West Asia War-Triggered LPG Shortage and a Case of Reverse Migration

From the narrow lanes of New Delhi to factory floors, the war-triggered LPG crisis is reshaping lives, livelihoods and, increasingly, migration patterns – to the extent that some companies are beginning to incentivise workers to stay on, or return.

Rakesh Yadav, a cab driver, says even basic meals have become expensive. “A Rs 100 lunch now costs Rs 120. If costs keep rising, I might consider going back to my village.”

That calculation has already played out for some. Gopal, a delivery worker, briefly returned to his hometown as orders dropped and his earnings fell from Rs 1,600 to Rs 450-500 a day — a consequence, he says, of restaurants shutting or scaling back due to LPG shortages. While he has returned to Delhi since, work remains elusive and survival a challenge.