The desperate homeward exodus of the migrant labourers from Bihar has busted many a myth about migration and development. Most of the migrants come from the Scheduled Castes (SC) and the Other Backward Castes (OBC) and so do a majority of those who die of Japanese Encephalitis. You may argue that it is so because they have the biggest share in the state’s population. But then, given their numerical strength, they should have had the greatest access to the fruits of development and the biggest share in the economy and prosperity. But their great numbers seem to have only translated into great misery for them.
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