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Patna, (Bihar
Times): If the study done by an international agency, Overseas Development Institute
(ODI), London, is to be believed that Bihar annually earns more than 9,000 crore
in the form of remittance from migrant workers living all over the country. And
if the figure of those living abroad is added than the amount may rise further
as Bihar after Kerala and Andhra Pradesh is the third highest exporter of skilled
and semi-skilled hands to the world, especially the Middle East, United States,
Canada, Europe and Australia. 
Pix:
Manish Sinh Bihar
Deputy Chief Minister, Sushil Kumar Modi while inaugurating the high level meeting
on Migration organised by the ODI in Patna also disclosed a revealing fact that
only last year 30,000 labours from Bihar have migrated to different countries
of the world. The
ODI study conducted by Priya Deshingkar of ODI and Ajay Kumar of Bihar Times also
says that the money orders sent by migrant labourers to their families amounts
to approximately Rs 450 crore every year. What is surprising is that this is only
five per cent or so of the money which comes to Bihar. The rest comes through
co-villagers. And at times the seasonal migrants bring money once they are finally
back at the end of the season. Besides, there are several private money order
firms operating like internal Hawala flourishing in many parts of North India.
Most of the beneficiaries of these private money order ‘companies’ are
Bihari migrants living outside the state. Besides, labour class there are thousands
of skilled and educated youths living outside the state who pump money through
different ways: bank drafts, private couriers, friends and relatives. The
amount sent through postal money order was even higher about five years back––it
was as high as Rs 700 to 800 crore, but it declined because more and more people
started relying on private money transfer firm. This because the official money
order charges more money. Besides,sometimes postmen deliver the amount after much
delay as they lend the amount to earn interest from these amount. Bihari
migrants of Delhi send maximum amount of money to be followed by those living
in Punjab and West Bengal. These migrants are not educated enough to have their
bank accounts. It
is only the skilled and semi-skilled migrants living within the country and outside
who rely on banks and Western Union to transfer money back home. If that amount
is added Bihar would certainly become the largest overall remittance earner in
the country. True
there is very few industry in essentially agrarian Bihar, but its rich human resources
have really brought about a big social and economic changes in the last two decades.
This has both positive and negative impacts. While money is getting pumped into
the state from different ways there is rise in social tension within the family,
marital discords have increased and incident of rapes have also risen significantly. According
to the Census 2001 the number of permanent migrant labourers going out of the
state stand at over 24 lakh. The figure had got doubled between 1991 and 2001.
This figure does not include seasonal migrant labourers estimated at around another
70 lakh and working almost everywhere across the country.
Comment The
news is very encouraging that biharis are remitting to their home land, this proves
two things ,one they are hard workers and that out side state or the country they
are most law abiding too, but the question arises what the goverment is doing
for those who come back home from form differnt state or out side the country,
there is no programme at the government level to cater to the needs of the NRI's
from Bihar.
DR ANWER AHSAN
DAMMAM, KSA aa_drpedsurg@yahoo.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- The
remittances to our state can move number one among Indian states and this can
help to development contribution a lot in all field In
fact state government have to take (is taking but little) proper and effective
steps towards Biharee human resources for long term basis and this must be above
the political party level, religious level, cast level, area level etc. The perfect
policies implementation to target our future generation destiny will sure boost
us as "Harit Karanti" save millions of Indian from starvation. We
must concentrate to improve skilled labour force and for that few section of the
state has to be high quality level to compete others not only to migrate inside
India but to the world market of human resource. 1)
We need to maintain law & order to provide safety, securities by physically
and mentally. 2) Education is the
best way to counter maximum problems and we need high quality Industrial, Mechanical,
Bio medical, Management institutes, colleges to produce high class Degree and
diploma holder work force. 3) We
need financial education institutes to produce, Charter accountant, Finance Management
diploma / degree for finance executives Finance
Managements for Non Finance executives. 4)
Good infrastructure is also an assurance to bring developments and we need our
main cities road to be maintained properly and make sure to provide connectivity
from villages to towns. 5) "Patna
Air Port" is ignored since long and it should be facilitate to provide international
flights landing facilities either in same place or move to some where near to
Patna ,Hajipur area. 6) There should
be domestic airport in the simanchal area 7)
Government should provide latest information and assistance to migrant or to be
migrant work force in each districts headquarter. I
hope our government will work positively toward my suggestions and these points
are concerned by maximum Biharee expatriates including overseas Biharee all around
the world. Helal Alam
Ghazali Jubail Industrial
City, KSA helalg@gmail.com
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