COVID fallout: Despite government assurance, migrants in Odisha left in lurch

BHUBANESWAR :  Even as the State government urged migrant workers not to leave Odisha during lockdown and assured that it has enough livelihood options for them, the fact remains that non-payment to labourers in the government sector work has forced many to migrate to neighbouring states in search of jobs.

Sources said suspension of personal ledger (PL) accounts in many blocks including those which are prone to migration, has resulted in such a situation.

As the pandemic situation deteriorated across the State for the last one month, the problem has remained unresolved as the attention of the entire administration has shifted to controlling the spread of the deadly virus.

Congress MLA from Kantabanji Assembly constituency Santosh Singh Saluja, who was active on the ground till lockdown was imposed, said the situation at grassroots is completely different from what the government propagates here.

Since the last four months, there has been no payment to labourers in Muribahal and Tureikela blocks which are the poorest and migration-prone blocks.

Migrants had left in March first week and some of them have returned in April. But the situation remains grim and they are going without work, he said.

Another opposition leader and State general secretary of BJP Golak Mohapatra said the information dished out by the State government is only for propaganda.

No work is being done at the ground level, he said and asked why almost no village in Pipili Assembly constituency has a pucca house.

The government claims to have constructed more than four lakh pucca houses across the State by incurring an expenditure of Rs 4,628.75 crore under rural housing schemes in 2020-21.

But, where are these houses, he asked and added that the government has failed to implement the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin) and Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana because of the pandemic in the last one year.

The government had made an announcement in March, 2021 that it has made a provision of Rs 2,000 crore in its 2021-22 budget to provide minimum wage in 20 migration-prone blocks of Bargarh, Balangir, Kalahandi and Nuapada districts.

However, the government sources were not available to clarify on these issues which have created problems at the ground level. Both Saluja and Mohapatra said these announcements have only remained in pen and paper.