URGENT ACTION NEEDED FOR THE MIGRANTS : REQUIRED UNDERSTANDING AND HUMANE APPROACH

URGENT ACTION NEEDED FOR THE MIGRANTS : REQUIRED UNDERSTANDING AND HUMANE APPROACH
I feel terribly pained to know that one of the migrants from Kashipur who was apparently working in Bomikhal areas of Bhubaneswar had returned to Rayagada and after required quarantine period came back to his village. There he was completely ostracised; was humiliated day in and day out and was not even allowed to talk. He took poison and committed suicide. None was there to take him to hospital. None could know that he had died tragically! I know it is an extreme case but it shows that in remote areas things can go wrong.

The other case is that I meet a couple regularly during my morning walk and ask them about their welfare. They say that their two sons who were working in Visakhapatnam were forced to walk back to Kashipur as the factory where they were working was closed. On Odisha - AP Boarder, they were caught and were taken to a quarantine centre at Rayagada. Parents were eagerly waiting for their return, spending anxious moments! 

I am sure all our friends know the status of the migrants who have already returned and who would be returning soon. Looking at the enormous issues and the way, the migrants are being treated everywhere, it seems something has seriously gone amiss! To my mind it is the lack of proper understanding and a Humane Approach! Those migrants who are stranded have been reduced to beggars despite many State Governments, Philanthropic Organisations, Concerned Citizens have made enormous efforts to feed them. But to feed Lakhs of migrants , is not an easy job! Protests have erupted which could be a natural response. Gandhiji has aptly said- FOR A MAN WITH EMPTY STOMACH, FOOD IS GOD! Do we agree or disagree?

The Migrants have been kept in isolation and have been forced to obey lots of rules and regulations as per the COVID-19 requirements but has it been done with the understanding that they have been victimised for no reason nor any crime!

All Migrants must return to their home and the State should make all provisions to bring them back. This should be done at the earliest. I am sure the Government is working a system for this. The Train/Bus travel must be free of cost. There cannot any bargaining or politics.

After their return, they must be put in the mandatory Quarantine. Here the approach should be of persuasion and not threat and intimidation. The Authorities who are handling the issue must understand that there should be a collaborative framework for making the Migrants understand that for the safety of their families and their communities, they must undergo a period of quarantine. Shuttle counselling is required at this point and the officials handing them must enlist the support of NGOs/CBOs/ Volunteers. The trust deficit built over last few years must be removed. 

The Quarantine Centres must be so designed that it does not give an impression of a prison but a place of joy. It can be converted as Learning Centres. I am told some experts are working on a 14-day Schedule. I think on Food, Drinking Water and Sanitation, there must be adequate arrangements as per the announced policy of the Government. I saw a Menu announced by the Collector, Ganjam. Nice to see it but let there be a Transparent and Accountable System. The District Administration must open a control room to address the grievances of the Migrants who have returned. Here the NGOs/CBOs have a role to give a honest feed back to Administration. The Media should be allowed to visit these centres and report on the state of affairs freely and without prejudice! The people of Odisha have a right to know how the fellow Odia Migrants are treated!

The Cutting Edge of the delivery is the Panchayats. The question comes whether our panchayats are equipped to handle such a situation? Whether our Sarpanches and PRI Functionaries have been asked an opinion if they will be taking up responsibilities with a smile? Over a period time, our PRIs have been reduced to a state of helplessness being manipulated by the Bureaucracy and Party Politics. Has the 73rd and 74th Amendment and PESA Act etc. have been properly enforced? Has there been a framework of Rules and Processes? In Odisha, PESA Rules have not been finalised as yet despite having 23% of the Population as STs. And all Gram Sabha decisions have been manufactured. There must be fool proof system to ensure that all the deserving eligible people have their BPL cards, Job Cards, Pension and other Social Security entitlements. We are checking in many villages and there are still many excluded households and nobody to help them.

