Farmers in Drought-Hit Regions Turn to MGNREGA for Relief and Livelihood

While the government's five guarantee schemes have provided some relief to farmers battling the agriculture crisis, the worsening drought situation has driven an increase in migration to urban areas in various parts of Karnataka. As the government grapples with this challenge, farmers are deeply concerned about the impending crisis brought about by poor monsoons and crop losses.

To assess the extent of crop loss in the affected areas, several Central teams have been dispatched. According to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) criteria, 195 out of 236 taluks in the state have been declared drought-hit. Among these, 161 are classified as 'severely' drought-affected, while 34 are 'moderately' affected.

The full extent of crop loss will only be determined after ongoing surveys are completed, but preliminary reports indicate significant losses, particularly in the North and Hyderabad Karnataka regions, where rainfall has been meager, and a dry spell has damaged major crops.

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Over 10,000 people have already migrated from the drought-hit Kalaburagi region in search of employment opportunities in cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, according to sources, with the numbers expected to rise. The state government has expressed deep concern about the worsening drought situation and is focusing on the effective implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to deter rural residents from migrating to urban areas. Providing employment to as many people as possible and ensuring timely wages is crucial to preventing migration.

With the drought situation becoming increasingly severe, Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma has written to the Ministry of Rural Development in New Delhi, requesting a wage grant release to the state for the effective implementation of MGNREGA. She has emphasized the urgent need to reduce rural-to-urban migration by providing job opportunities locally. Delays in wage payments have forced laborers to migrate in search of livelihoods.

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Official sources indicate that the State's Rural Development Commissionerate has already submitted utilisation certificates and annual audited accounts to the Ministry of Rural Development for the current and previous fiscal years concerning the pending MGNREGA wage component.

To mitigate the drought situation through MGNREGA, it is crucial that the Centre releases the pending wage grants promptly. The outstanding wage grant since August 2023 amounts to Rs 478.46 crore. The last wage grant disbursed to Karnataka was on September 24 for Rs 1.55 crore, covering August and September.

In some districts like Belagavi, migration may remain low as the sugarcane crop has not been severely affected by the drought. Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil noted that a substantial number of laborers from Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, and other states migrate to Belagavi for employment. He emphasized the need to extend the MGNREGA man-days from 100 to 150 days to ensure better wages.

Farmer leader Kuruburu Shanthakumar attributes the agriculture crisis and rising migration to the government's unscientific policies. He highlights that while government employees, who constitute just 2 to 3 percent of the workforce, are considered part of the organized sector and receive attention for their demands, the unorganized sector, including farmers and laborers, is often neglected. Shanthakumar believes that migration will persist until the government treats the unorganized sector on par with the organized sector.

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