The Migration Story

Strait of Hormuz Chokes India's cooking gas supply, endangering thousands of livelihoods

In Telangana's withering grape farms, workers toil to sustain the harvest In grape farms on the outskirts of Hyderabad, hundreds of workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha train delicate vines through flowering, fruiting, and harvesting stages across seasons all year round. Today, this workforce finds itself at a fork in the road, as 15,000 acres of grape farms in the 1990s have been reduced to just 400 acres in the last three decades. @AlmaasMasood reports for The Migration Story

Across India’s social impact ecosystem, organisations working in development, migration, livelihoods, education, health, and climate action are producing important work on the ground. Yet many of these efforts remain under-told or insufficiently communicated beyond reports and documentation. The ability to translate field realities into compelling narratives has therefore become a critical skill for development professionals. The Migration Story, in collaboration with @presitgeuniversityindia is pleased to announce Narratives for Impact, a two-day intensive workshop on storytelling for development communication professionals This workshop is designed for: ⚫ Professionals working with non-profits, NGOs and social enterprises ⚫ Communication officers and program associates in development organisations ⚫ Early-career journalists interested in development reporting ⚫ Researchers, fellows and practitioners engaged in migration, livelihoods, public policy and social impact ⚫ Young professionals seeking to strengthen their development communication skills 📅 April 19–20, 2026 📍 Prestige University, Indore 💰 ₹7,000 (includes accommodation, food & workshop kit) 🪑 Only 20–25 seats ⏰ Apply by March 31, 2026 🔗 Apply here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…

Read @pirouetteworld Aishwarya Mohanty's ground report here: themigrationstory.com/post/i-now-sle…

Viral videos, Forest Rights and a village that stayed back In Khamdodgi, a small village in Chhattisgarh, securing community forest rights under the FRA marked a turning point. With control over their forest and a revived water reservoir, the village began building new, locally rooted livelihoods. Self-help groups are now working with a range of forest produce, while the reservoir has been developed for activities like boating and eco-tourism using locally sourced materials like bamboo. Viral videos showcasing these efforts have brought a surge of visitors, expanding tourism and income opportunities for the community. With more diverse livelihoods available within the village, migration has gradually slowed down.

Read Aishwarya Mohanty's @pirouetteworld story here: themigrationstory.com/post/waiting-f… #IranIsraelUSwar #Gulfattacked #indiansingulf #migrationtogulf #TheMigrationStory

Our latest report looks at how the escalating conflict in West Asia is disrupting the journeys of Indian workers preparing to migrate to the Gulf. Nearly 9–10 million Indians live and work across Gulf countries, making it one of the world’s largest labour migration corridors. But flight disruptions are leaving many workers stranded. Those who had already secured visas, borrowed 50,000 Rs to 2 lakh Rs for recruitment and travel, and reached cities like Ahmedabad or Delhi for their flights are now stuck waiting. Experts estimate up to four lakh migrant workers could be affected if the disruptions continue. And yet, outside visa offices, the queues remain — because for many families across rural India, migration to the Gulf still represents remittances, savings, and the hope of economic mobility.

Watch our video on how Delhi's street vendors and small restaurants grapple with using gas- and coal-based tandoors or braziers during anti-pollution curbs youtu.be/Z97QD6jWMcI

Full podcast here: youtu.be/lyfrqd1b60w

Inside India’s Scam Economy Every few weeks, we hear about a new online scam, a phishing call, a fake bank message, or a cyber fraud that wipes out someone’s savings. In India, the name Jamtara has almost become synonymous with this world of scams, popularised by news reports and the hit Netflix series. But what lies beyond the headlines? In this episode of The Migration Story Podcast, Aishwarya Mohanty @pirouetteworld in conversation with Snigdha Poonam, journalist and author of Scamlands: Inside the Asian Empire of fraud that preys on the world, to unpack the social, economic, and migration stories behind India’s scam networks.

Smoke Signals: How anti-pollution hubs choke street food culture @sajid_ali_mir reports from the ground. Insights from @janpahal & @TERI

#InternationalWomensDay #Replug ‘Our kitchens are never empty’: Sun-dried vegetables save the dry days in Banswara Reported by Aishwarya Mohanty themigrationstory.com/post/our-kitch…

#InternationalWomensDay #Replug In a 10×12 Mumbai tenement, the cost of staying cool themigrationstory.com/post/in-a-10x1… Reported by @Hepzia

#InternationalWomensDay #Replug Amid deportations, An Indian state offers lessons in safe migration themigrationstory.com/post/amid-depo… Reported by Mahima Jain

#InternationalWomensDay #Replug The invisible labour of migrant women in Kochi themigrationstory.com/post/the-invis… Reported by Ambuja Raj

#InternationalWomensDay #Replug In Karnataka’s mining-affected areas, women fear reversal of rural employment guarantee gains Invitation piece by Bhanumathi Kalluri themigrationstory.com/post/in-karnat…

#InternationalWomensDay In the ‘Land of Mowgli,’ women find rare entry into ecotourism jobs themigrationstory.com/post/in-the-la… Priyamvada Mangal reports