The Odisha government has earmarked Rs 500 crore towards the ‘State Support to MGNREGS’ scheme in an attempt to arrest distress migration in the 20 migration prone blocks of these four districts in the western parts of the State.
“An amount of Rs. 500 crore has been earmarked as State support to MGNREGS to provide employment in existing 20 migration prone Blocks of Balangir, Bargarh, Nuapada and Kalahandi districts. In this financial year, it is proposed to extend this support to a few more Blocks where rural people migrate out of distress,” said a senior official of the state’s Finance Department.
The job cardholders in distress migration affected 500 Gram Panchayats of 20 blocks in Bolangir, Nuapada, Bargarh and Kalahandi will reap benefits under the scheme.
With lack of employment opportunities and absence of irrigation network for agrarian activities, people from these backward belts of the State migrate to different States in search of bread and butter. In the process, these defenceless people are ensnared in bondage labour system and fall prey to exploitative practices of tyrannical employers.
Every year, around one thousand cases of torture and exploitation of migrant Odia labourers are being reported. While the government puts the distress migration figure at 1.31 lakh, the actual figure could go up by ten-fold, said activists.