Internal migration in Haryana during the age of the COVID-19 pandemic: understanding the root causes, impacts, and policy consequences

While the process of migration is one of the paramount factors which determine the socio-economic and demographic structure of every nation, at the same time internal movement of migrants, interestingly, is responsible for changing the internal pattern of the population within the country. This paper attempts to comprehend the general statistics of internal migration in the Indian state of Haryana during the phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and to find out how the outbreak has affected the state's socio-economic and demographic structure. Apart from this, various reasons/factors responsible for this migration flow during this particular phase have been identified through a primary survey conducted post-lock-down period (January–July 2022). Additionally, disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak have been identified using a Hennery Garrett ranking technique. At last, a different public policy has been proposed to address the socio-economic issue brought on by COVID-19 medical exigency.