Y.S. Rana, Hamirpur-Jan 21 : This is not necessarily good news and it is true that Information Technology triggers ‘migration’ of village youths to economic prospects in cities. Most of villages in Himachal Pradesh are facing youth exodus to cities for better and more lucrative prospects and old ones are left behind to fend themselves. The problem is serious especially in new Himachal comprising districts Kangra, Una and Hamirpur.
Even in writer’s village, there was a time when village had a plenty of milk, curd, rice, vegetables, ginger, tommoto, onions, ‘arbi’ and number of domestic animals. Now most of the youth have migrated to cities, old one are left to fend themselves behind. Majority of the villagers have left keeping domestic animals and discarded sowing all. They have to purchase things from the market in small quantity.
Most villages in Barsar sub-division of district Hamirpur of the state have presented a deserted look. A retired teacher of village Kanoh stated that hustle-bustle that was prevailed in streets of villages some 40 years ago had vanished. He rued the desertion that has taken place in the villages.
Another ex-serviceman of village Kalohan said earlier, the villagers came to know about the outer world through word of mouth that was too after a long time. In this day, means of communication have shrunk the world. The marvel of Information Technology has brought people and places loser. That was the ‘pull’ factor at work hidden but powerful he said.
In absence of inadequate attention by the State and lack of alternate livelihoods in agriculture sector where 90 per cent of people own land, the average size of land belongings is less than half-an-acre. In such a scenario, youths of small and marginal farmers are pushed to brink and forced to join the multitude of rural folk migrating out of their villages to become a ‘labour force’ in urban industrial hubs.
Present economic forces are relied on capital-intensive and not labour-intensive industry that compelled this communication-induced migration. These economic forces need cheap labour to migrate to urban centres. Besides, the migrants face immense difficulties in new areas of their settlement. They face identity crisis and are bereft of the support structure that was accessible immensely in their villages.
Probably, the most affected are the old one. The attention to their food, medical needs that take place seamlessly within families in villages becomes a casualty.
Technologies have also often deprived people of their livelihood options. Instead of addressing this exodus in right perspective, every government focuses on centralized development. A village society and economy which is based on collective strength and co-existence is now giving way to individualistic way of city’s life marked by a lack of concern for the collective living.
Nine out of ten households are rural in the State. The rural population is heavily dependent on agriculture. Hence, time has come to think about what this phenomenon will do to villages in the state in near future. The state government will have its work to cut out quite clearly to take measures to make agriculture profitable for farmers so that GenX stay back and stick to it. True, industry and new economic activities can be on the agenda but it should not be at the cost of what sustains the livelihoods of vast sections of its population.