Students pedal their way through a village. Telegraph picture

Lohardaga, Oct. 12: Saddled on their bicycle, some local youths have said what the district administration has not been able to: “Do not flee, fight for livelihood here”.

At a time, when villagers are migrating from rebel-hit Lohardaga, Gumla and Latehar districts due to bad monsoon and poor harvest, over 650 students pedalled their way to win them back.

Yesterday, the youths went for a 55km tour, rallying through villages and urging people not to leave their village. They urged them to build reservoirs that will be a source of irrigation, approach block and district officials for jobs under National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

Ashok Bhagat, the secretary of Vikas Bharati Bishunpur, an NGO, and Lohardaga superintendent of police Subodh Prasad flagged off the bicycle rally at Nadiya Hindu High School. Over 2,000 people from villages in Gumla and Lohardaga gathered at the high school and took an oath not to migrate to other districts. The rally touched well over 30 villages before reaching Chingiri village of Gumla district.

“As the kharif crops failed this year, there was panic among people and many left in search of greener pastures. Youths have the power to change the society and so these students have been given the task to instil confidence among villagers,” said Bhagat. The rally was originally planned for three days beginning Sunday but in view of the two-day CPI(Maoist) bandh, it was limited to one day.

For rebel-hit districts of Gumla, Lohardaga and Latehar, usually inhabited by the tribals, the main source of livelihood is agriculture. Failed monsoon and bad kharif harvest this year had worried the villagers. Due to poor irrigation facility they are even apprehending a bad rabi crop growth

“We have little foodgrains on which we have to survive this year as our other crops have failed. However, today we took oath not to migrate to other places seeking better livelihood,” said Bhonjo Oraon, a woman from Balasotta village under Bhandra block of Lohardaga district.

The rally is just a step towards stopping the exodus of villagers. Other programme would also be initiated in the days to come.