Bheem Reddy Mandha is a household name for many who live in northern Telangana, especially in the erstwhile districts of Nizamabad, Adilabad and Karimnagar. For the last few years, Bheem, who is the President of the Emigrants Welfare Forum has been helping trapped migrant workers, especially in the Gulf.
In an interview with TNM, Bheem spoke about the reasons for the continuous migration from northern Telangana to other states and countries, how states have to tackle the problem of workers who are returning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and other work that the Emigrants Welfare Forum carries out.
The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
How did you get started doing this work?
I was born and raised in a village near Jagtial in Telangana. Between 1985 and 1996, I used to work as a journalist for a local newspaper and I used to report on a lot of issues related to migration. I used to work as an insurance agent on the side.
Between 1997 and 2000, I worked and lived in Dubai as an insurance agent. I personally saw how they are troubled. I saw the issues first-hand and wanted to help. Till then, there was no specialised organisation working for migrant workers. So once I returned, in 2011, I met P Narayanaswamy, a labour leader from Mahbubnagar's Palamuru region who I consider my 'guru.'
I trained under him and began to understand what rights migrant workers have under international law, how to solve problems, how to rescue people etc. I worked with him as part of the Migrants Rights Council and I attended several international programmes and seminars and learnt the ropes.
Six years ago, with an intention to focus specifically on the northern Telangana region, the Emigrates Welfare Forum was founded.
Can you explain how the migration cycle in northern Telangana works?
Migration has two dynamics — one is that there is a lack of local opportunities or secondly, other places may have better opportunities. Migration has been part of northern Telangana since before independence. Many people would travel to Mumbai and other big cities to work in textile mills and construction projects.
In the 1970s, there was an oil boom in the middle-east and they needed manual labour.
At the time, they used to take people via ships. They provided several incentives. When they returned after a few years, their social status changed. They had better clothes, electronic goods and some money in hand. This resulted in others being drawn to it.
From 1977, with the Sriram Sagar project suddenly providing irrigation water to a massive area of agricultural land, rights pertaining to property ownership became a major issue. It was around this time that Maoists also grew strong in the region.
When naxalism came, police high-handedness and encounters became more common. Several youth were also involved in revolutionary activities and had cases slapped against them. Many times, Maoists would also brand people as informers. To avoid all this, many people also looked at the Gulf as a safe spot to go and work.
Marginalised communities used to migrate more initially, but once they returned and others saw that they were doing well off, even middle-class families began sending their youth to the Gulf.
Since 1983, when the Emigration Act was passed in Parliament, the migration process was more regularised and agents, middlemen and others entered the scene.
What work does the forum do?
Instead of working like an NGO, which is involved in mitigation, we try to find a permanent solution. We question countries that are sending and receiving migrants, look at the rights that they have and their implementation. We prefer legal fights when it comes to issues like non-payment of wages.
The organisation also files petitions and lobbies with Embassies and diplomats to help workers in the Gulf countries.
We try to rescue people put in jail. We demand action against agents and also run awareness campaigns for those who are leaving in search of employment. We also advise those who return, on how to spend their money productively.
Amid the pandemic, has the work changed?
The organisation's main focus now is people who are returning back home amid the pandemic.
We are looking at how to manage this. Many are returning even though their salaries are due. There is also the issue of rehabilitation and resettlement here. We are looking at how to turn this situation into a positive one.
What role can governments play?
Migrants returning home in large numbers is something that takes place frequently.
Around 30 years ago, during the Gulf War, several Indians were repatriated free of cost. When there was the oil crisis and the resulting economic collapse in the middle-east, several people returned. Of late, due to nationalisation programmes too, many Telangana natives are returning home. Migration is a cycle that is inevitable.
A system needs to be devised to address the issues of these migrants. National and state governments should work on this. There has been a Draft Emigration Bill in the works, but nothing has been finalised.
The entire world is going through the same problem, so it's not a unique one. These workers have some savings, skills and experience. We can incentivise them to start small-scale business near their village that will also create employment.
There are several other steps that governments can take from opening registries with Embassies to unionisation and awareness programmes.