BHUBANESWAR:
Orissa does not promise enough sources of livelihood for the larger section of
people. At least that is what the recently released
United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) report revealed.
About 11 million people of the
total 37 million population are still migrating to other states in search of
alternative sources of living every year. Interestingly, in Orissa, the number
of women migrants is much more than their male counterpart.
But,
ironically for these women, livelihood is not the only issue. Marriage figures
as the main reason for inter-state migration of women.
The UNDP
report was released here on Monday, alongside the Human Development Report
2009.
The report maintained that out of the total migration in the
state, while the number of male migrants is about 2.5 million, the number of
women migrants each year is nearly 8.6 million. About 83 per cent of the total
migration is intra-district, while 66 per cent female migration is
inter-district. Interestingly, 59 per cent of the women migrants are
inter-state, while 45 per cent are international migrants.
"One of
the main reasons for women to migrate is the societal practice of a woman moving
to her in-law's house after marriage. Bit in case of men, they are employment,
business, education," the survey revealed.
Among other categories of
migration, including urban to rural, rural to urban and urban to urban migration
in intra-district, inter-district and inter-state category, the report held that
rural to rural intra-district migration of women is highest, standing at 67 per
cent.
At the release of the report, Magsaysay award winning social
activist Jockin Arputham said, "Women play an important role in migration, both
at the source and at the destination. Community mobilization and empowerment can
immensely help improve the quality of life of migrants. And nobody, no policy
makers, no government ever think about making their lives
better."
State information commissioner and social activist
Jagadananda said, "In Orissa, a majority of the migrants belong to scheduled
caste and scheduled tribe groups. Again about 2, 00, 000 people from the
tribal-dominated areas migrate to neighbouring states to work in brick kilns and
construction industries. There is huge policy gap to check migration. The
government should make alternative arrangements and there is a need to identify
the causes and consequences of migration."
However, the HDR-09 on
"Overcoming Barriers: Human Mobility and Development", concluded that there
should be a proper policy to reduce migration-related issues and problems by
emphasizing on rights of migrants, ensuring benefit for migrants and destination
communities and mainstreaming migration into national development
strategies.
