By Sujata Jena
Bhubaneswar: Many applaud Kerala for being a step ahead of other Indian states. But how much of that is true?
Let me narrate my story as an example.
Around 9:30 pm on May 23 I got a call. A migrant laborer in Alappuzha, a south-central district in Kerala, was at the other end. The man was frantic. He and the other nine migrant laborers had run out of provisions.
I told him to send me the list with names and contact details. I forwarded the information to K Sreelal, the additional labour commissioner, government of Kerala. A few words of polite requests added from me, along with the information.
“I will ask the concerned regional commissioner to inquire,” the officer replied me instantly.
The next afternoon the officer posted me a picture captioned food kits were given. This scenario would have seemed surreal in any other states.
The local officer in-charge reached the migrant laborers in a car to distribute the food kits. Each received the kit containing 5 kg rice, 3 kg chana, 2 kag atta, I kg each of potatoes, daal, and oil, along with salt and turmeric.
The migrants were pleasantly surprised to receive the food provision at their door. “It is enough for two weeks,” said Elias Malabishoyi of Gajapati district of Odisha working in Kerala.
That was not the end. The department acted upon immediately on requests for dry provisions and employee-workers dispute of payment of wages.
When I thanked Sreelal, he said, “We call them ‘guest workers’ and treat them as one of us. When they lose their livelihood, we address their needs during the lockdown. We offer them food and shelter. It is our responsibility to care for them during these days of distress.”
Covid-19 has exposed the insensitivity of many state governments towards migrants. But Kerala had created a model to handle the pandemic, as well as migrant laborers affected by the lockdown.
It all began with a change in attitude. They did away with the very term, ‘migrant labor,’ as part of a policy of inclusive politics and as a recognition of their contributions to the development of the state.
The guest workers have been drawn to the state due to high wages. Kerala has guest workers from West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, UP and other places. An unskilled daily wager can earn 700 rupees a day in Kerala compared to 200 rupees given in other states.
Kerala not only fed, sheltered and gave medical care, but kept them informed about the emerging situation.
With the request of the migrants, last year the department launched a few shramik trains.
Thousands of migrants from Odisha, West Bengal, Assam Jharkhand, Bihar reached their village home safely
“When the state made preparations to fight Covid, we also looked at the needs of the migrant labor community,” say Labour Minister T.P. Ramakrishnan.
The labor department set up helplines in every district and deployed volunteers who can speak Hindi, Odiya, Assamese and Bengali. “We also deployed medical teams and civil police officers who can converse in their language at the camps,” the officer said.
As for me, it has been more than a year networking with the labor department of Kerala for the Odiya migrants. What amazes me is the department’s tireless service. They respond to the call at any hour. Patiently listen to the concern and take up the issues immediately. Their service is 24 x 7. They are respectful and friendly.
Back in Odisha, there is no way one can call or send a message to a government officer and ask him or her to perform his duty. To begin with, the personal contact of these officers is not shared with the public.
What shocked me more was the Odisha government’s failure to distribute the Prime Ministers Covid relief meant for the poor for May and June.