Introduction : Agriculture itself is not economically viable and probability of drought has increased, employment opportunity in agriculture sector has become scarce. The other sources of employment opportunity also very less due to lack of industry and business sector. This has contributed a large scale migration to neighboring states and cities of Gujarat, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chatishgarh, M.P, Maharastra and other states. Similarly the intrastate migration also seen to Bargarh, Sambalpur and Khurdha district of the state to work as daily wage labours in different farms, industries, brick kilns, construction of houses etc. Drought also occurred every year regularly and failure of crops occurred every years. So the small and marginal farmers the youth of these families also migrated to the metro cities for searching of jobs.
Migration and Livelihood
These are all seasonal migration and people with their families start migrating out from October -December and they come back in May- June to start agricultural activities in their own area. They are not migrating by their own wish but by force. KARMI also undertake the project “ Improving the Condition of Migrants in Kalahandi district of Odisha” with support of Jamsetji Tata Trust and has been working for the socio-economic development of migrants in Golamunda and M.Ramur blocks of Kalahandi.
Objectives of the project
- Prepare a detail data base on the total project area with Household detail, migration its source and distination and prepare a detail survey and study report in project area.
- Undertake Awareness program on migration issues, health hazards and the preventive majors in the destination through counseling, village and GPs as well cluster level awareness meetings issue of ID cards to the migrants.
- Organize the legal awareness among migrants and their families on the issues of migration, labour laws relating to it and register the cases to minimize the adverse effects.
- Strength the collective through leadership building and develop managerial skill so they can settle their disputes and undertake the resolve their issues themselves.
- Organizing training and awareness program on labor laws among migrant families at source areas with Labour Department, Government Officials including PRIs and Media to address the issues related to migration linkage with Construction welfare Board.
- Skill develop among the migrant youths through vocational training and placement in source and destinations.
Out reach Activities : KARMI has been given more priority on Outreach Activities for proper implementation of the programme based on migration issues, programme undertaken and with the target people through canopy Avijan, village meetings, and community mobilisation. We organised rally, padayatras, and village meetings in our operation areas and able to know the migration programme, its coverage, preventive majors, linkage with social securities and financial inclusion, development of IEC materials as broachers and poster, pocket diary for labours, etc. and enriching the target people. Considering the vulnerability of the migrant workers in the destination KARMI has given priority of awareness generation and pre migration counseling to the target people.
We have given emphasis on the registration as their pre requirement and it must be done before they migrate. Awareness on labour laws and provision of migration, awareness on their health and HIV/AIDS, Financial inclusions like linkage with insurances, pension schemes, opening of bank accounts, and keep close relation with the shramik shahayaka Kendra. KARMI given priority on how migrants able to get their actual wages in MGNREGS and other governmental programme like health insurance, old age pension, crop insurances etc. The Migrant family, youths, PRIs, Youth clubs and women's organization members has been united and networked to address the issues and aware them on the issue relating to migration at source and destination through village and GP level meeting, pre-migration counseling camps, social securities and financial inclusion, legal aspect of migration and linkage with insurances.
Migration Survey and Profiling : KARMI undertake the migration survey in the operational area in Golamunda and M.Rampur both the blocks from starting of the project. A complete base line survey on migration situation will be conducted during this period. In the process, data bank will be created and act as a centre for information dissemination. The data and information coming from the survey provide a need based information for the migrants on source as well destination. It also be a data base of migrant family for our project use as well decimation information to other NGOs and government who are interested to handle migration programme. The survey has been done by household survey format and tabulation and filtering of information and found all the data of the migrants has been going on.
Establishing of Counseling Centre and Registration of migrants at source : Both the Migrant Counseling Centres i.e. the Shramika Sahayata Kendra are established at Mahaling (Kadobhata) in Golamunda block and M.Rampur in M.Rampur block of Kalahandi district to work for the development of the migrants on registration and counseling on health, legal and financial aspects. The Counseling Centre has been done for sharing information with the migrants and non-migrants families. The centre also takes necessary action to mobilize the migrants to register them with the centre before gone to the destination and took the ID card. Social mobilization on government developmental programme, legal right and liberty of migrants, financial inclusion and health management are the main themes of the counseling among the migrants, which is key responsibility of the centers.
Skill development training for the migrants youths : For Social and financial improvement of the migrants skill up gradation is essential. Considering the need of the migrants we organized skill up gradations training camps with the needy migrant youths. KARMI has completed 50 skill development trainings in both the block on 12 masons and 12 for the Auto driving training consist of 750 migrant youths. Who have been seasonally migrated as construction labour for a period of more than two years and engaged as rickshaw puller in Raipur, Bargarh and Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar.
Training on Financial Literacy and Legal Aid : A two days workshop also organisaed at Bhubaneswar on legal aspect of the programme and the Laws and rules relating to migration issue and implementation process has been conducted. All the project partners of Migration programme has been attain in the workshop. KARMI has been organized Legal literacy programme for the migrants with all aspects of legal matter of migrants and Financial and social securities, implementation of government programme properly, linkage with construction welfare board, and other insurance companies. Imparted training on financial literacy among the migrants and non-migrants in 28 GPs. In the process, financial planning, daily money management practices, planning for future events, borrowing and loan management, insurance and risk management, and making a financial plan etc have been explained to the participants in our field area.
