An opinion piece that discusses migrants and the nation’s economy, polity and society. The author argues that India’s multilevel federalism needs to be protected to make internal migration safe, orderly and regular.

The author argues for the deployment of humanitarian philanthropy which a trans-South Asian can exhibit to support sustainable development in the countries of their origin particularly to achieve the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) objective through contributions in the fields of education and health.

Dr Binod Khadria talks to the editor about his pioneering India Migration Report 2009 which has brought to light new and emerging trends in international migration. This report will help young Indians unravel what involves the migration of human capital to distant shores. Dr Khadria, a professor of economics at the Zakir Husain Centre for Educational Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is renowned world over for his research on the issue of brain drain from India and seeks to intervene significantly at policy levels. He has been prominently associated with organisations and networks such as the ILO, IOM, OECD, World Bank, WHO, GFMD, SciDev, APMRN, and International Geographical Union (IGU) and many universities abroad.