Bihar Assembly Election 2020: Plight of migrant labourers in focus, state government cites skill mapping, job creation - Hindustan Times
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Bihar Assembly Election 2020: Plight of migrant labourers in focus, state government cites skill mapping, job creation

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By
Oct 26, 2020 03:29 PM IST

Months after undertaking the first-of-its-kind skill mapping of migrant returnees, the state government claims that many similar projects have taken off the ground. To be sure, most of these projects are still in their nascent stages

Rohan (20), who had left Darbhanga district in Bihar three years ago to set up his photography studio at Dwarka in Delhi, was among the millions of people, who had to return to the native state after the business faced a closure following the 68-day nationwide lockdown restrictions that were enforced from March 25 in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

Migrant workers and their families wait for buses to move towards the railway station to board a train to their home state Bihar, during the nationwide lockdown, in Ahmedabad in May.(ANI)
Migrant workers and their families wait for buses to move towards the railway station to board a train to their home state Bihar, during the nationwide lockdown, in Ahmedabad in May.(ANI)

Also read | Oppn mounts attack against BJP over migrant crisis, LAC

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Initially, Rohan had no income after he had returned home.

Later, he underwent a training programme initiated by the state government in association with non-government organisations (NGOs), where he was taught painting.

Now, he is making face masks --- using the traditional Madhubani art form --- that are being sold to e-tailers such as Flipkart and Amazon.

Roshan is a classic case study cited by the Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar, as an illustration of how new revenue streams are being tapped for jobless youths in the eastern Indian state amid the unprecedented viral outbreak that has further roiled the economy.

“I have learnt a new skill and work has just begun. I am not sure about my plan to return to Delhi anytime soon,” he said over the phone from Bihar.

Months after undertaking the first-of-its-kind skill mapping of migrant returnees, the state government claims that many similar projects have taken off the ground.

To be sure, most of these projects are still in their nascent stages and monetary compensation seldom commensurate with the original income of a migrant returnee.

Roshan, who used to earn over Rs 1 lakh a month in Delhi, is not even earning one-tenth of his previous income.

The state government’s claim of creating jobs counters the opposition’s charge that the former had failed to generate employment in the last 15 years of its rule. It is also under the pump for its alleged inability to offer avenues for livelihood to the migrant returnees.

Migrant workers’ plight is one of the key issues in poll-bound Bihar. Though the state government claimed that it had pulled out all stops, including taking care of the migrant returnees’ travel, quarantine and relief facilities, the opposition targeted it for the apathetic treatment meted out to the hapless and poor workers.

In September, Union Minister for Labour and Employment, Santosh Kumar Gangwar in a written reply to the Lok Sabha had said that 11.64 million migrant workers had returned to their respective states during the lockdown of which 1.5 million were from Bihar alone.

Indian Railway authorities had operated 4,611 Shramik Special Trains for transporting these workers, he had cited.

Sanjay Jha, minister for irrigation and water supply in the Bihar government, said several workers have started their own enterprises in the state buoyed by the extensive skill mapping exercise.

He gave the example of a textile unit in West Champaran district as a case in point. The units have been started by migrant workers, who used to work in Surat, Gujarat and Ludhiana, Punjab.

“They were engaged in embroidery work in Surat and Ludhiana. They returned to Chanpatia, their native village, in West Champaran district following the lockdown. These workers were identified during a skill-mapping exercise that was undertaken by the state government at a quarantine centre. They have started their own enterprises because of the support of the state government,” Jha said.

The workers were given space and assistance by the state government to install the embroidery machine. They have christened their enterprise Champaran Creations. “The unit employs around 27 people and they want to make Bihar the textile hub of the country,” Jha said.

Similar units have also been started at Dhamdaha in Purnea district in line with the state government’s industrial innovation policy. They are making fibre from banana stems with the help of 14 machines that were brought from Nashik in Maharashtra.

Shrijan Mithila Trust (SMT), where Rohan underwent his training and is currently employed, has imparted training to over 50 migrant returnees to date. SMT makes around 50,000 face masks daily.

However, these units are in need of larger support and assistance.

Rajesh Chaudhary, who runs SMT with his wife, said imparting training is not enough, as artisans need help to market their goods.

“The government needs to provide space for offline selling in shopping malls or complexes. It will be pointless unless we can sell these goods,” he said.

Small businesses need financial succour and many migrant returnees have been in dire need of obtaining loans. Though the state government has eased the process of securing loans for micro, small, medium enterprises (MSMEs), red tapism still remains the biggest irritant.

Vinay Tiwari, who runs a digital marketing business, said in his native village in Gopalganj district many migrant returnees have started small businesses for their sustenance. But most of them needed financial aid to get started, he said.

“Many have started cultivation of organic vegetables. Some have started making disposable utensils from leaves, while some have got into the vehicle repair business. Most of them have taken bank loans, as they don’t want to migrate again. But the process of obtaining loans has been daunting. They had to run from pillar to post,” said Tiwari.

In May, the state government had identified 1.2 million migrant returnees at quarantine centres during the first round of mapping skills.

The government said unskilled workers engaged in construction activities, including masons and painters, and workers engaged on a temporary basis in infrastructure building, were among the migrant returnees.

However, experts point out that a large section of migrant returnees, especially those engaged in agriculture and construction work have returned to their places of work such as Karnataka, Kerala and Punjab.

Amitabh Kundu, Distinguished Fellow at Research and Information System for Developing Countries and Co-chairman of the Expert Committee for labour surveys, said the measures undertaken by state governments to find employment for migrant returnees are laudable.

However, he cautioned that it would be unlikely that the state government could retain upto 15% of the migrant returnees to stay back in their native places for good.

“…Even if they absorb about 15% of the migrant returnees, it will be an achievement. Over 80% of workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (UP), which account for the maximum number of migrant workers, will eventually return to their places of work. About 60% of the interstate migrants in Kerala, who had returned, are back in the southern state. The economic benefits of employing migrant workers for entrepreneurs in the developed states are high and they are making an effort to bring them back by offering better working conditions. Many of them are sending train tickets or arranging transport for the migrant workers’ return,” Kundu said.

He cited the southern states’ stable total fertility rate (TFR) at around 2.1, as compared to their northern counterparts of about 3 as the nub of the migration pattern. The data implied that a growth in labour force would be higher than a 7% uptick in income can absorb.

“The migration pattern from northern and eastern India to the southern parts of the country is a reality that will hold the line for the next three decades,” he added.

The 243-member Bihar legislative assembly goes to polls on October 28, November 3 and 7.

The results will be announced on November 10.

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