Domestic migrants in India are considering leaving New Delhi as soaring cooking fuel prices and energy shortages strain their already fragile finances. The disruption, linked to the Middle East war, has pushed black market cooking gas prices up to five times their usual rate, leaving many daily wage laborers unable to afford basic necessities.

India is home to more than 450 million internal migrants who form the backbone of the informal economy, often traveling from poorer states to cities for construction and factory work. Many migrants are excluded from subsidized cooking gas access because their registered household connections are tied to their home villages, leaving them dependent on expensive informal supplies.

As savings dwindle and wages remain irregular, workers have turned to firewood and scrap materials for cooking, though even those costs are rising. With urban living expenses mounting and little relief in sight, many say returning to their villages, despite uncertain work there, may be their only viable option.