The Maharashtra Government will soon bring in a new policy on the registration of migrant labourers. The state cabinet will be taking a formal decision on the strategy to enroll migrant labourers who left for their hometown amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Home Minister Anil Deshmukh told the Free Press Journal, “The objective is to collect data on the number of migrant labourers, their home states and where they were working before they left Maharashtra. Nearly 12 lakh and 5.5 lakh migrant labourers left for their hometown in Shramik Special trains and Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses, respectively. Their ghar wapsi is certain. When they return, they will be registered so that they can resume their duties or get new jobs.’’
The registration of the migrant labourers will come in handy for companies from various sectors to provide employment. It will be useful in case a similar event, such as the present pandemic, occurs again and migrants wish to travel back home. “I have convened a meeting with senior police officers on Tuesday to discuss the modalities of registration. Ultimately, the state cabinet will decide the nodal agency and department that will complete the registration process and maintain the updated data,’’ he noted.
The state government’s move is on the lines of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh governments, which have decided to make the registration of migrant workers mandatory with labour departments and to extend schemes, such as subsidised ration under the Public Distribution System, to them in the states of their employment through the One Nation, One Ration Card scheme.
Biju Janata Dal (BJD)-ruled Odisha has launched a toll-free helpline, help desk for migrant labourers and seasonal hostels for their children. The state government has proposed to establish migration support centres.
