Panic due to rising COVID-19 cases and its negative impact on economy and industrial sector is expected to lead to mass return of Odia migrant labourers from Gujarat and Maharashtra to their homes in Ganjam district in the next few weeks.
Social activists, involved with migrant labourers from Ganjam working in Surat and Mumbai, feel if the panic over COVID-19 continues, it will lead to mass return of workers from both these places. Around five lakh migrant Odia workers are employed in textile industries in Surat. In Mumbai, a large number of Odia migrant workers serve in various small manufacturing units.
“Although no cases of COVID-19 infection have been reported from Surat, its threat has started to take a toll on the production process of textile manufacturing units,” said Lokanath Mishra, who is involved in ‘link workers scheme’, a project related to migrant workers of Ganjam district.
According to Mr. Mishra, as a repercussion of international situation due to COVID-19 threat, export of cotton fabric produced in Surat has stopped. Added to it, import of raw materials has also been discontinued. Textile industries in Surat have started reducing their production. If this situation continues, several textile production units in Surat may close down, which will directly affect the Odia migrant workers employed in them, said Mr. Mishra. The gemstone industry in Gujarat has suffered the biggest blow due to COVID-19, but only a small number of Odia workers serve this sector, he added.
In Surat, the economic slowdown due to COVID-19 threat has already started to affect employment scope of migrant Odia workers. “According to the information from the workers in Surat, it is impossible to get a new job in any textile manufacturing unit. Every month, several migrant workers leave their old job and search for employment in other textile units. Those who have left their jobs in the past few weeks are unable to find a new one,” said Pramod Jena, supervisor of ‘link workers scheme’ in Beguniapada block of Ganjam district.
Impact of the economic slump on migrant workers in small production units in Mumbai has been low, said Soudamini Rath, secretary of ARUNA, another organisation working for migrant workers of Ganjam district. She, however, said if cases of COVID-19 increase in Mumbai, it will lead to return of these workers.
