Financial and Psychological Distress among Internal Migrants during COVID-19: A Study on Migrants from Nagaland, A Remote State of India

Livika Chophi, Amrita School of Business, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Bangalore
Angan Sengupta, Department Of Management, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Bangalore
Anant Pandey, Amrita School of Business, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Bengaluru
Pratibha Saini, Department Of Management, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Bangalore

In India, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected migrants’ lives stranded outside their hometown, unable to return due to travelling restrictions, both financially and psychologically, especially those from poor socio-economic backgrounds, without job and healthy living condition and coming from remote places. This study examines the extend of financial and psychological distress among migrant population from Nagaland, a remote north-eastern state of India, which included both stranded and return migrants. Data was collected using an online questionnaire survey from 360 migrants. Two out of five migrants managed their expenses through financial support from friends and family, while 35% of them managed through personal savings, and very less got bank loans (1.9%) or received government assistance (0.3%). Half of the migrants demonstrated high stress levels, while returned migrants were in a comparatively better status. There were significant and positive associations between job status and stress parameters (vulnerable to covid-19, feeling low/unhappy, lost interest in aspects of life, fatigued, lost interest in work, difficulty in decision making, insomnia, and lost appetite). Three-fourth of our respondents were aware of the government scheme offered to Nagaland migrants stuck outside Nagaland. But only 31.9% applied for it, of which only 52.3% received any amount.

Keywords: International Migration, Internal Migration and Urbanization, Population, Shocks and Pandemics

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