Migrant Labour issue in Telangana
Hundreds of skilled immigrants come into Telangana to begin a living doing skilled jobs in construction, hotels, interior designing etc. The city is now the hub of development with the growth of the IT sector and rise in industries creating abundant opportunities and high employment rates.
Along with construction, there is a high demand for woodwork in home construction as well. Neha Gandhi, resident of Jubilee Hills, said, “Rajasthan woodwork is so exceptional as the intricate detailing is done on a miniature scale. While constructing our family home, we opted for woodwork from a catalogue and we were surprised to find that the workers themselves came from Rajasthan to recreate the designs. There is elegance in the detailing. For example, I commissioned a small carving of petals falling from a bloomed flower, and the result was shockingly lifelike sans the coloring”.
Immigrants are also coming to work in the hospitality sector, which is booming in the city. Kishan Chettri, a 27-year-old, hailing from Darjeeling, is currently working at the front desk at the Park Hotel, Somajiguda, for the last year. Kishan completed his B.Com and initially worked in Bangalore City before moving to Telangana.
local workers, mostly masons and plumbers are moving to the Gulf countries for higher pay. This opens the Telangana market to give opportunities to skilled workers from different states. In comparison to other states in India, Telangana’s wages are higher than that of their home state and there are more number of opportunities. Also, builders who are acquiring the painting and woodwork services are more keen on employing people from outside as the artisans and workers stay on site for one year and the work is quicker as they are not influenced by the local factors or incidents.
Child marriage issue in telangana
Despite laws, the practice of child marriage is rampant in Telangana. Latest study by M V Foundation, a child rights organization, revealed that every girl in a child marriage has been devastated through multiple forms of violence in Telangana.
Unable to cope with the stigma, the hopelessness, the girls are further pushed into depression. The study was conducted on girls, in age group of 16-20 years, who have been married for couple of years in districts of Nalgonda, Ranga Reddy, Mahbubnagar, and Hyderabad. Detailed interviews of 46 married girls and 26 girls whose marriages were stopped were used in the study. According to the report, 89 percent of girls reported physical assault by husband on daily basis, 73 percent girls accepted their husband drank daily while 78 percent girls reported their health had deteriorated since they got no help or support from their family. Shockingly, 70 percent girls knew there is a law prohibiting child marriage, but despite resistance, they failed in stopping their marriage. The main reason was that their families lived below poverty line and illiteracy rate was high among parents.
As per the 2011 census, 14.3 million children in age group of 15-19 years are victims of child marriage. Telangana, where study was carried out was no better. Mahbubnagar district has highest percentage of married girls in the age group of 15-19 years at 26.2 percent. This is followed by Ranga Reddy at 21.1%, Nalgonda at 21.5%, Khammam and Medak at 21%. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act protects girls from child marriages. But activists say the laws has serious flaws.