Having already started studying the major problem of migration in Uttarakhand, the Rural Development and Migration Commission (RDMC), formed in August 2017, will be coming up with its first survey report on April 15.
Addressing the media here on Friday, the RDMC vice chairman Sharad Singh Negi said that though migration is a serious problem in Uttarakhand, the data pertaining to it mostly dates back to the 2011 Census. “We cannot reach conclusions or make recommendations without latest concrete data in our hands.
The commission has already conducted a study on migration in 20 development blocks of 12 districts. Now we are conducting a survey in the 1,500 Gram Panchayats across the state. The questionnaire for this has been designed with the help of National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) and the Forest Survey of India (FSI).
The questionnaire with 24 points will be filled by the villagers till January 31 after which the data collected will be analysed and drafted into a report. Which place have people migrated away from, to which places have they migrated, why they have migrated and other aspects will be ascertained in the survey with a special focus on villages located within five kilometres of the border areas,” he said. Negi further informed that the RDMC will also provide inputs in projects like the ‘green road’ to be built between Kotdwar and Ramnagar.
The commission is also working with the World Bank and the Uttarakhand Eco Tourism Development Corporation on aspects of eco tourism. The commission also plans to conduct a study on the herbal wealth in the jungles and its potential for income generation.
Regarding the findings of studies conducted by the commission so far, he said that in the 20 development blocks taken up earlier, education and health services emerged as the major factors- the lack of which caused people to migrate.
About major infrastructural projects like the all-weather road network and the Rishikesh-Karnprayag railway line, the RDMC vice chairman said that these will prove to be major game-changers in the region.
When asked about the view that establishing the state capital in a mountainous region will resolve migration and other problems, he said that such a move would require about Rs 3,000 crore.
Along with the financial aspect, various other factors need to be considered. Simply establishing the State capital in a mountainous region cannot necessarily be considered to be a solution for various issues, he opined.