The greatest challenge for all of us is as how we transcend the Relief Mindset to Development Goals? Such a huge labour force available in the villages and how we should motivate the migrants to join the sustainable development processes so that they do not have to face such humiliation and dehumanisation?

We have always advocated a collaborative framework of development involving the Government, the GPs, the NGOs and above all the communities. I know there have been many plans made at the GP level like GPDP etc.It is time to activate them recovering them from the Archives and Wastepaper Baskets. There is a specific role for the NGOs/CSOs in this collaborative framework which should be recognised.

I urge the Authorities to have a U-turn of their mindset and treat the issues just not as a Law and Order or Enforcement issues but as issues of Socio-economic Transformation. Let a new chapter begin. I urge every one to read the Famous Gyanpith Award winning Novel MATI MATALA of Gopi Mohanty. Odisha is waiting eagerly for many Rabis and Chhabis ( Heroes of the Novel) for reimagination of a new Society!

IMPLEMENTATION OF MGNREGS IN NABARANGAPUR: AN INSPIRATIONAL EXAMPLE IN AN ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICT

IMPLEMENTATION OF MGNREGS IN NABARANGAPUR: AN INSPIRATIONAL EXAMPLE IN AN ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICT 

In this troubled time of COVID-19 Pandemic , Lockdowns and Shutdowns, there in unimaginable hardship, pain, inconvenience and, above all, fear psychosis faced by every human being across the Globe. The daily bulletin of Persons tested positive, persons recovered and Number of Deaths has been frightening though there has been the incessant fight to contain the Pandemic. It seems NOW there is a turn of the tide as things are being contained and managed so that many things could be revived, special normal Life and Economy. I doubt if things will be brought back to pre-Covid 19 state. Even if there is a cure; there is a Vaccine, this scar will remain!

In this extraordinary time and situation, I have not lost faith in two things - a) We can fight back by Efforts of Each One of Us and Union Of All, b) We can Build a New Society by a new Paradigm of Development Planning and Implementation. Disaster can give impetus to Development.
I can see it all across - the Reimagining and Recreating.

I have always thought that a time has come to come back to BASICS, the Gandhian visualisation of Gram Swaraj and there will be self-sustaning communities with the foundation of “The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed.” 

I know people especially the tribals across the country will face Food and Livelihood Insecurities during this COVID-19 Pandemic, especially Small Land Holders and Poor Households which are the victims of Distress Migration. To my mind, they have to be brought back to Sustainable Agriculture somehow by changing our policies and practices. We have to see that everyone is growing crops they want to eat and market. For this what is needed is Soil and Water Conservation, Revival of Forests and Ecology, Conservation of Local seeds, and above all the reassertion of Putting the Farmers First. Many as I notice argue that our Agriculture Sector will not absorb the large labour force and the Income from the Small Landholding will not be enough! It may be partially correct but we can have a robust Rural and Tribal Economy by both On Farm and Off Farm activities. We can have processing and marketing of Non-timber Forest Produce. We can have combination of a range of strategies to ensure Sustainable Livelihood. We have shown that Family Farms in Ecovillages promoted by Agragamee are Pulling many Households out of poverty. We have observed that Farmers covered under Odisha Millet Mission are ensuring their Food and Nutrition Securities.

I have been advocating on GO-NGO/CSO Collaboration in the present context and the large scale implementation of MGNREGS. I have written to authorities , especially to several Collectors and the best response has come from the Collector Nabarangapur. The Land Development of 180 tribal families in Tentulikhunti Block who have got land under FRA have been started under MGNREGS and some of the Photographs are attached. A Repair of Water Harvesting Structure and Farm Ponds are about to start under MGNREGS on priority basis with Agragamee's support of Mobilisation. The Collector Nabarangapur has shared updates on MGNREGS and some photographs are attached herewith. He has a Target of generating 50000 person days per day across the district. I congratulate him and his team for such great initiative and such commitment!

