One-third of migrants from Daringbadi block in Odisha live in Ernakulam

One-third of all migrant workers from the Daringbadi block of Kandhamal district in Odisha, who substantially depend on migration, are in Ernakulam, according to a latest study.

Another one-fifth of the workers had moved to other districts like Thrissur, Kannur, or Pathanamthitta. Around 31.80% of migrants in Ernakulam belong to the Scheduled Tribes (ST) and 37% to the Other Disadvantaged Communities (ODC). For the whole of Kerala, the corresponding figures are 51.5% and 67.4%, respectively.

Except for around one-fourth of households that followed Hinduism, all households in Daringbadi followed Christianity. A majority of households belong to ST communities, and nearly 14% each are from SC and Other Backward Communities (OBCs). STs constitute three-fifths of the migrant workers from Daringbadi, and one-fifth each belongs to STs and Other Backward Castes/Communities. Over half of the workers from STs and two-thirds of workers from ODCs had moved to Kerala.

The study, ‘Labour Migration for Rural Odisha—Daringbadi Block, Kandhamal’, was conducted jointly by the Odisha-based Gram Vikas, an NGO engaged in rural development, and the Kochi-based Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development. The total estimated number of migrant workers from Daringbadi in 2023 was 8,953 and at the time of the survey, 87% of migrant labourers from Daringbadi were working outside the State, primarily in Kerala and other south Indian States.

“Migration brings nearly ₹347 million [₹35 crore] to Daringbadi block annually as remittances, reviving the economy of the block and improving the resilience of households. It has contributed to reducing poverty of households with migrants, helping them repay loans, save more, improve their housing and asset base, provide better education for children, and elevate their status in the locality,” the study said.

Climate change has taken a toll on the largely agrarian population, where around three-fifth of households depend on agriculture/ agricultural labour as a major source of income, thus accelerating large-scale migration. In fact, over 98% of households practising agriculture are of the view that climate change has negatively impacted agriculture.