Migration: causes and effects
Key Words
Migration, brain drain, brain gain, remittances, globalization.
Abstract
Migration is movement of people between regions or countries. It is the
process of moving from the use of one operating environment to other
operating environment that is, in most cases, is thought to be a better one.
Immigration and emigration are usually reserved for migration into and out
of countries respectively. Migration may be temporary, with the intention of
returning to the country of origin in the future or permanent or migrants may
not have decided between these alternatives at the time of migration. In this
age of globalization, migration is a very common feature. The main causes
of Migration in India are huge population, rigid educational system, lack of
good job opportunities etc. Migration results in to brain drain, talent shortage,
reverse brain drain, remittances etc. Migration can be taken as one of the
positive factors in the era of globalization which helps in the free flow and
exchange of ideas, commodities, and technology along with talents. It has
its own positives and negatives. In Indian context, as of today, migration has
resulted in to brain circulation. The present paper is an attempt to examine
the causes and effects of Migration in India.
Introduction
Migration is movement of people between regions or countries. It is the
process of moving from the use of one operating environment to other
operating environment that is, in most cases, is thought to be a better one.
Immigration and emigration are usually reserved for migration into and out
of countries respectively. Migration may be temporary, with the intention of
returning to the country of origin in the future, or permanent or migrants may
not have decided between these alternatives at the time of migration.
India has become a very prominent source of skilled labour migration. The
flow of Indian professionals is towards the United States, Canada, the United
Kingdom and many other similar destinations. In 2010, India with an estimated
stock of 11.4 million emigrants was the second emigration country in the
world, behind Mexico (11.9 million). An important place in the flows of well-
trained Indian migrants is taken by Indian students. India, for example,
accounts for 5.5% of the 2.8 million students studying outside their home-
country. After China (421,100), the country sends the greatest number of
students abroad 153,300.
The ex-prime minister of India, Shri. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s address to the
Global Organisation of Persons of Indian Origin (GOPIO) at New Delhi in
January, 2001 reflects the perception of the Indian polity towards the highly
qualified and experienced emigrants of India settled abroad. Expressing the
pride of the Indian nation on the legendary success stories of Indian
entrepreneurs abroad, he is reported to have said “from hi-tech chip
laboratories to curry restaurants, from renowned hospitals to famous
