Absence of drought prevention measures by the government and pathetic implementation of NREGS has forced people from affected areas of north-Karnataka to migrate to Goa in search of employment.
Attractive wages given by hotels and restaurants to daily-wage workers in Goa always attract people from drought-hit areas of north-Karnataka, like Bijapur, Gadag and Gulbarga districts to the coastal state.
Several people from affected areas have landed in Panaji, Ponda, Savarde and Vasco in Goa state over the last few days searching for works and are expected to stay there until the situation in their drought-affected areas improves. “We hardly get Rs 120 when we work whole day under the scheme. At times, we are not even getting the entire day's wages. In Goa, the wages are not only minimum Rs 250 a day, but are given promptly by employers,” says a resident of Bijapur. With influx of tourists, hotels and resorts are always in search of daily-wage workers and are ready to pay them more. Besides, the needy are also able to get jobs in the fish markets.
According to a businessman from Goa, Jayaprakash Hegde, people from Karnataka who migrate to Goa are hard-working and get employment easily. He says that the Goan market has been thriving and businessmen generously pay most of daily wage workers.