised here. Food processing and diversification are also limited. It is the poorer sections which get impacted the maximum within such societal prejudices. Agriculture in any case requires a degree of diversification for agribusinesses to evolve. And with a cash strapped Government, funds could be a concern for the developmental push including creating the infrastructure. Education, Vocational Training, Skill Development and importantly knowledge cum awareness is the key as also encouraging small businesses and entrepreneurship. The desire and hunger for employment opportunities, stability and incomes is certainly there but the creation of a conducive atmosphere cum infrastructure and societal acceptance for a more varied employment profile has also to be there.
We should also be aware about the Push-Pull Factor, the economic aspects. The migrants, often called "Bhaiyas" (a derogatory term in this context), perform the physically demanding, low-wage, and seasonal labour in agriculture and industry that the local Punjabi youth are increasingly unwilling to do. They are the backbone of Punjab's economy, ensuring farming continues to be viable and factories run efficiently.Migration itself provides a crucial income-smoothing strategy for families in Bihar and UP, helping them avoid destitution and funding basic needs like food, education, and housing construction through remittances. As Nayab Bukele says and is valid in this context, “So if people have an opportunity for a decent job, a decent education, a decent health care system and security, I know that forceful migration will be reduced to zero”.
That is surely an issue for Bihar and UP to sort out but as trends worldwide do indicate, it is economic opportunities and a degree of stability of income which drives migration. As one woman told me, if we had a good return on our crops and access to education and healthcare in Bihar, why would we be here. We have our own small piece of land and house, but no income.
It would be reasonable to state that as regards social and cultural exchange, the sinews and the reality of integration, this is largely limited even today. Despite decades of migration, integration remains largely economic rather than social. Migrants often live in segregated colonies or on the farm itself, retaining their distinct cultural practices and languages, in a deeply feudalistic society. This limited interaction helps fuel the "us vs. them" narrative. As an aside this applies to our migrants to Canada and the like too.
My interactions and the views of observors often reveal the vulnerability of migrants and their families, their social status within our social hierarchy is at par with their home states, they often lack land ownership and social capital, it makes them an exploitable labour force. While tensions certainly exist though the degree varies, migration also leads to a degree of cultural fusion, especially in cuisine and religious practices and migrant workers often frequent local Gurdwaras as well. A certain degree of cultural enrichment is there and in any case the existence of different cultural groups is a hallmark of any dynamic society . My recent interaction with a group had them referring to their “pinds” (villages) in Bihar.
A structural issue, the simultaneous migration of Punjabi youth to Canada, USA, Australia for better economic prospects, does create a labour vacuum. This creates an even greater dependency on the migrant workers while also increasing local resentment against the "outsiders" who seem to be replacing them. Maybe should there be a policy to protect the human rights, housing, and integration of the migrant population. When migrants face social backlash, their only protection is often legal intervention, which highlights the failure of local governance including the Police to manage this demographic change equitably.
It will be only fair to acknowledge that while the complaints of cultural impact are valid expressions of concern about change, the movement is fundamentally an economic necessity for Punjab, driven by deep-seated structural inequalities between the two regions. We can conclude that Punjab, Bihar and UP are bound by this migration, Punjab for its economy, and Bihar/UP for the livelihood of its people. The solution lies in better and adroit social, economic and political management, not forced reversal. As Jose Sramago says in The Notebook, “Let him who has not a single speck of migration to blot his family escutcheon cast the first stone...if you didn't migrate then your father did, and if your father didn't need to move from place to place, then it was only because your grandfather before him had no choice but to go, put his old life behind him in search of the bread that his own land denied him..”,.
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