Niti Aayog constitutes a sub-group to prepare a National Action Plan for Migrant Workers

Niti Aayog

Labour and Employment minister Santosh Gangwar in a written response to a parliamentary question has said that the Niti Aayog has constituted a sub-group to prepare a National Action Plan for Migrant Workers.

"The sub-group comprises the members from various Ministries of Government of India, subject experts, NGOs and civil society organisations, to prepare a tangible action plan to address issues related to migrant workers," it said.

This comes as the nationwide lockdown announced last year as a result of coronavirus had left millions of migrant workers pan India without work thus forcing them to move back to their hometowns on foot.

In order to safeguard the interest of the migrant workers, the Central Government had enacted the Inter-state Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979. This Act has now been subsumed in the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code. This code was notified in September 2020.

Gangwar said, "The OSH Code, provides for decent working conditions, minimum wages, grievances redressal mechanisms, protection from abuse and exploitation, enhancement of the skills and social security to all category of organised and unorganised workers including Migrant workers."

The Code is applicable to every establishment in which 10 or more inter-state migrant workers are employed or were employed on any day of the preceding 12 months.

According to the data on the number of migrant workers who returned due to the COVID-19 pandemic induced lockdown, migrant workers who returned to Uttar Pradesh was the highest at 32,49,638 followed by  15,00,612 to Bihar.

The labour minister further noted that Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan was launched in June 2020 to boost employment and livelihood opportunities for migrant works returning to villages in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.

"The Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan involves intensified and focused implementation of 25 target driven works to provide employment and create infrastructure in the rural areas of 116 districts of 6 States with a resource envelope of Rs.50,000 crore. With the total expenditure of Rs. 39,293 crore (approx.) the Abhiyan has already generated 50,78,68,671 man-days employment," Gangwar said.

Earlier in February, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech had announced that the government will portal help formulate Health, Housing, Skill, Insurance, Credit, and food schemes for migrant workers.