By Suchi Kapuria, 360info

In February, the Indian media reported the death of two young men on the Ukraine-Russian war front. They were among 30 people from different Indian states who paid huge sums of money to agents to work as “helpers” for the Russian army.

Some of them were allegedly drafted into the Russian army and sent to the front to fight. Some, such as Arbab Hussain from Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh have not been heard of for weeks. Their relatives back home are worried, with the Indian government unable to provide much assistance.

In 2018, 39 Indian workers were killed in Iraq. Of these, 27 were from Punjab, while the others were from Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar.

Punjab's Unemployment Crisis

At the heart of Punjab's migration crisis is widespread unemployment.

The scale and quality of employment in Punjab is also on the decline. The India Employment Report 2024 reveals that the state dropped three ranks from 13th in 2005 to 16th in 2022. Unemployment among educated young people (15 to 29 years) shot up from 22.95 percent to 26.33 percent during the same period.

While no precise data exists on the volume of international migration from Punjab, there are indicators of the outflow. One report suggests that since 2012 Punjab's police authorities issued over 1 million immigration clearance certificates to people wanting to travel overseas.

The story of Punjab's young men taking “irregular” routes to emigrate to other countries is not new.

A 2009 United Nations Office on Drug and Crime report claimed that each year more than 20,000 young people from Punjab attempt to migrate illegally to other countries. While their target destinations were recorded to be 57 countries, authorities detected forged visas of 41 countries in use in Punjab and Haryana in 2010.

Punjab’s migrants use both legal and illegal channels to enter foreign countries, primarily in search of jobs. Illegal migrants have often used east European or Asian countries bordering mainland Europe as transit points to finally reach their desired destinations.

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