COVID-19, Reverse Migration and Crisis Management: A Study of the Model of Government of Uttar Pradesh (India)

With the outbreak of the global pandemic of COVID-19, India witnessed one of the largest reverse migrations in its entire history. Amid continuously streaming heart-rending visuals of migrant workers struggling to somehow return to their place of origin, Uttar Pradesh emerged as the recipient of huge 3.2 million migrant workers employed in the informal sector. Accepting, welcoming, helping, encouraging and offering employment to those destitute workers amid the pandemic was a difficult task for the state government. An appropriate management of this problem has made it a classic case of crisis management by a state chief minister who dares to think beyond the reflex paranoia about resource crunch so as to come up with an improvised strategy. Purpose of this article is to discuss the crisis of reverse migration amid COVID-19 and the initiatives taken by the Government of Uttar Pradesh. The article uses case study approach to analyse the problem of livelihood faced by the migrant workers and the innovative model of employment and rehabilitation envisioned and implemented by the state government. Based on secondary data, it observes positive impact of skill mapping and other key strategies of the Government of Uttar Pradesh.

Insights into Sorption–Mineralization Mechanism for Sustainable Granular Composite of MgO-CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-CO2 Based on Nanosized Adsorption Centers and Its Effect on Aqueous Cu(II) Removal

Although copper is needed for living organisms at low concentrations, it is one of the pollutants that should be monitored along with other heavy metals. A novel and sustainable composite mineralizing sorbent based on MgO-CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-CO2 with nanosized adsorption centers was synthesized using natural calcium–magnesium carbonates and clay aluminosilicates for copper sorption. An organometallic modifier was added as a temporary binder and a source of inovalent ions participating in the reactions of defect formation and activated sintering. The sorbent-mineralizer samples of specified composition and properties showed irreversible sorption of Cu2+ ions by the ion exchange reactions Ca2+ ↔ Cu2+ and Mg2+ ↔ Cu2+. The topochemical reactions of the ion exchange 2OH− → CO32−, 2OH− → SO42− and CO32− → SO42− occurred at the surface with formation of the mixed calcium–copper carbonates and sulfates structurally connected with aluminosilicate matrix. The reverse migration of ions to the environment is blocked by the subsequent mineralization of the newly formed interconnected aluminosilicate and carbonate structures.

Livelihood Challenges and Mitigation Strategies Adopted During COVID-19 Lockdown Period

Over the past century, apart from COVID-19, human civilization has seen five other significant pandemics such as the H1N1 outbreak in 2009, Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014, and subsequent outbreak in Congo in 2019, Zika outbreak in 2016, etc. However, of all these outbreaks, perhaps the COVID-19 pandemic is unparalleled due to the global proportions that it has assumed. The severity of the epidemic can be seen in terms of the number of lives lost and the multi-dimensional impact that COVID-19 has had upon the economies of nations and lives of people. Beyond the physical sphere of human life, COVID-19 has also impacted human life's social, mental, and economic aspects. This study was conducted to understand the livelihood challenges faced by the residents of 5 villages in Mulshi taluka during the lockdown period. In-depth interviews were conducted with three respondents from each village (15 respondents). The study drew upon the insights given by key opinion leaders in the towns such as Sarpanch and elected members of the gram panchayat, ASHA workers, ration shop owners etc. Identify the livelihood challenges faced by the people during the lockdown imposed due to COVID-19. Describe the strategies adopted by the people to overcome the challenges to livelihood faced by the people. The residents of the village's studies faced various challenges related to agriculture such as lack of manpower to harvest produce, lack of transportation facilities to transport produce to markets, lack of storage facilities to store agricultural produce etc, loss of employment faced by daily wage laborers due to non-operational status of small businesses during the lockdown period and challenges due to reverse migration.

Microfluidic Systems to Study Neutrophil Forward and Reverse Migration

During infection, neutrophils are the most abundantly recruited innate immune cells at sites of infection, playing critical roles in the elimination of local infection and healing of the injury. Neutrophils are considered to be short-lived effector cells that undergo cell death at infection sites and in damaged tissues. However, recent in vitro and in vivo evidence suggests that neutrophil behavior is more complex and that they can migrate away from the inflammatory site back into the vasculature following the resolution of inflammation. Microfluidic devices have contributed to an improved understanding of the interaction and behavior of neutrophils ex vivo in 2D and 3D microenvironments. The role of reverse migration and its contribution to the resolution of inflammation remains unclear. In this review, we will provide a summary of the current applications of microfluidic devices to investigate neutrophil behavior and interactions with other immune cells with a focus on forward and reverse migration in neutrophils.

Return Migration: The Second Major Outbreak due to COVID-19 in India

COVID-19 pandemic made a severe impact on the developing countries. According to the “World Economic Situation and Prospects” report by the United Nations, as of mid-2021, this global crisis has clearly worsened poverty and within-country inequality, and it is expected that it will leave long-lasting scars on labor markets while reversing progress on poverty and income inequality in many economies. The context in India, in this sense, is complex. The article corresponds to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on internal migration. The rapid spread of the pandemic shook nations across the world, bringing about a broad lockdown that cinched down on versatility, business exercises, and social communications. In India, the pandemic encouraged an extreme emergency of portability, with transient workers in many significant urban areas looking to get back to the places where they were initially from. Their frantic attempts to get back using any and all means accessible delivered the lockdown incapable in a few regions, provoking conflicts with authorities, last-minute approaches, alleviation, and, in the end, unplanned transport measures. This paper expects to reveal insight into the weakness of India's internal migrants as far as their gender, mobility, and emotional wellbeing. As COVID-19 was India’s first significant outbreak in 2020, the “reverse migration” proves to be the second major outbreak.

