Convert disaster into opportunities

Students, teachers, labourers, guards etc. have found new jobs ever since the breakdown of the Covid-19. Ram Singh, a small farmer in Bulandshahr district's Halpura village, used to earn Rs. 250 a day as a guard at a construction site in Delhi. After the lockdown, his earnings have increased. Now, he is selling vegetables in the nearby towns earning more than enough to feed his six-member family. Now, he has no worries to pay for school fees as his children are studying in the village school. His daughter wants to be an engineer. In the government school, she can finish her schooling.

He is very happy to come back to his village after 10 years. His happiness is also shared by his new neighbour Anil Kumar, whose small tea shop was shut in the lockdown. In the village, he is very easily feeding his family of five and getting medicines from the local government dispensary. In a government school, he has no expense. Anil added.

A large number of people have come back to their native villages following work loses, closures of markets and business. This is a very positive trend. On the one hand, cities are decongested and on the other hand, there is no shortage of labourers in the rural areas.

Several small budget schools have shut down. This has given a new direction to the education sector. With no income, low budget schools where almost half of the school-going children study, either shut down or forced to shut in near future due to the shifting of people to villages and small towns, forcing teachers, office staff, helpers, drivers and others to shift to their native villages. This has resulted in the village kids in getting good tutors in the villages, that too on affordable rates.

India has around 4 lakh such private schools which cater to the needs of around 8 crore students. This problem is more serious in big cities where millions of migrant workers have gone back to their villages. The children, who were studying in these schools, have shifted to government schools in their villages and towns. This has generated new employment opportunities in villages and small towns.

In villages, rents are very low, electricity is the very cheap and now qualified staff is available at affordable salaries, so now it has become very easy to run schools in villages. Now, this business can be very easily shifted to villages and small cities. In cities, it was very difficult for the parents to pay fees as their income avenues were closed but in villages, they have found a new light at the end of the dark tunnel.

In big cities, these budget schools are for sale but there is hardly any buyer because now owners want to shift their business to villages and small cities. Now, even teachers, office staff, helpers etc have developed entrepreneurs skills. They have found employment and income in vegetable, fruits, dairy, milk, animal husbandry, agriculture, skilled work and grocery sector. Since they are very intelligent, they are very successful too in these ventures. Now, even teachers can be seen selling vegetables and fruits in societies. Ironically, they are doing good business.

Farmers, direct village to city buyer business is a new phenomenon due to this lockdown. Now, there is no shortage of educated people and young workers in villages, which in itself has brought big fortunes for farmers. This type of business has generated crores of rupees in some villages. This new trend of marketing has solved the problem of the shortage of vegetables and fruits in big cities. With the farmers, drivers, truck owners and hawkers have also found work at home itself.

Educated people returning to villages and small cities have brought with them experience, intellect and skills. With their help farmers and local people have started using the latest and updated techniques and methods; suddenly they have found new frontiers and opportunities, pushing their talents and produces in far and wide areas. Last few months were very difficult but they have taught them so many new ways to struggle and survive and live a much easier and happy life than the cities they left behind with sad memories.

It was seen that system has completely collapsed in the big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata etc. They even failed to provide meals, medicines and water to the people. So the governments should develop villages and small cities.  The governments should open schools, colleges, hospitals, banks, post offices, ration shops, fair price shops and agriculture-based industries in villages and small cities and give employment to local people. This will reduce the pressure on cities. Social benefit schemes like 'old-age pension scheme' etc should be implemented in the villages.