Patiala, May 24

The ongoing lockdown has added to the misery of the migrant labourers, who had suffered massively during a stringent 68-day lockdown last year.

This has been pointed out in a recent written policy brief by a former professor of economics at Punjabi University commissioned by internationally renowned Palgrave Macmillan publisher.

Dr Lakhwinder Singh, former professor at Punjabi University, says as per a survey of 1,567 migrant workers in urban areas, Punjab’s migrant force comprised 29.87 per cent workers who migrated from rural areas of Punjab, 69.18 per cent from others states.

Of these, only 12.50 per cent had educational qualification of Class XII or higher, while 36.95 per cent were educated up to middle class only. One third of the migrant workers are illiterate. The survey also found out that the monthly income of 58.65 per cent of the sampled migrants was less than Rs 8,000. Only 14.36 per cent earned between Rs 10,001 and 15,000. It found out that 55.90 per cent of the migrants were found engaged in unskilled manual work, 33 per cent in skilled manual work and only 5.62 per cent in economic activities.

He said the policy to facilitate migration and save them from exploitation had remained inadequate even in normal times. He said all registered migrant workers should be provided a comprehensive social security, including PF, health insurance, maternity benefits, paid leaves, etc. — TNS