The Statesman
Statesman News Service
BHUBANESWAR, 5 OCT: The release of Human Development Report 2009 by the
UNDP here today sparked off a lively discussion on two distinct aspects
of migration ~ the one leading to prosperity and development and the
other caused by distress leading to further torment and sub-human
conditions.
While state programme officer UNDP, Dr Ambika Nanda highlighted the
findings of the HDR 2009, Mr Jagadananda, state information
commissioner, Mrs Manorama Mohapatra of Lok Sevak Mandal and Mr Jockin
Arputham, the Magsaysay Awardee and social activist engaged in a
discussion on the various shades of migration and the distress linked
ones in Orissa.
The HDR report stated that one in seven people is a migrant and the
bulk of the migration is internal rather than international. Sixty per
cent of the worlds international migrants move either between
developing countries or between developed countries while only 37 per
cent move from a developing country to a developed one.
Another interesting finding was that six of every 10 migrant preferred
to move to a nation where the major religion is the same as their
nation and four of every 10 prefer country with the same donminant
language.
Migrants from poor countries has a 15 fold increase in income, doubling
in education enrolment rates and 16 fold reduction in child mortality
after moving out, it said.
Remittances to developing countries are four times the size of total
official development aid. Asian migrants moving to Gulf often pay 25 to
35 per cent of what they expect to earn over three years in recruitment
and other fees.
India has 42 million internal migrants, 21 million development induced
displaced persons in India, many of whom are people from SC and ST
category.
Migration can help development but it is a substitute. The report
suggests further simplification of regular channels of migration to
allow low skilled people to seek work abroad, ensure basic rights for
migrants, make mobility an integral part of development strategies.
Mr Jagadananda focused on Orissa and the distress seasonal migration
that takes place. "It is terrible and the bulk of such migration is
from SC and ST community," he said. Dearth of livelihood options and
natural calamities are the main reason for such migration he said. The
migrant worker often lives in sub-human conditions and a policy deficit
to tackle the problem is there because there is a hug data gap on
migration, he observed.
He called for joint strategies and planning by the recipient and the
source states ~ like Andhra Pradesh and Orissa or Orissa and Gujarat,
he said. He also felt that NREGA, if monitored does help check seasonal
migration.
Mr Jockin Arputham admitted that initially he had felt that such
reports were meaningless but now he realises that it helps educate
policy makers and politicians to a certain extent.
He emphasised on simple targets and small things which could go a long
way in making a better living. While talking of education, jobs and
security of tenure, one tends to forget small issues like providing a
toilet and thereby giving dignity to life in slums, he remarked. "It is
a pity that people continue to die due to want of food and shelter in
India," he said.
One in every four people in Orissa are migrants said a study conducted
and released here today. It claimed that 7.9 million are intra-district
migrants, 2.4 million are inter-district and 0.66 million are
inter-state migrants.
The number of female migrants is higher than male in the state
primarily due to social practice of marriage and movement, it said.
Recent trends suggest the high proportion of migrant workers to Surat
is from the SC category. Migration also takes place to West Bengal,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra and Andhra Pradesh is significant numbers.
The Orissa specific study observed that vulnerability to AIDS,
alcoholism is high for th single migrant worker population.
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