CAN WE ACHIEVE ZERO DISTRESS MIGRATION? MORE QUESTIONS AND LESS ANSWERS

CAN WE ACHIEVE ZERO DISTRESS MIGRATION? MORE QUESTIONS AND LESS ANSWERS

I am very much moved by watching the plight of the Migrant Labourers and also reading about them. Over last two decades, the number of migrant labourers have increased many fold which is undoubtedly a reflection of successes and failures of our Development Planning and Implementation. I have tried to understand the migration issues from the perspective of my own areas and communities. One day, I woke up to a rude shock when one of our old Night School Teachers of 80s Sunamal Majhi of Durkhal Village died in AP as a DADAN labour and luckily his dead body was brought back to Kashipur for cremation. Sometime back , I got a Message from Maharastra that 4 Juveniles were in jail after a juvenile court sentenced them for murder. But the sympathetic judge after hearing their story wanted them to send back to Odisha and perhaps wanted them to set them free after doing some social work. Their crime was the murder of contractor who was employing them was extracting too much of hard work and was not giving them enough food. These tribal boys were not able to withstand the pangs of hunger and stress of overwork. One night they attacked the contractor and killed him. We contacted the Collector and The District Labour Officer along with their parents living in remote villages. A rescue party went all the way and brought them back. They were released after doing some Social Work recommended by the Juvenile Court at Berhampur! There are many such sad stories one will hear in each village – many are missing or are bonded or are incommunicado. Every year, there are newspaper stories how Odia bonded labourers from Tamilnadu were rescued. I am shocked that the number of migrant labourers from our areas is increasing every year though in 1980s, very few had crossed the boundaries of their Panchayats! Is this outmigration an indication of development as youths are going and returning with Mobile Phones, Blue Jeans, cinema style haircut and some cash? It is a debatable issue for sure. Why aren't they seeking sustainable livelihood in their own villages using their own Skills and Resources?

I have tried to track some of the migrant labourers and how they are taken to distant places for varied items of work – Brick kilns, Construction Work, Hotels, Factories and even Agriculture. It is very difficult to know the entire path of migration – how one known agent takes them to Balugaon and from there to a station in South India, from station to another small town and from small town to the work site. At every stage a different person is the escort who does not share the Mobile Number or any address. It is an organised trade and from enticement to coercion are involved. I am aware that many academic studies have been done across the state but hardly there has been any attempt to break the nexus. What the authorities have done is to register them to minimise the exploitation. Some NGOs have tried for Rescue and Rehabilitation. Some are doing work on children of migrant labourers and their education. Some NGOs are trying to establish Trade Unions of the Migrant Labourers. It is alleged that there is silent promotion of Migration by people at many level including senior Government Officials who argue that since State is not able to provide adequate employment and descent wage, what harm is there if the wage earners migrate for better job and wage? All over the world it was understood that Globalisation would lead to mass migration and now De-globalisation is also ensuring the same. The poor are exploited whatever may be the Global Economic Processes.

For many years, I am in search of solutions and alternative approaches after reading a well-known book for Development Practitioners – OUT OF POVERTY AND INTO SOMETHING MORE COMFORTABLE by John Stakehouse where the Author has documented some of the best practices in the entire Third World. This is a book that will influence many policy makers and planners. I am in search of villages which have said no to Distress Migration. I want to hear real-life stories from the NGOs, Government Officials, Media persons if they have come across locations where there is no migration whatsoever. The other day, a modest Agriculture Extension Worker was sharing his unique way of reducing migration successfully in Nuapada District of Odisha in the villages he is associated with. His approach was simple. He encouraged to have Bore-wells through Government Schemes and the small and farmers who used to go for seasonal migration were encouraged to take vegetable production. It seems the household income on average is more than 2 lakhs per year. Then why would these farmers migrate to distant land? It is now a matter of research to know why at one place things have succeeded and how it would be replicated. Imagine, here in this case no NGO/CSO of Nuapada District is involved!

