BHUBANESWAR: Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday inaugurated a migrant worker cell at Surat in Gujarat. It is the initiative of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) to help Odia migrant workers working in different industries of the city.
Pradhan expressed his happiness by inaugurating this cell. “A first-of-its-kind initiative by SMC, this cell with linkage with the city livelihood centre will extend all kinds of assistance and government-led benefits to our hardworking migrant workers,” he added.
He said this cell will do a detailed mapping of migrant workers and classify them according to their skill sets. It will go a long way in connecting the labour force to relevant industries, boost their livelihood and also ensure their dignity, he added.
Surat is model city in town planning, civic amenities and cleanliness. “The establishment of a migrant cell is another big step and a model initiative towards protecting the social and economic security of our migrant workforce,” said the Union minister.
He said the Covid-19 situation has taught everybody that better planning is needed for protecting rights of migrant workers. “Surat, home to migrant workers from across India has led from the front in making our migrant population self-reliant,” he added.