For decades, rural population migrated to the urban areas in search of better livelihood options. Factors like poverty, lack of employment and low agricultural productivity created a situation which forced the rural people to look for greener pasture in the cities.

The families in the rural areas were dependent on the support of their working members from the cities to access their basic services and amenities.

The Covid19 Pandemic has reversed the whole scenario. The lockdown has closed the job opportunities in the cities of the large number of migrated populations working in different sectors. This has created a vacuum and people started returning to the rural areas to find some refuge.

Birender Mahto was working as a daily wage labourer in one of the factories in Delhi. The lockdown uncertainty has seized all his livelihood opportunities. He managed for a few days but as the days progressed his survival become bad to worse. He decided to return to his village in Koinda in Sheikhpura District in Bihar. In the absence of any transportation, he started his almost 1342 Km journey by foot and trucks. It was a troublesome path with days of travel, sometimes without food and water.

Nellu Devi, a widow was another survivor of the pandemic greatly impacted due to loss of livelihood. She had the responsibility of feeding her 5 children. She along with her elder daughters used to work as a daily wage labourer but Covid 19 has lost this opportunity from this family.

As a mitigation measures Government have taken some steps to provide relief to Farmers, Small businessmen in form of a Government loan. Despite all measures, there are no. of Survivors of pandemic who did not get any assistance either due to lack of land Holding capacity or documents. These stakeholders are a very marginalized group and somehow struggling to manage their livelihood

Caritas India Saksham program operational in Sheikhpura, Bihar helped Birender and Neelu Devi to start their livelihood through accessing entitlements. Birender and Neelu were assisted by programme staff in getting PDS card and MGNREGA Job card. All necessary documents were submitted online, with some delay, his name was enrolled for Government benefits. The Ration that they received through schemes was not enough so they started some activities with the Support of Bihar water Development society.  

Birender started Lease farming (Battiya) by taking 23 katthas (0.8 Acre approx.) of land on lease and has started farming. He had cultivated Paddy (Yashoda) with the assistance from Krishi Vijayan Kendra. According to Birender, Paddy production in this season was 12 quintals, out of which 08 quintals have been sold @ Rs. 1250/quintal kg of paddy. Now he is preparing for wheat and Vegetable cultivation.

Under Nonfarm initiatives, Neelu Devi was provided 3 goats with proper rearing training to Promote her Livelihood. Periodic handholding support is being provided by Staff to record her progress. She has also now started working under MNREGA, after getting Enrolment and Job card. Under Covid Realignment Program, she expressed her interest in Goat rearing as she used to breed goats before the lockdown. But during the lockdown, she had to sell all her goats for cash to feed her family.  

A revival of the rural economy is possible through the convergence of schemes and interventions of the civil societies and NGOs to support resilient livelihoods of the rural population.