Govt re-activates 21 monitoring centres to help migrant workers amid Covid

Union labour ministry on Wednesday said it has re-activated 21 monitoring centres across the country to help mitigate the problems faced by migrant workers through co-ordination with various state governments amid the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Once the pandemic situation eases, labour minister Bhupender Yadav and his deputy S Rameshwar Teli will travel extensively, interact with working class as well as with labour union members and gather their views on implementation of various welfare and social security measures, according to a statement.

Yadav held a virtual interaction with representatives of various trade unions on Wednesday and thanked all trade union leaders for their whole-hearted cooperation for motivating workers to register with e-Shram portal.

 

The minister also said the portal has already turned into a public movement with full jan-bhagidari. In little over 200 days, nearly 23 crore unorganised workers have registered with the portal.

During the interaction, the minister said that in view of the resurgence of COVID and subsequent imposition of certain restrictions by state governments, the Ministry of Labour and Employment has re-activated the 21 monitoring centres from January 5.

The centres have been re-activated "in order to mitigate the problems of migrant workers through co-ordination with various state governments" under the Office of Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) across the country," the ministry said in the statement.

Acknowledging the problems faced by workers employed in brick kiln, plantations and other sectors in getting themselves registered on the e-Shram portal, Yadav said that special camps will be organised for them.

"The government has undertaken several social security schemes for the unorganised workers. Besides, the all India survey of domestic and migrant workers has been undertaken with full earnestness and soon the government will take meaningful and constructive action on the report, keeping in view the aspect of social security and welfare of the working class," Yadav said.

After the survey of migrant and domestic workers is complete, the data shall be linked to e-Shram portal. The NCS (National Career Service) portal would also be linked to e-Shram portal.

According to the ministry, in a first of its kind unique initiative, Yadav interacted over video conference with national level office-bearers of unorganised workers' unions and associations, to discuss the issues of unorganised workers.

The representatives of construction workers, domestic workers, textile workers, municipal workers, transport workers, street vendors, brick-kiln workers and railway malgodam workers participated in the meeting.

The unorganised workers' representatives appreciated the ministry's initiative of e-Shram portal and stated that not only this has given an identity but also dignity to the workers and will help in alleviating the sufferings of the unorganised workers, as per the statement.