…during my recent visit to the newly initiated HARIT PRAYAS project villages in Chatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh (India) , it was surprising for me in one of the village named ‘Amroniya” ( it is around 55 kms from Khujraho) where people love to migrate from their villages just only to enjoy the beauty of city…..compare to villages…although I find Amroniya as one of the beautiful village and green village to have time in leisure ….
where when I asked to one of the villager (who was just playing with his Chinese 3 sim card mobile)…how many days you stay in the village …he just simply replied…bas shadi mein aaye the (i.e. just came in the marriage)….Punjab jayada badhiya hein…waha Zindagi mast hein…kamayee achi hein…( Punjab is much better and life at Punjab is amazing with good income!)…I surprised and asked why so? This time he has looked at me with some ‘doubtful eye’ and said ‘punjab jaiye tab pata chalega……( when you would go to Punjab than you would know that what is amazing!) ….any how even with his doubtful eyes I have not stopped my interaction with him and again asked (with bit soft voice) how much you earn there in Punjab? And I think now he understood that I would be going to ask him more so…he also made him prepared for that and with an half hour discussion the fact which he has revealed is that…..
Total earning in a month in Punjab is around Rs. 200/- per day as the daily wage labour work ( for sometime they have to sit empty for weeks)
And total expenditure in Punjab is around (if without family i.e alone)
- Travel: Rs. 20/-
- Gutka/Bidi: 20/-
Mobile - Food (two times): 70/-
- Local Liquor: 40/-
- Other : 10
In total it is Rs. 180/- per day, hardly he is able to save 20 Rs. Per day only if he is 100% healthy and fine and he is not traveling to his native home once in a month.
I surprised and not able to think, in-spite of government schemes like MGNREGA which pays more than 120/- rupees per day in Madhya Pradesh, why people are migrating to cities of Punjab and living the life in slums and carrying many diseases when they back to their hometown…is it only the charm of city or just the figure of Rs. 200 per day in compare to Rs. 120 per day of MGNREGA?
Vinod Pandey
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