I am sure the Collectors of other districts have such initiative. Our NGOs friends from Bolangir like Bolangir Bikash Parishad have indicated that the Collector Bolangir has taken up large scale MGNREGS work across the district to generate employment for the Poor Households especially Migrants. I also congratulate him.

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STRENGTHENING THE PRIs IS THE NEED OF THE HOUR

STRENGTHENING THE PRIs IS THE NEED OF THE HOUR

Years back, when the Left Wing Extremism was on the rise , the then Planning Commission had convened a consultative meeting in which we, a selected group Grass Root NGOs had participated. The general consensus emerged that all the Rural/Tribal Problems would be solved if the PRIs are strengthened for effective GOVERNANCE ( Ref: Expert Group on “Development Issues to Deal with the Causes of Discontent, Unrest and Extremism” headed by Mr D.Bandyupdhyay submitted its Report in April 2008). Late Dr. B.D.Sharma under the aegis of Ministry of Panchayati Raj had headed a committee to improve the Functioning of the GRAM SABHAS. [ The Sapatapdi ( Seven Steps) of Tribal Empowerment by Dr. B.D.Sharma and the link is https://www.slideshare.net/pr…/scheduled-tribes-by-bd-sharma].

We welcome the  Government decision  that the Panchayats in Odisha will handle the issues of Migrants in all respects including the managing of Quarantine Centres. But if one looks deeply and analyse the ground reality, is the Panchayat ready for addressing the issues of the Migrants as well as managing the programmes like MGNREGS, Odisha Livelihood Missions and a host of other programmes? Have our Sarpanches and other PRI Functionaries been properly trained and oriented to manage things with efficiency and effectiveness? Have the Training Institutes ( NIRD, SIRD, NGOs) ever tried to find out why things have gone wrong ? How many Sarpanches have gone beyond the process of recovery of their expenses on their election? How many Sarpanches have challenged the wrong decision taken by the PEOs/BDOs/MLAs? Has there been an independent study how many decisions of the Gram Sabhas have been taken correctly and implemented? In how many cases, the Lady Sarpanches are the actual Sarpanches and not replaced by their husbands, brothers, in-laws? I leave it to my friends to find out for themselves.

I was involved in a Project Under Right to Information Act(RTI) under Section 4.1(b) in which the Public Authorities have to share information.  The information was seldom supplied nor demanded at the community level. The Government of Odisha  has published many Leaflets,Posters,Booklets to share information on various Government Schemes  but the outreach was very limited. For example, there was publication of a Booklet AAINA which was a compendium of various Government Schemes.  I found that in many Panchayat Offices, the these booklets were laying abandoned.  I had cross-checked with many Sarpanches who could not tell what was the Minimum Wage under MGNREGS and how different it was from the State Minimum Wage. 

Many of our friends having deep understanding of the PRIs and the prevalent System in Odisha, doubt very much if the Quarantine Centres can be managed well and with desired results. How can the QCs be made into a place of Joy and Hope? The challenges are many – a) How can the Migrants get their legitimate entitlements?, b) How can the creative energy of the Migrants be transformed to an Model Centre? Or a LEARNING CENTRE? How can the migrants have access to information? Our NGO Friends are working on a 14-Day Schedule based on decades of organising Rural camps. There can be songs and dances; Games and Sports; there can be story telling; there can be interactive sessions to share living experiences and also there can be skill development. What is important is the Facilitation. Can the Saprpanch with aid of Cutting-edge village level workers be such a Facilitator? Here comes the crucial ROLE of NGOs and NGO sponsored VOLUNTEERS. There is a need to sit together of all stakeholders and discuss the strategies how to handle a group of Migrants who have already been ravaged, exploited and marginalised? GOs or NGOs, Sarpanches or Volunteers , they must establish Model Quarantine Centres for others to replicate. I am convinced that there are many innovative ways to run a Quarantine Centres – not by Government Orders or by Text Book approach of Disaster Management but by sheer participation, learning and sharing, and Transparency and Accountability and with a touch of love and friendship! It is not a Government Target to achieve, by hook or by crook!