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Migration is a common
phenomenon throughout the globe. It is a continuing process since the
beginning of the human civilization. Migration is primarily an economic
phenomenon. However very few systematic works have been done so far.
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Within India, there is great disparity in regional development. Such
unbalanced development has resulted in widespread displacement of people
within and outside the states. Among those states, Jharkhand presents a very
gloomy picture. It has been found that a large population of Jharkhand
migrates to the neighbouring states at regular interval. Migration process
takes place round the year. Few migrate to work in agricultural related
works while others migrate to work in non-farm sectors like brick kiln,
construction and manual labour in different cities and town. More or less,
every district of Jharkhand is facing the migration related problems. The
most affected among them is the district of
Garhwa. |
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Under a miserable scenario
in this region of Jharkhand,
Alternative for India Development (AID)
intervened to address the unstable livelihood and chronic food insecurity
problems of women migrant families. The project focuses on ‘Seasonal
Distress Migration’ happening during the times of crisis for survival and
coping. The project aims to understand and intervene the ‘push factors’
responsible for distress migration with limited focus on ‘pull factors’ of
migration.
 The purpose is to strengthen women migrant family capacity to
understand and demand their rights and entitlements.
During the first leg of the operation AID organized 6 different workshops in
six different highly affected blocks of Garhwa district. The purpose was to
accumulate primary information of migration related issues. The six
workshops were organized in the most vulnerable blocks of Dhurki, Nagar
Untari, Bhawanathpur, Ramna, Dandai and Meral. In these workshops, AID
invited villagers of the respective blocks, who generally migrate at regular
interval, to share their ideas and experience regarding migration related
issues.
Awareness is also made through the
Community Radio Programme being aired
from the local All India Radio. |
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It had been observed that every
year a large number of families from the districts of Garhwa and the
adjoining district of Palamau migrate to the neighbouring states such as U.P,
Bihar, M.P. and further to Punjab and Haryana at regular interval to earn
their livelihoods.
Large number of
unemployment, existence of feudal land system and land alienation, limited
or no access to common property resources and recurring drought are other
common features of this region which adds to the vulnerabilities to the
common masses. It has been found that unjust and uneconomical distributions
of land holdings are very common in the district. No such systematic land
survey reports are available with the
district land revenue department.
It
is found that 78% farmers belong to small farmer category and the rest
20-22% farmers belong to landless farmers’ category. As a result, 50-60% of
total families in the rural areas migrate outside the state round the year
to earn their livelihoods. It is revealed that most of the migrating
families belong to landless, dalits and tribes. Moreover, the women
alongwith their children migrate to neighbouring states as agricultural as
well as non-agricultural labourers in large number. It is also found that
women are the worst sufferers of migration. They are neither aware about any
Government sponsored poverty-alleviation program nor they demand their right
to work to lead a happy family life. They don’t get benefits from the programmes implemented in their own villages. Moreover, they face different
types of unfair situations at their respective workplaces like
discrimination in wages physical assaults, sexual exploitations etc. They
are also vulnerable to road and worksite accidents and victim of various
deadly diseases like TB,
HIV/AIDS and Malaria etc. As a result, the
migration process disrupted the social life of the women and they are
gradually excluded from the mainstream and village system. |
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The
migration rate is alarming in the district of Garhwa. 50%-60% of
total families in rural areas migrate outside the state for the
period of 8-10 months in a year to earn their livelihood |
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Most
of the migrant families belong to dalits and tribal communities |
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Among
the dalits, the rate of migration is highest in the Bhuiyan
community (95-100%) and among the tribes, the rate of migration is
highest among the
Kharwar (90-95%) |
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Those
families generally migrate to neighbour state like Bihar, UP, MP,
Chattisgarh |
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Migration influences the social, political and economic life of the
people and no Government can ignore developing a suitable policy and a
good statistical system on internal migration in a country. In India,
migrants do not register either at the place of origin or at the place
of destination. In absence of this,
Census and
National Sample Survey (NSS),
the two government run organizations, are unable to document the
seasonal, intra- regional movement of the people. |
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40%
works of digging ponds and wells are incomplete in Garhwa:
 Three years ago, the State Welfare Department of Jharkhand Government
decided to dig new ponds and wells in Garhwa district to control the
problems related to scarcity of water. Unfortunately, only 60% works of
that programs have been completed till 31st October 2005. During the
period 2002-2004, the total of Rs.604.10 lakh was allotted for digging
839 new ponds and 317 wells. Among these 839 ponds, the work of 780
ponds is still continuing for the last three years! It is very clear
that the rates of progress of the proposed works are quite shocking.
