New Delhi, Jan. 18 -- There is always work available in Surat," recounts a middle-aged migrant worker, before boarding the Puri-Okha Express, one of the longest train journeys in India- transporting hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from coastal Odisha to Gujarat. Surat has been one of the world's fastest growing cities of the past four decades, with annual population growth rates exceeding 6%, and more than 70% of the city's workforce today is sourced from outside. Its diamond polishing industry absorbs labour from a few districts of Saurashtra region (within the state of Gujarat) as trust is a key component of the business and labour recruitment is mediated through strong caste networks. The other major industry is synthetic textil...