Monthly Archives: August 2020

“As I grew up, I lost everything I loved, bit by bit”, says Rajesh Khillo, an Adivasi adolescent boy from Kandh Antalguda village of Khairput Gram Panchayat when he was in discussion with the Community Mobiliser of CYSD for that particular GP under Khairput block.  He expressed how his hard work and ability to tackle situations calmly, helped him throughout life.

Rajesh lost his mother at the very tender age owing to mental retardation. He lost his father too, around when he was in secondary school. He had to lead an orphaned life, since his early adolescence and had to live with his paternal uncle. Rajesh’s life worsened when he had to discontinue the school from 8^th Standard due to continuous engagement in household chores. A satiated appetite and a stress free sleep were the only things that became his utmost desire. He had to work for hours as a labourer to earn his two square of meals a day. He started underperforming in class owing to continuous absence.   During a dropout counseling program he was identified and supported by CYSD Programe team to go back to the school. After 2 years of long gap in education he was readmitted in 8^th Standard with the help of Community Mobiliser of Khairput in 2018. Continuous counseling and support of education materials ignited his interest and made him alive in education. This year, Rajesh successfully completed his High School Certificate Examination.

Rajesh is a very hard working boy.  He was simultaneously studying and working as daily wage earner to bear his own educational expenses. Soon after completion of matriculation examination, he never stopped himself to work as a daily labourer. Even during the COVID-19 lock down period he has worked in agriculture field and supported his uncle financially. Fortunately, Rajesh could become a Community Volunteer to spread the message on how to fight against coronavirus and lend major supporting hand for conducting awareness campaigns in the locality. “I am really grateful to CYSD for bringing back my life in track and offering me a chance to serve the people during this pandemic”, says Rajesh delightedly.

Now Rajesh has planned to get admission in a suitable college, complete higher education, stand by his own and support orphan children like him to become self-dependent. Gradually his struggle comes to an end, thus, it can be said “the saddest people smile the brightest”.

Goudaguda is a predominantly tribal populated Gram Panchayat under Laxmipur block of Koraput district. The main source of income of the people has been agriculture since ages. With increase in population, pressure on agricultural land and changing weather pattern with limited land, mere agriculture became inefficient to sustain the families; and has forced the tribals to   migrate to neighbouring states or cities. During COVID -19 most of the migrants find no way than coming back to their native place. Due to lock down situation, without any job in hand their families had to suffer from hunger and other household shortages. In order to address the situation the Govt of Odisha declared MGNREGA work for job seekers, identifying CYSD as the facilitating agency for 4 GPs in Laxmipur Block.

Joining hands with Block and Panchyat administration, CYSD Programme team mobilized communities through Village Development Committees (VDCs) and conducted various awareness programmes from time-to-time and motivated the people to know their rights and entitlements and to raise demand for work from the concerned Gram Panchayat. Accepting their limitations in literacy, CRPs and Programme team of CYSD helped them in mainstreaming. They opened their bank accounts, enrolled themselves for job cards and Aadhar cards. Community’s knowledge and awareness on MGNREGS system gradually enhanced. They learned the art of timely filling up job demand forms and enrolment in job cards. Community went to the extent for demanding job through C1 Form. In this process, about 989 job seekers of Goudagud GP demanded for job where more than 70% were women.

Under MGNREGS, the Block Administration sanctioned 5 special community projects along with 17 individual projects for Goudaguda GP. The special projects were mainly field channels where nearly 576 women job seeker were engaged in earth work for 3 weeks @ 207 rupees per day/person.

MGNREGS work in Goudaguda GP triggered a shift in both financial and migration situation. Poor, vulnerable and widows and single women household head benefitted largely from the project and stopped migrating to neighbouring cities. Employment was made available at their door steps for round 80 days during this non-agricultural season. MGNREGA scheme helped the villagers to break the cycle of borrowing and poverty during Covid-19 pandemic. Besides, CYSD with the support of Ford Foundation provided dry rotation kits to 220 MGNREGA Job seekers of the GP for a week.  This intervention also encouraged women to seek employment. Moreover, the assets like, Field Channel created in the process, became the source of  irrigation to cultivate paddy and vegetables on their land, as an alternative source of livelihood.

During the COVID-19 lockdowns more than seven lakh people mostly migrant workers had returned to Odisha losing their job and to escape from the deadly virus. Seeing the migrants’ situation, the government has made all round efforts to create job opportunities for the returnee job seekers, even declared to double the man-days under MGNREGA scheme.

But, barely two months later the Covid-19 pandemic and lock down, it has come to public notice that migrant workers from different parts of Odisha have started returning to their workplaces in whatever way possible fleeing the Covid infection, right across the country, to stave off hunger.

Migrant returnees mostly from the districts of Bolangiri, Ganjam and Gajpati have no second thoughts in boarding the bus sent by their employer – a carpet maker – to take them back to the Bikaner-based facility. Even in coastal district of Jagatsinghpur, a group of youth migrants returned to their workplace in Udaipur – a bag making unit, by bus through contacting a labour agent of the unit. 

It has been reported that on reaching the workplace, the workers are undergoing a COVID-19 test. And after testing negative, they are being allowed to join the workforce. This time, most of the employers have been assuring better payment with a condition that they will not step out of factory premises. Interestingly, a few factory owners are also offering advance wages for three months before employing them.

Though the State Government have given advance rice and ₹1000 to returnee migrants in view of Covid pandemic, apart from feeding oneself, there are lots of requirements to be met through hard cash. Workers in Ganjam, the most migration prone district of Odisha, are also getting impatient to return to work spots as their savings are depleting fast.

In the meantime, both the employers and workers are desperate as different sectors have started opening following easing up of lockdown. Undoubtedly, this situation has been forcing the migrant workers to return to workplaces across the country.

Therefore, this time, the government should set up a robust mechanism to streamline the labour migration. Workers should return to their workplace through registered labour agencies so that wage as well as working hours could be fixed.

Here the concern is that under desperation to return to workplace, workers should not choose anything coming in their way. Hence, the State Government should come up with a platform for both employers as well as workers to ensure migration takes place through the legal process. It will make sure that workers will not be subjected to pain and agony which they experienced while returning home after lockdown.