Patna, (Bihar Times): The labour shortage in the foodbasket of India is likely to persist in the coming kharif season. The labour intensive rice production may be hit hard in the states like Punjab and Haryana.
The labour shortage badly affected wheat lifting
operations in the just concluded rabi season. Farmers’
organisation like Bharti Kisan Union and the state
government’s agriculture department are now
anticipating its adverse impact on paddy sowing and
transplanting season.
According to BKU President Ajmer Singh Lakhowal the way the labour shortage is being experienced by the farmers, it is certain that it would hit the paddy transplantation in Punjab, which could result in reduction of paddy sowing area.
Reports say that the paddy transplantation in Punjab is scheduled to start from June 10 after the state government asked the farmers to avoid paddy sowing before the month of June in view of declining water table in the state.
Over 90 per cent of paddy sowing in Punjab is done by
migrant labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Their
contribution in the Green Revolution in this part of
the country is enormous.
But thanks to National Rural Employment Gurantee
Scheme and the anti-Bihari campaign in Maharashtra
farmers are, for now at least, avoiding to step out of
the state for work. True there is no Thackerays in
Punjab, but these labourers now think that it is
better to have one bird in hand rather than two in
bush.
The irony is that NREGA is still not being properly
implemented and there is complaints of corruption in
the scheme. Had it been implemented in much better way
then the scene would have been quite different. Anyway
farmers of Punjab and Haryana will have to go for an
alternative.
With minimum improvement in governance and is spite of the floods of last year (said to be the worst in human history by UN) so much can be achieved. One can only imagine what can be achieved if things are done properly. Unfortunately, Dilli darbar is hardly interested in the progress of Bihar. THEY WANT TO SEE BIHAR POOR. tvsinha@gmail.com |
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Now the politicians from these affluent states will
pull all shots to reverse the migration back to their
states. This will include blaming the implimentation
of NREGA, and finally stopping NREGA in Bihar. At
least now people of Bihar should know why they are
poor. They have been deliberately kept poor. Green
revolution happened in Punjab, Haryana and other
states but Bihar was deliberately left out. There are
recurrent floods in Bihar but Indian Government has
not shown any interest to talk to Nepal for building
dams and hydel project. They know that once Bihar
becomes self relient and prosperous its people will
not go to Punjab, Haryan, Mumbai and Assam. This will
affect the agriculture and Industry there. Selfish
people have time and again scuttled any good project,
be it power, agriculture or industrial sector in
Bihar. Its high time the people of Bihar should revolt
and ask for their true return for the service they
have provided in building the nation. The central
government should also realize that people can't be
fooled any more. Nepal has revolted and now they have
Maoism there which may go against broad Indian
Interests. Should Bihar go in the same direction ? If
it does then only Indian Government is to be blamed.
A. Singh
anugrah_singh@yahoo.com