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COVID-19

Optimizing Migrant Worker Movement During COVID-19 Pandemic in India

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Researchers at Queen's University Belfast have published a study on developing models to minimize the economic impact and infection rate of COVID-19 in India. During the pandemic, millions of migrant workers were transported to their home states when workplaces shut down, posing challenges to governments in minimizing economic impact while ensuring the risk of infection was kept under control. The study found that the number of days of lockdown significantly impacted the results, and a higher number of days of lockdown implied that people traveled to their home state and remained there.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study developed models based on secondary data from governmental and non-governmental sources to minimize the economic impact while keeping the rate of infection low.
  • The number of days of lockdown had a significant impact on the results, with fewer days of lockdown resulting in workers remaining in their work state as the preferred outcome.
  • Beyond a certain threshold percentage of migrant workers returning to their work state, it became optimal for the government to encourage workers to travel to their home state.
  • The proportion of workers who were willing to return to their work state played a crucial role in the results, especially for moderate numbers of lockdown days.
  • The study found an important trade-off between the budget and infection rate 'R' for governments to consider.
  • Minimizing the risk of infection requires an additional budget, as concluded by the research.
  • The study included authors Niladri Palit, Atanu Chaudhuri, and Nishikant Mishra from Queen's University Belfast.

Statistics:

  • The study used secondary data from governmental and non-governmental sources.
  • The number of days of lockdown significantly impacted the results, with a higher number of days of lockdown resulting in workers traveling to their home state and remaining there.
  • The proportion of workers willing to return to their work state played an important role in the results, especially for moderate numbers of lockdown days.
  • The study concluded that minimizing the risk of infection requires an additional budget.

Sources:

  • Humanitarian Management Strategy for Interstate Movement of Migrant Workers In India During Covid-19 Pandemic: an Optimization Based Approach. Annals of Operations Research, 2025;348(3):1879-1924.
  • NewsRx. Studies from Queen's University Belfast in the Area of COVID-19 Described (Humanitarian Management Strategy for Interstate Movement of Migrant Workers In India During Covid-19 Pandemic: an Optimization Based Approach). Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA. June 22, 2025; p 204.
  • Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
  • Niladri Palit, Atanu Chaudhuri, and Nishikant Mishra.

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