Odisha asks collectors to ensure safety of women in shelter camps

The Odisha government on

Friday asked all the district collectors to ensure the safety of women and girls in the shelter camps that are housing thousands of migrant workers stranded due to lockdown.

In a letter to the district collectors, Labour Secretary Anu Garg said the safety of women and girls in those camps should be given utmost priority and provision of sanitary napkins should be made available through NGOs.

Besides, proper sanitation, especially toilets, provision of soaps, masks, sanitisers, mosquito nets should also be made in the camps giving shelter to migrant workers, referred to as guest workers in Odisha.

Subroto Bagchi, the state's spokesperson on COVID-19, said food and accommodation along with health facilities have been provided at 2,583 camps for around 77,500 "guest workers".

 

These workers are from various states. Any complaint received through Shramik Sahayata call centre -- 18003456703 -- is being addressed promptly, he said.

The Labour Secretary in her letter said that trained counsellors available in the districts be utlised for providing psychological counseling to the workers.

Since for many, language may be a barrier, you may identify people in the district/ their Samaj, who could converse with them in their language, Garg said in the letter.

Stating that many districts have already provided medical help to the migrant workers, Garg asked the collectors to undertake a review of the situation.