A large number of unskilled workforce from neighbouring Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal migrate to Jamshedpur in search of livelihood. Along with this workforce, a large number of minors come to Steel City to do odd jobs to earn bread and butter for themselves and their families. A survey conducted by an NGO, Bal Mukti Seva Sansthan (BMSS), found that there were around 9,367 child labourers in the city.
Sources said most of these workers are given Rs 30 per day, which is way below the minimum daily wages inJharkhand. Children are also hired as motor mechanics in garages. Here they work in the heat and the dust to earn their daily bread.
The survey revealed that of the 9,367 child workers, 995 were found in the Sitaramdera area of the city. In rural areas, 840 were spotted in Baharagora, which lies close to the Bengal-Odisha border.