Challenges of reverse migration in India: a comparative study of internal and international migrant workers in the post-COVID economy

In India, the major drivers of both internal and international migration are the prevailing unemployment, competitive labour market and enhanced livelihood prospects in the destination state or country. However, the nationwide lockdown and the sealing of inter-state and international borders to control the COVID-19 pandemic triggered the reverse migration of informal migrant workers. This requires the central and state governments to collectively forge strategies to enable their reverse migration and smooth reintegration in the post-COVID economy. In this paper, we have focused on the inter-state migrants in India and returnee migrants only from Gulf countries as they account for two-thirds of Indian migrants living abroad. This study conducted a comparative analysis of the Indian government’s varied approach towards its internal and international migrants during their reverse migration, repatriation and reintegration after the announcement of the lockdown. Firstly, the paper compares the challenges faced by internal and international migrant workers during these stages with the help of in-depth interview data collected from migrants and social workers. Secondly, the varied governmental responses towards their repatriation are discussed. Thirdly, it analyses the obstacles in their economic reintegration to help frame suitable welfare policies for the Indian migrant community.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and reverse migration of workers during lock down their health and prevention

Migrant workers are a valuable community for developing the Indian economy; adverse effect occurs on their mental and physical health during this pandemic situation. The coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic emerged in India due to spread nationwide from China, Wuhan city, and then Spread overall, 213 Countries and Territories worldwide have been reported. The Indian Government immediately set up a lockdown and quarantined the patients in the hospital and declared that area as a contentment Zone to avoid infection transmission. In this pandemic situation, many labour workers were living with their families in metropolitan cities. The urgent demand for public transport in the migrant workers from different states in India. For reaching them to the native place. These lead to spreading the coronavirus infection and increase the cases of nCOVID-19. It concluded that public health services and transportation for the migrant worker to reach the native place from all states. A maximum number of trains were needed, rather than travel restriction aware of them regarding wearing of Mask, Handwashing, and Quarantine after travelled. It has been six months since COVID -19; many questions remain unanswered about the coronavirus and its pathology. It was clear by global authorities that countries need to plan and increase health clear awareness and facilities for the migrant workers.

Neutrophil reverse migration from liver fuels neutrophilic inflammation to tissue injury in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis

Inflammation is a hallmark in the progression of nonalcoholic-fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Patients with NAFLD are characterized by a chronic low-grade systemic metabolic inflammation (i.e., metainflammation), which contributes to exacerbated however dysfunctional immune response. Neutrophils play an important pathological role in NAFLD progression to NASH; however, how NASH and associated chronic systemic inflammation impact overall the neutrophil response to injury is completely unexplored. Here, we investigated how neutrophil response to tissue injury is altered by the presence of NASH. We used a diet-induced NASH zebrafish model combined with tailfin transection in transgenic zebrafish larvae to study neutrophilic inflammation. Live non-invasive confocal microscopy was used to investigate neutrophil recruitment to tailfin injury through time. Photoconvertion of neutrophils at the liver area followed by time-lapse microscopy was performed to evaluate migration of neutrophils from liver to tailfin injury. Metformin and Pentoxifylline were used to pharmacologically reduce NASH and liver inflammation. We found that larvae with NASH display systemic inflammation and increased myelopoiesis. NASH larvae display a dysfunctional and exacerbated neutrophil response to tailfin injury, characterized by increased neutrophil recruitment, and delayed resolution of inflammation. Interestingly, we showed that neutrophils undergo reverse migration from the NASH liver to the wounded tailfin area. Finally, pharmacological treatment of NASH with Pentoxifylline and Metformin significantly reduced systemic chronic inflammation and the exacerbated recruitment of neutrophils to tissue injury. Taken together, our findings suggest that NASH exacerbates neutrophilic inflammation probably via neutrophil priming at the liver, which can further undergo reverse migration and respond to secondary inflammatory triggers such as tissue injury. Reverse migration of primed neutrophils from the liver might be an important mechanism that fuels the exacerbated neutrophil response observed in NASH conditions and associated metainflammation contributing to poor prognosis and increasing death in patients with metabolic syndrome.

Economic Contribution of Homestay Tourism: A Case Study of Magar Homestay of Naruwal, Lamjung

Tourism involving homestay is one of the Nepal government's key efforts to diversify its cultural tourism product. Moreover, homestay can be a new model of tourism development in Nepal. This article aims to highlight the economic contribution of homestay entities based on the descriptive design. Data were collected from the ten homestay entities of Magar homestay at Naruwal, Lamjung through in-depth interviews. The contribution of homestays has been studied from various aspects like average income earned, the number of jobs created, women entrepreneurs, reverse migration, development of infrastructure, rise in living standard, etc. The result shows that the rate of income and expenditure has been gradually increased since the date of homestay tourism commencement in the community. This study has found that many of the respondents have managed their daily expenditures through the income of homestay entities. All homestay operators have reported the increment in their economic status. However, it is also found that there is a need to improve the quality of service to increase the flow of national and international visitors/tourists.