Allahabad: Data bank for migrants to help them land jobs

PRAYAGRAJ: As thousands of labourers native to UP continue returning home after being rendered jobless due to the lockdown, the office of the labour commissioner in Prayagraj has started the process of preparing a data bank of migrants being offered jobs by various agencies.
Many of these migrants have been employed by Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project, public works department, UP Rajkiya Nirnam Nigam (UPRNN) and contractors. The district administration is in contact with the departments which are providing jobs to skilled and semi-skilled labourers.
Deputy labour commissioner Rakesh Dwivedi said, “As soon as a migrant labourer enters the district, his/her details are noted down by the authorities under 27 heads. These details include their names, place of residence, vital statistics, area of expertise and skills, and if they are interested in being employed or not.”
The information thus collected will be entered into a database. If an agency needs labourers, the department can get details of available workers with just a few clicks, he added. In the past two weeks, the department has forwarded the names of over 600 labourers who would be employed by UPRNN. The agency plans to hire around 400 workers for its projects in Prayagraj and Pratapgrah. 200 more labourers will be employed for DFC projects in Karchana and Meja.
Dwivedi said that the employment exchange has also started ‘skilled mapping’, wherein a labourer’s skill will be noted down and would be helpful in searching for jobs in different agencies.
He also said that the state government is mulling making the database public by uploading it on its official website.