Uttar Pradesh is one of the most backward states of India with a large population. Uttar Pradesh can be divided into the southern, western, central and eastern regions. The southern region is described as lacking in infrastructure and opportunities; migration is high. The western region is more developed and has opportunities in industrial and urban centres; migration is of medium level. The eastern region is economically disadvantaged and has a low literacy level; migration is high. Most studies identify out-migrants as married, slightly older, and unaccompanied by spouses. Poverty and job hunting are push factors. Studies in on migration reveal that migrants invest in their home villages and return migration is about 3%.

Highly educated migrants show much lower return migration. Remittances contributed to higher quality of housing among migrant families and greater land purchases. Findings from an eastern region migration study reveal that migrant households had higher social status and educational levels. People from Uttar Pradesh migrate in large numbers to other states.

SSK's Intervention

Migration is important in many ways. It amounts to brain drain and loss of labour force. It is not always that only illiterate and labour classes migrate; often the best of the working class find their way to other states and countries. This increase in migration is essentially due to regional differences in the population pressure on land, inequality of infrastructure, industrial development, modernization of agriculture, deforestation & flood, and displacement. In particular, the developed areas have increased demand for labour during specific seasonal activities, especially sowing and harvesting in the case of agricultural activities. As this demand often supersedes the availability of local labour, these developed regions offer a higher wage rate and/or greater number of days of employment.

Based upon above rationale Sahbhagi Sikshan Kendra envisages a project towards facilitating process of migration in which the target migrating community has a sense of social security, is better equipped to tackle the strategic issues, has enhanced market value and are well aware of their rights and entitlements. The project will cover 1 districts of Uttar Pradesh particularly Sitapur. The district selected has its own socio- economic dimensions.
The project would be implemented in approx 63 Villages of Khairabad block of Sitapur District in Uttar Pradesh at source level where intervention by SSK is already going on which focuses on promoting citizen participation and National Rural Employment program with Panchayat Raj Institution. Although at later part of the project may be in year 2 when the activities at source end are deeper and cross-links between source and destination are understood clearly, one of the most prominent destination will be identified where some activities can be initiated at a smaller scale.

Project Goal

Improved social and economic status of migrants and their family with equal opportunity to rights and entitlements.

Project Objectives

• To build capacities of migrants so that have enhanced chances of employability and sensitized towards their social, economic and legal rights at source and destination end.
• To sensitize Panchayat towards rights of migrants and their families as well as take action towards building legitimate identity of migrants.
• Building and strengthening collectives of migrant families for social security and enhanced access to goods and services.
• To understand phenomenon of migration as well as cross links and complexities between source and destination.

Socio- Economic status of Sitapur

Sitapur district is 85 kms from state capital of Uttar Pradesh, is one of the poorest district of the state. Khairabad block (proposed intervention site) is 10 kms from Sitapur, having 66 gram Panchayat. Approx 25 % population in Khairbad block belongs to minority community particularly Muslim. The development index of the area is very poor which is further intensified by lack of industrial development and low agriculture productivity which has led to unemployment and poverty in region. As far as industries are concerned carpet weaving and chikan embroidery are the prevalent in the area, in which most of the population from Muslim community particularly women engage themselves. The rate of migration in the area is quiet high particularly during lean agricultural period.

The area is mostly inhabited by dalits population of the block. The area lacks basic infrastructures i.e. road, drinking water facilities and drainage system. Community participation in process of planning and decision making is very low almost negligible. Though the area is near to state capital lack of information and unawareness the rural mass is quiet high, they even do not know about their basic rights. Thus community particularly women are not able to enjoy their due share of entitlements and benefits. At this juncture their is need for focused intervention in the area so as to promote community participation especially their is need for an intervention where women come up in leadership position and have control over resources and decision making process.

Status of Migration in Sitapur

Sitapur being one of the most poverty stricken districts of Uttar Pradesh, devoid of any employment opportunity for less development work accentuated with poor NREGA implementation by Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRI) has forced poor people migrate from their native place in search of employment and save their livelihood. For more no of landless, usually they migrate for years and visit their home only to spend some time with their family. Those who have some land try hard to make their livelihood from cultivating their small patch of land and migrate seasonally, usually, in the off/less work agriculture season like summer, in the month of January, February, September etc.

