Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi in a bid to prevent harassment of Odisha labourers outside the State on Friday directed stern action against labour contractors who transport labourers illegally.
Padhi directed officials to keep a tab on illegal transportation of labourers to other States and abroad and take action against them.
Chief Secretary’s directive came at a high level meeting to review the situation in this sector. Padhi asked the Labour, Police and Skill Development Departments to ensure that labourers from Odisha were not harassed by either the contractors or their employers.
The Chief Secretary suggested stringent monitoring by the Labour and ESI Departments as nodal agency in this regard.
Labour Commissinor Sachin Ramchand Jadav revealed that a data base of labourers being sent to foreign countries is being prepared by a special cell.
According to sources, the high- level meeting decided to make secret inquiry to identify unauthorized labour contractors sending people abroad and prepare a database of such people who are being sent abroad in consultation with the Protector General of India and Regional Passport authorities.
The meeting laid emphasis on creating awareness among people who are being sent abroad by the labour contractors, the sources added.
The Chief Secretary directed the officials to constitute inter-State cells to monitor movement of migrant labourers from Ganjam, Khordha, Jajpur, Kendrapada and Bhadrak districts from where a large number of workforce regularly go outside the State.
The meeting also decided to set up Migrant Resource Centre in other States. Two such centres have already been set up in New Delhi and Telengana. Principal Secretary Labour and ESI Anu Garg urged migrant labourers to get registered in these centres.