Coronavirus crisis: CM Yogi Adityanath all set to provide job security to migrant workers
Lucknow, May 25: Uttar Pradesh government has decided to set up a Migration Commission, in a two-pronged strategy to help migrant workers for their employment in the state and made it clear that any other state that wants workers from the state has to seek its permission.
With around 25 lakh workers and migrants having returned to the state till Sunday, state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed that a Migration Commission be set up, according to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi.
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Adityanath also directed officials that migrant workers be given insurance so that their life is secured, Awasthi said. The chief minister suggested that a scheme be launched to ensure their job security.
About the commission, Adityanath said it has been proposed to look into various factors associated with migrant workers' rights and to prevent exploitation while providing an official framework to ensure socio-economic and legal support for them.
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"Insurance, social security, re-employment assistance, provision for unemployment allowance are some of the factors that will be looked into by the commission," he said. Upset that migrant labourers were "not properly taken care of" by various states in the wake of the coronavirus-induced lockdown, Adityanath said, "These workers are our biggest resource and we will give them employment in Uttar Pradesh as the state government is going to set up a panel for their employment".
The chief minister further said, "They are our people... and if some states want them back, they have to seek permission from the state government". There is a need to ensure their socio-legal-monetary rights, the chief minister added.
According to an official spokesperson, the Adityanath government would make manpower available to other states only on guarantee of job security. The other states will not be able to use manpower from this state without the permission of UP government.
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As per the instructions of Adityanath, skill mapping of about 14.75 migrant workers has so far been completed of which the maximum over 1,51,492 are real estate workers, the spokesperson said.
The skill mapping which is being done to provide them employment has also found that a large number of workers are furniture and fitting technicians, building decorators, home caretakers, drivers, IT and electronic technicians, home appliance and automobile technicians, paramedics and pharmaceutical workers, dress makers, beauticians, handicraft and carpet makers and security guards.