50 lakh people likely to migrate from NE in 5 years: Report

KOLKATA: Exodus of people from northeast is at its peak and in the next five years, around 50 lakh people from the region are likely to migrate to other parts of the country for education and jobs, a study said.

Attributing poor infrastructure for higher education in the region as the main reason for the exodus, the study conducted by New Delhi-based think tank ' North East Support Centre & Helpline' said, "Migration (from northeast) is at its peak now...50 lakh people are expected to migrate in the next five years."

According to the research findings, exodus from the region has increased 12 times in the last five years with 414,850 people migrating in 2010.

"Lack of employment opportunities, economic backwardness and socio-political unrest are other reasons for the exodus," the report said.

Around 66 per cent of the people migrate for higher studies, while the remaining 35 per cent do so for employment opportunities, it said.

According to estimates, currently over 2,75,000 students from the Northeast have migrated to other cities of the country, particularly Delhi and the NCR region.

Only five per cent of the migrants return to their native state on completion of their studies, while those who work in government jobs and private sector stay there until they retire, the study said.

The study warns that with the increase in migration, cases of racial discrimination and sexual violence against those from the region are going to increase.

"The challenges of racial discrimination and sexual violence faced by Northeast communities in mega cities will also increase," the study said, adding that there has been a paradigm shift from racial discrimination to sexual violence and from sexual violence to human trafficking.