Hubballi: Sixteen-year old teenage student Mallesh Nagar, who completed his matriculation exam last week, has deserted his native hamlet of Murudi in drought-hit Mundaragi taluk of Gadag district along with five other classmates to work in the coastal districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. They are planning to make money during the vacation so that they can continue their education as their parents cannot afford to bear the expenses of their college studies.
These teenagers get employment in the building sector, paddy fields and coffee estates in Chikkamagaluru for a daily wage of Rs 350. With their parents in chronic poverty after losing crops for two consecutive years, they hardly have an option. Murudi is a small hamlet having 800 people, including 28 students studying SSLC in the village school. Several students have left the village soon after their exams and the migration has become a common phenomena in rural areas which have been witnessing a severe drought. These youths are more sought after in the coastal region and Goa as they are strong enough to work in the construction sector. “My father owns an acre of land and has taken another four acres on contract basis. But, the failure of rains has led to loss of the jowar and maize crop. He has suffered Rs 30,000 loss and is finding it difficult to repay Rs 1 lakh loan taken for the marriage of my sister. Therefore, I am going to Mangaluru to earn some money until college starts,” Mallesh Nagar said. Though officials maintain that enough jobs are being provided under MGNREGS to stop migration, the drought-hit are unemployed. The wages and work offered remain only on paper. The villagers complained about inordinate delay in payment of wages under the scheme, forcing them to migrate.
“We have prepared an action plan to generate 12,000 man-days of employment this financial year under MGNREGS. Various works, including de-silting of lakes and construction of check-dams, are to be taken up. Delay in settlement of wages is only due to technical reasons,” Murudi PDO Siddappa Yalavatti said.
