“We didn’t have any other option than returning to our native place in Odisha, when the Brick Kiln Industry owner in Andhra Pradesh compelled us to leave the site owning to Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, where we 19 people from Koraput were working as labourer,” shared Baikuntha Khara, one of the returnee migrants from Goipadar village under Boipariguda block.

For last couple of years, after celebration of Duserha festival, these 19 labourers have been migrating to Gubeda in Andhra Pradesh for work in brick kilns. They used to earn approximately Rs. 9000 per month. Due to COVID-19 lockdown, they lost their job as the industry owner declared closure of the brick kiln and advised all the labourers to vacate the place quickly. Under the circumstances, they thought to come back to their native place, being the last option. In early May, they caught a truck as their transport for which they had to pay Rs. 500 each to the driver and finally reached at their native place.    As per the government guidelines, they had to spend 14 days in quarantine centre set up at Mathapada High School nearby their villages.

During the lockdown period, while in Goipadar village, without any job in hand the returnee migrants’ group exhausted whatever savings they had. Gradually, the miseries grew up in absence of food for the survival of their family members. Boipariguda block being the operational area of CYSD, this incidence caught the attention of its programme team. After continuous follow ups by the programme team, the migrants group got engaged in MGNREGA related work initiated by CYSD in partnership with UNDP in Mathapada gram panchayat of the Block which could help the migrants to earn for the survival needs of around 69 members.

Now, getting better livelihood option nearby their native place for a month, the entire 19 families feel happy. Baikuntha expresses his feeling, “If the government will provide us this kind of work locally, we will be more than happy to stay back and there is no need of migrating outside in search of a job”.