Can Maharashtra survive another migrant worker exodus?

Back in 2008, MNS violence triggered a mass exodus of migrant workers from Maharashtra crippling the economy.

Transcript

00:00Back in 2008, amid a global economic meltdown and a local election around the corner,

00:09Raj Thakre's MNS was targeting Hindi-speaking migrant workers predominantly from northern

00:14India and Mumbai. Thakre blamed the violence on the dadagiri of migrants from states like UP

00:23and Bihar. What followed? Widespread attacks on migrant labourers, taxi drivers, construction

00:31workers, even actors and politicians. The fallout? A mass exodus of migrant workers from Maharashtra.

00:44The economic and industrial ramifications which followed destabilized several sectors of the

00:49state's economy. Maharashtra has nearly 79 lakh migrant workers, as per the Press Information

00:54Bureau. When they leave, the state's economy takes a hit. And after the MNS agitation in 2008,

01:00exactly that happened. Mumbai's construction industry was hit the hardest, since 70-80%

01:06of daily wage workers had left. Not just Mumbai, other cities suffered too. As per the Economic

01:11Times, construction sites in Pune fell by 40%, while wages surged by 250%, from Rs. 350 per

01:18day to 750 per day, causing builders to cite a 75% slowdown in activity.

01:29North Indian workers dominated the taxi, rickshaw, hotel and delivery workforce, and their sudden

01:34exit caused logistical issues and delays. Commercial taxi operators reported a 40-50% drop in driver

01:40availability.