Chhabilal Oli of Bajura district is preparing to go to India. It is a part of his annual routine. Every year, after the harvest season is over, there is little work left for him to do in his village. At least, getting work that pays is next to impossible. 

"I leave for India as soon as the harvesting is over. There is no other way to sustain ourselves here," said Oli, adding that across the border he could earn enough to buy new pairs of clothes, shoes and other desired items needed by his family. Hundreds of youths from the western region of the country who leave for India annually depend on the seasonal migration for better livelihood. 

They go to Almorha, Mumbai and other cities of India in search of employment. According to the record at District Police Office, Bajura, 50 to 150 young people leave the country on a daily basis to work as a laborer in India. But the peak season for the labor migration is post Dasahin and Tihar, the two big Hindu festivals. 

"After the festival or after finishing work in fields, the youths head to India. They fan out to cities such as New Delhi, Kumaun, Garhwal, Ranikhet. Many of them travel to Mumbai or even as far as Jammu Kashmir, among other places," said Surendra Nath, who oversaw operations at Tipada Bus Counter in Bajura. He added that public bus along Bajura, Dhangadi, and Mahendranagar routes have very high earnings during the season. 

Across the border, Nepalis are mostly hired to do low-skilled, menial jobs. "It´s low paid jobs like washing dishes, mopping, cleaning rooms as we are not educated for better jobs," said Geetu Nepali who spends at least half of the year in India. "Some others work at construction sites, carrying loads, building walls, and digging grounds. There are also those who take up awful jobs like burning corpses or cleaning sheds," Nepali added. The companies that hire Nepalese hardly care about insurance of the workers. If they die or get injured during duty, the workers or their family can hardly claim any compensation.

According to census 2011, Bajura´s population stands at 1,034,912. Not even five percent of the people work on a salary or have permanent jobs. Most of them are engaged in agriculture, but the return is not attractive. The district´s lands are not fertile and the villagers neither are unaware of modern farming techniques nor do they have access to necessary agricultural tools. "Those who can afford it, go to the Gulf countries and the rest go to India," said Nepali. One has to spend a lot of money to get employment in Malaysia and Qatar, the dream of many Nepali youths with low education. Though the air fares and other official charges are not so high, it is the agents who charge huge amounts as fees. 

Although the number of youths is high among those seeking jobs in India, the police record shows that the seasonal migrants are aged between 15 to 65 years. Majority of the migrants come from poor background or are Dalits.  According to Geetu Nepali, each year, most of the people from his community spend eight months in India, doing whatever job they find there. "The people here believe that they are alive due to the work provided by India. We are dependent on India for job since ages," said Jeetu.  Bajura is among the least developed district in the national development index.

Published on: 25 November 2014 | Annapurna Post