Earlier the laborer category of people endeavor to get work under NREGA so that they would be close to their family and living cost would be also less. But, there happen to be lot of corruption in issuing the job cards under NREGA by Pradhans and government officials and they get seldom work and proper wage, and therefore, now they go to other places to save their lives.

In a small survey conducted in selected Gram Panchayat of Sitapur district which is suppose to be the most migrant affected viz. Vishun Nagar, Ashodar, Akbarpur-Makhdumpur, Saraiyasani, Akbargang, Benipur Sipah, Pakaria,Tikaria, Jainpur-Sohraiya and Badripur-Mansurpur, it was found that around approx 1,100 people (with 50 female) migrate every year to make their livelihood. Usually people go to Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Lucknow and some other places; they migrate for one month, two month, three month, six months and for years. Migration for small duration refers to more concerning situation in the sense that the poor do not get regular employment opportunity at other places as well and they have come back to their home in off and on way.

For small duration of migration people have seldom proper accommodation and they spend their nights on foot path, open fields, railway station, rickshaw itself and 5 to 6 persons in a small room. Even those who go for years due to absence of cultivable land at home live under un-privileged and dilapidated condition at migrating place coupled with poor accommodation and sanitation facilities. Migrants earn Rs.1500 to Rs.6000 per month, but most of their earnings are being consumed for their extra arrangements and frequent to and fro to their home. During migration they work for carpet making, daily wage laborer, as rickshaw puller, pillow and quilt maker, laborer in brick kiln, hawker at railway station and other places, mango orchard, leather factory etc. Since most of them are uneducated and being not familiar with the urban behavior, people’s rights and lots of other insecurities and uncertainty; they become more vulnerable in the new situation.

Project Strategy

The project strategy will include the following points: Capacity building- Capacity building will form one of the key pillars of the project approach. The efforts will be made towards building capacities of migrating families as well as the families who are on verge of migration, elected representatives of Panchayat, citizen leaders, and community at large. The capacity building programs will aim at build perspective on the issue of migration as well as organizing counseling sessions on legal laws and frames so that cases of violence and exploitation at destination end can be minimized. Along with this migrants and youth population of village will be given orientations on health, sanitation and hygiene.

This will also include counseling on urban complexities and major departments to be contacted in case of emergency. The capacity building program will aim at building their negotiation skills. Collectivization and Social Security- The trend of migration not only has its impact on migrants but it equally impacts the family members particularly the women and children. As the head of family migrates this thereafter leads to denial of entitlements and benefits to the household. The family becomes vulnerable as the status changes to female headed household and question of social security is pertinent. At times family is misguided and they lose out on their resources. Keeping this in view it becomes important to build up collectives particularly the interest groups of the family members so that they can advocate for their rights and entitlements, which will eventually lead to social security.
Involving Local Government- The issue related to legitimate identity of migrant labors is of key concern. As the migrant labors do not have legitimate identity so they have to suffer through hardship and at times it can be in form of exploitation and violence. Many times incidences are also observed that once the family member migrates there is no clue about the where about and on other hand family also feels miserable as they are not getting the information about the well being of the migrated family member. In this reference role of Panchayat can be very instrumental. Panchayat can play a prominent role in establishing legitimate identity of the migrating person by issuing identity cards, this will also help protecting rights of migrates. Panchayat will also keep a data bank so that proper information of migrating person is available at the village level.
Research and Documentation of lesson learnt- As migration is a complex phenomenon and is influenced by number of social and economic factors. To facilitate this process researches will be taken up so that issues of migrants can be understood in a more comprehensive and hence lead to policy level discussions. Apart from this compilation of experiences will also form one most important part of the strategy as this will help in dissemination of lesson learnt and also assist replication.
Deepening of Efforts- In later part of the project may be in year 2 when the activities at source end are deeper and cross-links between source and destination are understood clearly, one of the most prominent destinations will be identified where some activities can be initiated at a smaller scale.

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