Book Chapters

This chapter looks at the relationship between inequality, labour migration and development in India. It examines migration-inequality-development relationship with a focus on those who are left behind in the process of structural economic transformation and livelihood change in India. While recent years have witnessed substantial rise in labour mobility in India, socio-economic inequalities often mean migration options are not available to all individuals and households, nor are the outcomes same for all members of the participating households.

Our study analysed LULC changes between 1998 and 2018 in the East and South districts of Sikkim using multispectral Landsat imagery (Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS). We applied supervised classification with the Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) and employed post-classification change detection techniques. The findings showed that built-up areas mainly expanded at the expense of agricultural land and vegetation, underscoring the unsustainable trajectory of the ongoing land use patterns.