A daring tale: State scripts welfare in an Odisha district

KOCHI: Daringbadi in Kandhamal district of Odisha, considered one of the most backward districts there, is witnessing an economic revival, thanks to remittances from migrant labourers, nearly 60% of whom work in Kerala, a recent study shows.
The study on labour migration from rural Odisha, of which a report was published on Monday, found that migration brings nearly Rs 35 crore to Daringbadi block annually as remittances. The study was conducted by Gram Vikas and the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID).
As per the report, 58% of migrant workers from Daringbadi work in Kerala, with over one-third of them in Ernakulam and another one-fifth in Thrissur, Kannur or Pathanamthitta . “The amount of remittance sent back is higher from Kerala since the wage is higher. It is likely that 65-70% of the remittances are from the state,” Gram Vikas executive director Liby Johnson said.
The estimated number of migrant workers from Daringbadi in 2023 was 8,953, of whom nearly 5,000 belonged to Scheduled Tribes.
The report says these remittances have contributed to reducing poverty in households with migrants, helping them repay loans, save more, improve their housing and asset base, provide better education to children and elevate their status in the locality.
“One of the most important factors for Kerala being their preferred destination is that it gives the highest wage in the Indian sub-continent... Also, our previous studies have indicated that caste discrimination is not there in Kerala as compared to other regions. They may be seen as a migrant, but not as an Adivasi or Muslim here. That dignity is important to them, and this social emancipation is also a reason for them to choose Kerala,” CMID executive director Benoy Peter said.
The report says Kandhamal, home to 29 of 62 tribes notified as Scheduled Tribes in Odisha, recorded a significant fall in the proportion of the multidimensionally poor over the years, from 44.75% in 2015-16 to 25.30% in 2019-21. A modest estimate also reveals that it received around Rs 16 crore every month as remittances prior to the March 2020 national lockdown, it says.
About 23% of Kandhamal households with migrant workers were able to renovate their houses with the r emittances, while a bout 5% were able to build new houses.
Seven out of every ten such households could improve the education of children, while around two fifths mentioned that their status in the village has improved. Nearly three-fifths of households reported that they were able to improve agriculture with this income. Two-thirds of households, however, reported that they were not able to seek quality healthcare in the absence of members who migrated for work.
Seasonal migration, which has been the predominant form of labour migration from Daringbadi, has given way to more aspirational migration now.