"Until recently migrants used to send remittances through money orders, friends and relatives. But money orders are slow and inefficient (they can take up to 30 days in rural areas), and sending (money) through friends ... is risky.

"Private agents who transfer money electronically through social contacts are becoming more popular," the report said.

Banks are also becoming a safe route to send money, with more and more migrants opening bank accounts in places where they work.

Figures of migration from Bihar run into millions but no exact figures are available.

According to the 2001 census, the number of migrant labourers going out of the state in search of work was over 2.4 million. This does not include seasonal migrant labourers whose figure runs into millions.

An officially accepted fact in Bihar is that there is hardly a household without one or two members having migrated outside for jobs or education.

Both the census and National Sample Survey (NSS) reports suggest that Bihar has the highest rate of gross inter-state migration in India.
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