BHUBANESWAR: Labour migration can be reduced to a large extent by creating livelihood opportunities in dairy farming and cattle rearing, and making women self-reliant, said deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo on Tuesday.
After a meeting of the task force on distress migration in Lok Seva Bhawan here, Singh Deo further said that women should be provided with a permanent source of income throughout the year to make them self-reliant.
Singh Deo, also the chairman of the task force, said, the reasons for migration vary from district to district. “I have asked officers concerned to analyse thoroughly and take suitable steps as the government is serious about addressing the migration issue.”
He said, SBM Advisors, a consulting firm of repute gave a presentation to the members of the task force on the reduction of displacement of migrant workers through milk production in the state. The representatives of SBM Advisors requested the state government to provide incentives to the private sector, along with implementation of existing state schemes, to generate employment opportunities for people in the migration-prone areas to reduce distress migration.
In the last task force meeting, Bangalore-based The Nudge Institute, which is working towards a poverty-free India, made a presentation and expressed its willingness to work with the Odisha government to find a solution to the problem of distress migration.
With 14 of the 30 districts identified as migration-prone, a large number of people from Ganjam, Balangir, Kalahandi, Jharsuguda and Bargarh go to other states in search of livelihood.
Minister of Labour and Employees State Insurance Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia was also present in the meeting. Senior officers of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Labour and ESI, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development and Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water departments attended the meeting and gave their opinions on ways to tackle the migration problem.