In a contrast to the situation two decades ago, when residents of the Nagwa village in Itkhori block of Chatra struggled to meet daily expenses, most houses in the village now are pucca, with residents owning two-wheelers and household gadgets.
Migrant labourers Babulal Yadav and Mahesh Yadav, who completed their 14-day quarantine after returning from Mumbai, admitted that prosperity came after youths of the village started working in bigger cities earning more than what they actually needed every month.
The two are among 21,000 migrant labourers who returned to Chatra after the coronavirus outbreak till date.
Due to lockdown, both left with no other option but to return to their native
place from Mumbai and are now anxiously in search of a suitable job.
They are worried about not earning like they did in Mumbai, which means meeting the demand of their families will be tough.
The duo said youths of the village are working in many Indian cities as carpenters, masons, plumbers, waiters, cooks in hotels and security agencies.
“What we earn here as a mason everyday, we get double in bigger cities”, added Mahesh Yadav.
“My parents and wife are forcing me not to go to Mumbai again but what I will do here? This is not a problem for us only, but for all those migrant labourers who returned after the coronavirus outbreak in the country. As a tile mason, I was earning around Rs.900, daily which I will not get working as a
MGNREGA labourer here in Chatra”, he added.
Indralesh Bharti of Mayapur village in Mayurhund block was working in the stone mines near Jaipur, Rajasthan.
“In Jharkhand, process of taking lease from state government is cumbersome. Otherwise, the place has large numbers of stone mines which can provide employment to large numbers of people,” he said.
Another migrant labourer Suman Bharti said
“Who wants to go to other cities leaving behind their families? No one can understand our pain,” said migrant labourer Suman Bharti.
“If government provides jobs to us here, why we will go to other places?” he said.
