Distress migration of a large number of tribal youths is a regular affair and has been a cause of concern in the tribal-dominated Sundargarh district, Odisha. To enable safe departure of these youths, the iLEAD centre in Sundergarh organized a pre-departure orientation programme for youth on the occasion of International Day of Migrants. The event was organized in Kuarmunda Block where more than 50 youths, mostly belonging to Scheduled Caste and Tribes attended.
The youths, mostly school dropouts, work as daily wages laborers. During the programme, few youths have shared their experiences and difficulties while working as laborer in Punjab. The programme was successful in orienting the youths on the safety measure to be taken during the course of migration and information about concerned officials in case of an emergency or in the course of any untoward incident.