GO-NGO COLLABORATION TO COMBAT COVID-19 PANDEMIC: MY TAKE

GO-NGO COLLABORATION TO COMBAT COVID-19 PANDEMIC: MY TAKE
I am a strong advocate of GO-NGO Collaboration to combat any disaster and minimise the impact. I have several success stories to share. In 90s, there was an epidemic of cholera in Koraput and the progressive Collector had a discussion with me and I have suggested to built up a communication system so that the affected patients are brought immediately to hospitals. For this at the Panchayat Level the Government Functionaries like RI, VLW, Teachers along with NGO Volunteers form a team and if there is any patient affected in the interior area, the communication is immediately reached to the BDO, Tehasildar, the Doctor and Control Room in the Collectorate . Thus, immediate action was taken to send the Ambulance or send the medical team to the spot and patient was given due treatment. Thus, hundreds of lives were saved. Later on such. system was followed in many districts.

During this COVID-19, we must establish such a strong communication system to know the households in distress and to check whether PDS and Cash are reaching the beneficiaries or anyone is starving or needing livelihood support. The GO-NGO collaboration in the country and in the state of Odisha is perhaps not very strong. I have been interacting with the MD, OSDMA, the Chief Advisor to the CM and sharing my views requesting them to strengthen the GO-NGO framework in this terrible time. Things have started to move and in many districts, the GO-NGO Co-ordination meeting has already been held. Some of the Collectors like Nabrangapur, Koraput, Kandhamal, Bolangir, Gajapati etc are very proactive while quite a few Collectors are stonewalling it.

On the initiative of MD, OSDMA, a dialogue with the NGOs is very productive and our NGOs/CSOs are giving very valuable suggestions and feed backs. The NGOs are not begging for Government Assistance but are wanting to help the Government which is and should be the Major Actor. I am sharing my suggestions which I have shared with the MD, OSDMA given below:

COVID 19 response – Notes on MGNREGS And Other Issues
MGNREGS
• Co-ordination meeting between GO-NGOs. Sarpanches-BDOs-NGOs to collectively plan out Block level co-ordination and implementation of MGNREGS work benefitting the most vulnerable communities. Immediate payment needs to be ensured to the people for the emergency cash requirements for the family.
• Gram Sabha and Palli Sabha meetings and approval will not be required for starting of MGNREGS work during the pandemic/emergency.
• Identification of high risk groups and vulnerable individuals involving all stakeholders – Government, NGOs, civil society groups etc..
• Identification of people having job cards and those who do not have job cards involving all stakeholders – Government, NGOs, civil society groups etc. Steps may be taken to issue Job Cards.
• MGNREGS List of village wise works and budget to ensure transparency and accountability. Social audits to continue.
• Village wise listing of works especially during Summer months, provision of drinking water, shade, crèche, soap, sanitizers etc. Womens groups like SHGs can play a lead role to ensure care and support for these initiatives with full payment of wages for their services.
• A group of maximum 5 persons can be engaged in undertaking the individual works and co-ordinated groups can be assigned the responsibility for undertaking larger community development works, including work on village commons and other common property resources. Land development works like bunding, open wells, farm ponds, trenches, afforestation works, waste weir, desiltation of tanks etc can be undertaken. For large items of work, several team of 5 persons may be engaged by ensuring Social Distancing and other COVID-19 Guidelines.
• Persons above 60 years should not be provided work under MGNREGS. They need to be identified and linked with Government social security and development schemes and benefits.
• MGNREGS village leaders can be identified by the Block administration, NGOs and given specific responsibilities for community mobilization and co-ordination of works
• 2 Volunteers can be supported for one Gram Panchayat by NGOs and civil society groups to support the Government in awareness and linking vulnerable people to Government development schemes and social security measures.
• NGOs and civil society groups can support the BDO and the Sarpanch with additional manpower (Volunteers) for uploading of data, information and progress on MGNREGS works at the Block and GP level.
• Priority may be given to Development of Land given under Forest Land Rights Act.
MARKETING OF FARM PRODUCE
The Farmers are in terrible distress as they are not able to sell their produce especially Vegetables. So mechanism should be established so that the produce from a specific area where there is substantial Marketable Surplus, can be transported to cities where there is a market. ORMAS/OLM may be engaged to facilitate this process to protect the interest of the Producers as well as consumers as in the cities vegetables are sold at a very high price due to scarcity situation. Let there be a rapid appraisal of the Areas across the State and effective linkages are to be established. The NGOs/CBOs may be involved for mobilisation.
GO-NGO COLLABORATION AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL
The Government may issue a Guidelines/Instructions to the District Administration to involve the NGOs/CSO in fighting COVID-19. There should be issue of Passes ( in Limited Numbers ) to NGO Staff and Volunteers and Community Communicators immediately to facilitate village visits and interactions with the High Risk and Vulnerable Groups.
COMMUNITY MONITORING OF VARIOUS ENTITLEMENTS
Let there be a Mechanism in place involving the NGOs /CSOs to have a Community Monitoring System to ensure if the entitlements like PDS, Pensions, Cash Compensations, MGNREGS Employment etc. are reaching the poorest of the poor.

