Over 50% migrant families have no ID

KOCHI: A study of 150 migrant families living in Kalamassery, Thrikkakara and Kochi corporation limits has revealed that 53% of these families do not have any sort of identification cards. Over 71% families do not have a ration card. Exposing the extreme conditions under which these families live, the study states that 48.7% families live in single rooms, with only 56% of them having individual toilet facilities.
The sample study, Analysis of Children of Migrant Labours, was conducted for Kochi corporation and Unicef by Rajagiri Outreach. However, the report does not give the exact number of migrant families in the area. But the study says a majority of migrant labourers in these areas are from Tamil Nadu, followed by Uttar Pradesh. There are also migrant labourers from Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Gujarat. "We will be giving the report to Kochi corporation with a suggestion that a detailed mapping of migrant labourers in the city needs to be conducted. Also, migrants who don't have ID cards need to be identified and given the same," said Antony M P, project director, Rajagiri Outreach.
ID cards will help migrants avail the benefits of government schemes. The health front, similarly, gave a dismal picture. "Sharing toilets and using public toilets will increase the risk of catching infections," Antony said. Most of them go to government hospital for treatment. On the positive side, authorities have managed to ensure that children, above the age of five, went to school from families surveyed for the report.
As part of the study, the report also checked if 118 children, below the age of five, were covered under the government's immunization programme. It was found that of the 118, around 2.5 % were not covered.
"Considering the achievement of Kerala in immunization, this is disturbing. There are chances that infectious diseases will spread to other children," Antony said.