Nepanagar (Madhya Pradesh): Migration from rural areas to other states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan has sharply increased after Diwali.
Despite panchayats providing limited work under the Employment Guarantee Scheme, labourers from Amulla Kala, Amulla Khurd and nearby villages are continuing to migrate in large numbers.
On a daily basis, 10 to 15 vehicles leave carrying their entire families with them. The mass migration disrupts children’s education as they accompany their parents when they work elsewhere. Most migrants travel to Akot in Maharashtra for cotton picking, to Gujarat’s brick kilns and to Pune in search for some labour work.
Local resident Mansharam said he is leaving for Akot due to lack of local employment. The migration, a recurring issue, persists despite government efforts to retain workers under MNREGA. Even though panchayats have substantial funds, job creation at local level is still inadequate in the face of demand.
Two years ago, officials and an NGO conducted awareness drives to discourage migration, however, the drive did not gain much success.
Last year, Nepanagar police rescued 28 labourers, including women and children, from Karnataka where they were forced to work without pay. Such exploitation remains a serious concern in today’s time. Not only this, the migration wave has also harmed local agriculture as farmers struggle to find labour for crop harvesting.
