Citizen Direct at India Together: Rozgar yatra concludes in Delhi

3 July 2005

After six weeks on the road, the Rozgar Adhikar Yatra has returned to its starting point, Delhi, on 1 July. During this time, the Yatra�s bus has covered a distance of almost 8,000 km through India�s most deprived districts, spread out over ten states. Its journey has been interspersed with a wide variety of public events, including street corner meetings, rallies, street plays, puppet shows and interactions with political leaders.

The most lively meetings continue to be those held in open spaces � in markets, on the road side. During the last leg of the Yatra, the people that had been mobilised by local organisations were spontaneously joined by large numbers of passers by at meetings in Amethi, Rae Bareli, Sandila, Lakhimpur Khiri and Shajahanpur, confirming the importance of the issues raised by the Yatra to labourers and farmers alike.

While here as elsewhere, participants� accounts of the difficulties they faced in trying to create a dignified life for themselves and their families were often painful, the long list of problems they reported were by now more than familiar. Some of the most pressing ones included the non-payment of agreed wages; refusal to pay statutory minimum wages, with women receiving even less than men; and the unavailability of employment in general.

Corruption, too, was an issue that cropped up in testimony after testimony. In Sandila, on 29 June, the Yatris got a chance to actively participate in direct action against this menace. During the public meeting held here, it was reported that a local government clerk would only produce caste certificates upon the payment of a bribe. It was then decided to collectively go to the thesildar�s office to report these malpractices and file a complaint. The force of public pressure became more than clear during this incident.

When reaching the office, it turned out the clerk in question had fled the premises in fear. Local policemen too were obviously at unease with the sudden sight of a large and angry gathering. When the clerk had finally been located and was produced before the thesildar, she ensured us that stringent and immediate action would be taken. Our local partner organisation will follow up.

Our visit to Lakhimpur district, on 30 June, was a sharp and painful illustration of the way in which the many problems reported by labourers are interrelated. Lakhimpur is the poorest district of the country, marked by great out-migration, and reports of starvation deaths have been pouring out of the area. In such a situation, government officials� claim that labourers want cash wages only clearly seem out of place, in particular where this claim is based on the argument that payment of wages in kind �goes against the economic freedom of the people�.

Not surprisingly, the labourers present were quick to correct the government�s vision: they want payment in both cash and food grains. The problem, as one official also admitted, is in the supply of the latter: food grains often don�t reach the people for whom they are meant (in just one recent example of a scam in the area, food grains meant for local people were being sent to Bangladesh instead), are sold at higher than official prices or are of bad quality when they actually do reach. The chanda (donation) collected by the Yatris during the day they spent in this very poor district was a record Rs. 1,014, with even labourers donating upto Rs. 50. Clearly, if the generosity of the public is an indication, the need for a movement that addresses these issues is more than pressing.

While today�s public gathering in Delhi may mark the end of the Rozgar Adhikar Yatra, it therefore does not mean the end of the movement. Indeed, this meeting provides an opportunity not only to look back, summarise lessons learned and celebrate what has been achieved, but also to plan a strategy for the future. As long as the aim of work for all people and proper rewards for all work has not been achieved, the struggle will continue. Har haath ko kam do! Kam ka pura dam do!

Anja Kovacs 3 Jul 2005

Anja Kovacs is post-doctoral scholar from the University of East Anglia, UK. She was on the yatra for the last four days.

Citizen Direct is India Together’s channel for publishing reports from citizens who have detailed information about specific civil society concerns and matters, by virtue of their participation, association, or independent observation. These reports are therefore as witnessed and understood by the authors themselves; India Together accepts no liability or responsibility for them.
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