Daily wage workers: future unknown

At 7 a.m., Sadiq Manzil Chowk in Daltonganj town is already bustling with activity – trucks are roaring by, shops are pulling up shutters and the distant sound of a recorded Hanuman Chalisa can be heard coming from a temple nearby.

Sitting on the steps of a shop, Rishi Mishra is smoking a cigarette and speaking aloud to people around him. Their discussion this morning centres around the recently concluded General Elections and the formation of the new government. Listening to those around him argue, Nazaruddin Ahmed, who has been rubbing tobacco in his palms finally intervenes, saying, “why are you arguing? No matter who forms the government, we still have to earn our living.”

Rishi and Nazaruddin are among the several daily wage labourers who gather every morning in the area also known as ‘labour chowk’. There is no work in the villages around Palamu, they say. Roughly 25-30 labourers are waiting for daily wage work at the labour chowk (junction) here at Sadiq Manzil, one of five such chowks in town where people from nearby villages in Jharkhand assemble every morning, looking for work.

“Wait till eight o’clock. There will be so many people here that there won’t be space to stand,” says Rishi, checking the time on his mobile phone.

Rishi completed his ITI training in 2014 and can operate a drilling machine, a job he is hoping to get today. “We voted for this government hoping for jobs. [Narendra] Modi has been in power for 10 years. How many vacancies have been announced and how many jobs have been given?” asks the 28-year-old from Singraha Kalan village. “If this government stays for another five years, we have no hope.”

Nazaruddin, 45, feels the same way. The mason from Neura village is the single earning member in his family of seven. “Who cares about the poor and the farmers?” Nazaruddin asks. “Every day, 500 people come here. Only 10 will get work, the rest will go home empty-handed.”

The conversation is interrupted by the arrival of a man on a motorbike. The men rush and crowd around him, hoping to get work for the day. After determining the wage, a young man is selected. The bike speeds off with him riding pillion. 

Rishi and his fellow labourers return to their spots. “Look at the tamasha [circus]. One comes, and everybody jumps,” says Rishi, forcing a smile.

Sitting back down, he says, “whoever forms the government, it should benefit the poor. Mehengai [inflation] should come down. Will building a temple fill the stomachs of the poor?”