Janikari Jima Samuhika Marudi Pratikara Udyama Balangir, Orissa
This booklet in Oriya, entitled We will go Informed, is predicated upon a necessity: the migration of the poor and the landless from Orissa's Balangir district (India's poorest district; here, chronic drought has put an end to agriculture as a livelihood source). It is a compilation of rules and regulations governing inter-state migration.
Resurrecting forgotten legislation such as the Inter State Migrant Workmen Act and certain provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code, a group of 20 ngos -- they call themselves the Combined Drought Mitigation Initiative -- has published it to lessen problems migrants face.
Often, labour contractors from states such as Andhra Pradesh and Uttaranchal exploit these migrants. The booklet juxtaposes such typical situations with relevant laws that could help migrants contest exploitation. Written in lucid Oriya, it is a legal ready reckoner.
If only migrants could read it.