Status of migrant workers during covid-19 in bihar and impact of their training under Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan (GKRA)

A survey was conducted and 525 reverse migrant workers were sampled from 114 villages in nine block to train them as per their need for skill development or upgrade their skill to generate income after lockdown during first wave of corona(COVID-19) in the month of June, 2020. Impact assessment was done in the month of January, 2021. Out of 38 districts in Bihar state, Kaimur district had 8495 reverse migrant workers from 879 villages in 11 blocks (district office, Kaimur). They had migrated in different states of India in pre- COVID -19 period. In Kaimur district, loss of Rs.138.6 crores annually and Rs.11.55 crores monthly was estimated on the basis of average salary/wages per migrant worker and per month at the rate ofRs.13600. Adoption percentage of training was quite low which was 10.48 per cent in vegetable production followed by goatary 8.57 per cent. No one adopted nutri-garden, vermicompost, processing and value addition and mushroom production enterprises. Main reasons for non-adoption were lack of capital for infrastructure and working cost. Labour was the main capital with them. It is suggested that the MNREGA will provide employment for them and Government should provide grant or loan facilities to trained migrant workers for their self employment so that they would be able to establish enterprises and generate money as well as to take opportunity “VOCAL for LOCAL”.