A good number of day labourers in the remote villages of the Teesta and Dharla river belt areas in Lalmonirhat district are passing hard time due to seasonal unemployment. The government has a 40-day job scheme for the poor focused on the lean period, but is not clear why it is not put to work, reported a national daily. It has thus led many to question the usefulness of the programme and to wonder whether the supposed allocations are available or lost in otherwise in political activities. But the poor are selling their labour in advance in this situation to local farm owners at lower prices while others are borrowing from money lenders at high interest as per the report.”There are at least 50 thousand farm labourers in five upazilas of the district who have been hit by lack of jobs and likely to continue to suffer until the start of IRRI-Boro harvest in early June. Now most farm labourers are going to different parts of the country in search of job, the report said quoting an official of the Department of Agriculture Extension in Lalmonirhat. Farm labours are therefore demanding immediate launching of the 40-day job programme to save their family from starvation. Moreover the government may start other temporary work schemes like test relief, food for work and cash for work to give the labourers a means of livelihood. This would also revamp rural economy with newer jobs and income earning activities. Industries may also set up in the areas to create more jobs and income. Moreover, it can be a good time to development new roads and maintain existing infrastructure to bring boost to the rural economy and bring jobs to jobless poor. We also hold the view that microcredit may be offered to the poor by NGOs, banks and such other specialized bodies to create more economic activities. We are appalled by the fact that when the poor are selling their labour in advance, they are losing around 50 percent of their real job value. Similarly they are borrowing at 10-20 percent higher cost meaning that they will exhaust their next season’s earnings much before to pay for highly charged loans. Another point which is hitting the public mind is that why the poverty level is not eliminated yet when hundreds of NGOs and such other agencies are working to eliminate rural poverty. Some opinion said microcredit is not enough now for a family to work out ways above poverty line. The need is microcredit plus to hit poverty effectively and bring more socio-economic transition to the rural society. We hold the view that poor farmers must get enough bank loans to overcome the lean period. Poor labours must get more benefit from temporary work programmes, besides support from low cost NGO funding. Moreover, local government institutions, elected representatives and government functionaries must move quickly to address the owes of the poor and launch whatever work programme is in the pipeline to ameliorate the condition of the poor.
