The issue of lakhs of migrant workers and their travails in going back to their home States in the midst of nation-wide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus has brought into focus another major concern of Telangana State.
The crisis inadvertently brought to light the shortage of local labour and dependency on migrant workers in many sectors, says Telangana State Planning Board Vice-Chairman B.Vinod Kumar. Time has come for political leaders, people’s representatives, policy makers to draw lessons from the situation and revisit the State policy to focus big time on training youth in vocational skills, he said.
The migrant workers have not only filled the urban labour vacuum but also penetrated the rural Telangana in significant numbers taking up even farm-related jobs, he says based on his interaction with several district collectors and local leaders.
Policy on livelihoods
Youth in the State are routinely opting for degree courses sans any livelihood earning skills and preferring only white-collar jobs. It is time for the State to sensitise society, emphasise on dignity of labour and focus on empowering the youth with vocational skills. “The Planning Board will submit a report to the government on its observations to revisit its policy on livelihoods,” the Vice-Chairman told The Hindu.
The lockdown period exposed how functioning of certain sectors has been hampered due to lack of skilled local labour force and dependence on migrant workers from other States. Be it hamalis from Bihar to load and pack harvested paddy and other produce to mills and from there to godowns, migrant workers from Maharasthra and Odisha who come to pick red chillies in Warangal rural, Khammam, even Agency areas of Bhadrachalam and workers from Punjab employed in dairy and poultry farms. The migrant workers dominated the workforce in many sectors either due to the complacency or reluctance of local people to take up these vocations.
Working elsewhere
While unskilled and semi-skilled workforce from Telangana went to Gulf countries and endured woeful living and working conditions serving as construction workers, their counterparts from other States like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha over the years were eking a living as plumbers, electricians, stone cutters, PoP workers, painters, carpenters etc. in Telangana. The migrant workers became a dominant workforce in the building and construction industry here.
“Some of the jobs in rural areas are well-paying. For instance youth from Punjab come to villages here from February to June to operate mechanical harvesters and repair them and make anywhere between ₹1 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh during the period,” he said.
Gulf countries
He recalled that Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao proposed to visit Gulf countries and appeal to Telangana workers to come back to the State and take up opportunities available in various sectors in the State.
There are about 6.47 lakh migrant workers in the State and Chief Minister was quick to announce distribution of 12 kg of rice and ₹500 to them. So far 4.5 lakh migrant workers were provided with the relief and 213 shelters were provided across the State for homeless migrant workers, he said.
