Various segments of the industry in Telangana are likely to be hit hard by the exodus of the migrant workers, who constitute a major workforce in the state.
As the workers, majority of them belonging to northern and eastern states, begin to return home, industrial units in different sectors are keeping their fingers crossed on its impact and whether they will ever come back.
Industry representatives are unanimous that the return of migrants will hit different sectors, especially construction and manufacturing but are divided over the degree of impact. While some expect things to return to normal in a couple of months, others foresee a long-lasting impact.
After the lockdown began in March, Telangana had announced a series of measures to look after the migrant workers. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao assured that no one will starve and termed the migrant workers members of Telangana family and partners in the state’s development.
The chief minister had also announced 12 kg rice and Rs 500 for every migrant worker and asked the employers to give them shelter and provide them all necessary facilities.
The state authorities claimed to have identified 3.5 lakh migrant workers through a survey. However, following criticism from various quarters they revised the numbers.
The industry bodies say the actual number of migrant workers is more than eight lakh. Trade union leaders claimed that the government’s help has not reached majority of the workers, forcing many of them to set on the risky journey of walking towards their states.
“The impact will be severe, especially in unskilled segments in construction, infrastructure, MSMEs, cement and steel plants,” Ramakanth Inani, Senior Vice President, Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said.
According to him out of 100 people employed in every Micro, Small, Medium Enterprise (MSME) in Telangana, 80 are migrants. They are mostly from Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar and some from Madhya Pradesh.
Similarly, the migrant labourers constitute 90-95 per cent of the workforce in infrastructure projects and rice mills and over 70 per cent in the construction sector.
An overwhelming majority is employed in and around Hyderabad while the migrant labourers in districts are employed in brick kilns, granite, construction of power projects, fertiliser plants and rice mills.
The booming construction sector in and around Hyderabad is likely to be the worst affected by exodus of migrant workers. The labourers from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh constitute majority of the workforce in construction. There are also workers from neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
IANS