People of this region are facing acute shortage of drinking water as
well as water for irrigational purpose. As a result, large number of
people migrate round the year. According to the local villagers, tender
of government developmental works have been given to different
contractors who are from outside the district. These contractors never
feel the impact of the problems faced by the local people. So the
proposed work never gets that momentum and seriousness. |
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There
is neither any pro-poor focus in government policies nor
poverty-migration and migration-development links in backward areas
recognized in such government policies. Existing policies on migration,
rehabilitation,
minimum and equal wages for everyone, right to common
properties, and right of minimum 100 days employment for all are not
enforced. The Government policies continue to be ill equipped to deal
with seasonal migration. As a result, migrants are devoid of any
advantages of their legitimate livelihood/welfare entitlements. Absence
of networking, advocacy etc. for the causes of migrants especially for
the women and children in regional, state, national levels make their
position weak and they are not able to influence the Government for
suitable intervention. |
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The
current set-up leaves poor migrants with little access to basic
entitlements. New arrangements that can provide migrant workers with
access to critical information on labour markets and rights as well as
basic services in health education, shelter and food are needed. |
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 Migrant
workers have no access to subsidized grains at their destinations and
spend a sizeable proportion of their wages on basic food supplies.
Probably the most serious cost of migration is children’s schooling.
When entire families migrate, children stay behind to do household
chores while the parents work. Data from our project area shows 75% of
migrating households had children out of school. |
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Some facts about Bhuiyan and
Kharwar |
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Most of
the Bhuniyas and the Kharwar are landless. According to the villagers of
different blocks, the Bhuniyas and the Kharwar have no lands for
cultivation. They work in others lands to earn their livelihood |
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The
rate of literacy among Bhuniyas and Kharwar is quite low. In Garhwa
district, the rate of literacy is the lowest in the Jharkhand state i.e.
39.39%. The lowest ranked are Bhuniyas (10%) and Kharwar (5-6%). So they
don’t understand the necessity and advantages of education. |
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The saving habit among these castes is very poor. Most of these people
are engaged in bad habits like alcoholism and gambling. Their saving
during the period of migration is wasted in such evil practices. They
have no other options than to migrate again in the next season. |
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These castes do not have any traditional occupation. Nor do they wish to
adopt any occupation permanently. They always prefer to work in others
fields rather than involve any kind of occupation. |
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Current trends of migration in
the affected region of Garhwa and the neighbouring districts of
Jharkhand state in India suggest that investing more at panchayat level
could have far-reaching impacts on increasing livelihood options and
reducing poverty. In parallel, the existing laws that have been designed
to protect poor need to be better enforced through the involvement of
civil society organizations. Children’s schooling is a major concern and
greater efforts are needed to provide flexible education.
There is a
need to recognize the importance of migrant women and the livelihoods of
the poor in the region. A blanket policy is unlikely to help and more
efforts should be made to understand regionally differentiated patterns.
Strict implementation of the various government schemes are needed in this
drought and poverty stricken region to provide rural people with
remunerative employment and access to services. This would give the
process of development a push and check the menace of migration.
There is
currently no special government body or earmarked funding to deal with the
issue of migration. Policy priorities should be the first course of
action rather than setting up new bodies with separate funding.
Migrant support programmes with the help of civil society organizations in
some states have shown better results than the official programmes in
ensuring fair pay and better working conditions. Continued support from
NGOs and like minded organizations are very important at this juncture for
commuting to the livelihoods of the poor and the economy. |
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