When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country and the nation went under a complete lockdown, the migrant workers of the country were hit the hardest. With no work, no money to survive upon, and no transportation to take them home, they had to walk kilometers at stretch to reach their villages and family. But the biggest obstacle that they had to face was of the layoff that happened. They were snatched off their work and had nothing to do.
In such a distressed time, IAS Adarsh Singh, District Magistrate of Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh came like a blessing in disguise to them. He generated jobs for about 800 workers and simultaneously brought back a dead river to life!
It would be interesting to note that the jobs to the migrants somehow got linked with the river’s revival.
Reviving River Kalyani
Even after major urbanization and civilization, a major chunk of India’s GDP is reliant on agriculture. But when it comes to streamlined irrigation facilities, the country is found to be lacking. While there are rivers that connect major parts of the country, they are mostly either silted or have dried up.
The 170 km-long River Kalyani, which flows mostly through the district of Barabanki, is one such river! When Mr. Adarsh saw the pathetic condition of the river, he decided to do something about it, and if possible revive it to its original state. What he did not know at the time was that in doing so, he would also be able to generate employment for hundreds of workers that had lost their jobs in the time of Covid19.
The planning of Kalyani river’s rejuvenation started taking shape in September 2019. “it was a challenge to the imagination,” recalled Mr. Singh. After extensive discussions with various departments, the civil servant and his team decided to go forward and start the project under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.
The movement was organized into two segments. The first phase was to clear and rebuilt the 2.6km stretch in Mavaiya and the second phase consisted of revamping the 1.5km stretch in the nearby village, Haidargarh. A budget for more than Rs. 59 lakhs was sanctioned for Phase 1.
Generating Employment for Migrant Workers
The project was initiated in mid-February but the pandemic hit right after. Manpower was a hurdle that they were facing before. People in Barabanki are usually unwilling to work under MNREGA, as the district is quite near to Lucknow and people move to the city in search of better job opportunities. But this time it was different.
Close to 800 daily-wage workers who had lost their jobs and were affected hard by the global pandemic had returned to Barabanki. They were employed under the project started by the District Magistrate. While 500 workers were appointed in Phase 1 in Mavaiya, another 300 were absorbed at Haidargarh, in phase 2. As Mr. Singh stated, “This project came as a ray of hope for several villagers who were struggling for their survival. Another reason was that if the river was rejuvenated, then it would ultimately benefit them. This project aims at conserving water and recharging the groundwater.”
It took approximately 60 days to de-silt the river in Mavaiya. Encroachments were removed that were in close quarters of the river. Police and the Revenue Department also came forward to help with the task.
Sensitizing The General Public
To achieve the desired results, Deputy Commissioner of MNREGA Barabanki, N.D. Dwivedi, also stepped in to sensitize the people of the district.
They went around the district and explained the people about the harms and unhygienic aspect of defecating in the open as well as dumping garbage in or around water bodies.“It wasn’t difficult to get people’s cooperation after we told them they could use the river water for farming,” adds Mr. Singh.
He plans on expanding the project and covering the whole 170 km stretch of the river.
“Lockdown was, in a way, a boon in disguise for us. We had to stop in February due to movement restrictions. When we learnt about the plight of daily wage earners and how their livelihoods were in danger, we thought of employing them and thereby solved two problems simultaneously,” Mr. Singh said in an interview with The Better India.
District Magistrate, Barabanki Mr. Adarsh Singh has been doing a lot for the River Kalyani, unemployed migrant workers, and the people of his district. Indian Masterminds wishes him the best!