FROM DISASTER TO DEVELOPMENT: WE WANT A RESOLUTION AND A VISION

Being under lockdown at Kashipur, I get an opportunity to come alive in many ways as I am able to read and visualise how the entire world is coping up with COVID-19 Pandemic. I read a lot which are posted in the Internet; watch TV; discuss with friends who are also under lockdown; reach out to my colleagues who are trying to do something for the local communities though we are facing many constraints. At times, I try to reach out to friends who are in the Administration and watch their cautious responses. Things are not the same any longer! I also visualise the terrible suffering of masses who are facing shortage of food and no employment. And there are many such people around. I feel totally helpless as our cry is a CRY IN WILDERNESS!

I have always felt that all along the history, all disasters have led to development and progress for the Mankind. I remember in our student days, we have always faced debates on WAR AND PEACE, SCIENCE IS A BOON OR A BANE. Scientists like A N Whitehead ( Author of Classic Science in the Modern world) , Philosophers like Bertrand Russell( The Impact of Science on Society) , Writers like Arthur Koestler ( The Darkness At noon) and Sociologist like Eric Fromm ( Anatomy of Human Destructiveness) have influenced the human mind. There have been N number of Disasters which have contributed to the development of the Society. On the other hand, Society has learnt from each disaster in a significant way and have moved forward after internalising them with knowledge and wisdom.

It is really praiseworthy that our Scientific Community has risen to the occasion and have come forward to find a Vaccine against Coronavirus. Hundreds of Researchers are busy day and night with multiple interventions in different scientific domain and predicting that they would surely succeed in developing a Vaccine soon after due trials. This is the indomitable spirit of Man which we have to recognise.
We have to remain optimistic.

This Lockdown simple cannot imprison our resilient mind and responses as we have to express our creative energy somehow or other and in some way or other. I know many people belonging to the working class or on the edge of survival are thinking day in and day out how to overcome hunger and isolation. I think what is needed is pragmatic planning and execution. What is needed is a vision. I cannot say about urban population as many of the inhabitants have left their village home and hearth for good and it will be very difficult for them to make a U-turn unless the villages offer the same opportunities as the Urban Growth Centres. Looking at all these migrant labourers from Odisha , one wonders what has happened to the mega programmes like Western Odisha Livelihood Projects(ORLEP), Odisha Tribal Empowerment and Livelihood Projects (OTELP) , Odisha Livelihood Mission and so on and so forth. Why the sustainable livelihood has not been ensured for people living under $1 -$2 per day? There are many big NGOs -whether they are big and still beautiful- but their contribution is a matter of debate. It is undoubtedly admitted that things are going wrong at all levels both at policy and practice level.

I remember in 2001, there were Starvation deaths and Late Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. There was a criticism that Millions of Tons of Food Grains were rotting in the warehouses and yet the people were starving and dying. His aide late Mr. Ashok Saikia called me to know what was the reality and I had requested him that the PM should talk to tribal women to know the ground reality. Those days a special Video Conference was organised at Kashipur and the PM could know the reality from these simple women in a straightforward manner. And lo and behold, the millions of tons food grains were made available for the people and many kinds of food for work programmes were initiated. 

We have to go back to the basics of Gram Swaraj as Mahatma Gandhi has visualised and was demonstrated by the great Gandhian Economist Late Mr. JC Kumarappa. Let us revisit them not for theory but to begin a new Chapter. If one asks me, I can suggest that each Indian village can be converted into an ECO-VILLAGE and each Small Landholder must develop his/her Family Farm for sustainable Food and Livelihood Securities. The village must have enough Water ( Surface and Ground). The village commons must be revived. The Energy Security must be ensured also by having full use of renewable energy. Every village must have a School of its choice. We must have a blue print and engage with the Rural Poor in the most effective way to have zero distress Migration. The Lockdown may be a Law and Order situation from one point of view but it is also an opportunity for dialogue with the masses for DEVELOPMENT which is missing these days! We have to prepare ourselves as there is prediction that there would be much worse attacks in future.