Lok Sabha Question No. 60 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-14
Subject: Rights of Migrant Labourers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Bhartruhari Mahtab, Rahul Ramesh Shewale

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 60 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.09.2020

## RIGHTS OF MIGRANT LABOURERS

60.    SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB: SHRI RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE:

Will  the  Minister  of  LABOUR  AND  EMPLOYMENT  be  pleased  to state:

- (a)whether  the  Government  taken  adequate  measures  to  safeguard social,  economic,  legal  and  health  rights  of  migrant  labourers before  implementing  lockdown  in  the  country  due  to  COVID  19 Pandemic;
- (b)if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c)the number of such labourers died/injured during migration to their native place due to such lockdown, State/UT-wise;
- (d)the relief provided and measures taken to generate employment for such labourers by the Government so far: and
- (e)the other steps taken/being taken by the Government to make good
- the losses of such labourers?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

- (a) & (b): India,  as  a  Nation,  has  responded  through  the  Central government,  State  governments,  Local  Bodies,  Self-help  Groups, Resident Welfare Associations, Medical Health Professionals, Sanitation Workers as well as large number of genuine and bonafide non-governmental  organizations  in  the  Nation's  fight  against  the unprecedented  human  crisis  due  to  the  outbreak  of  Covid  -  19  and country-wide lockdown. In order to mitigate the financial crisis of the migrant workers and protect them against the economic disruptions due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic and Country-wide lockdown Contd..2/-

the  Central  Government  has  taken  numerous  measures  to  provide them financial assistance, food packages and other benefits. However, the Central Government has already enacted the Inter-state Migrant  Workmen  (Regulation  of  Employment  and  Conditions  of Service) Act, 1979 to safeguard the interest of the migrant workers which inter-alia provides for registration of establishments employing Inter-State  Migrant  workers,  Licensing  of  contractors  etc.  Migrant workers  employed  with  such  establishments  are  to  be  provided statutory wages  as per the rule in force, journey allowance, displacement allowance, residential accommodation, medical facilities and protective clothing etc.

- (c): No such data is available.

(d) & (e): To  boost  employment  and  livelihood  opportunities  for migrant  workers  returning  to  villages,  in  the  wake  of  COVID-19 outbreak,  Government  of  India  has  launched  Garib  Kalyan  Rojgar Abhiyaan on 20th June 2020. The Abhiyaan focuses on durable rural infrastructure  and  providing  modern  facilities  like  internet  in  the villages.  Skill  Mapping  of  the  rural  migrant  labour  is  being  done  to help them work closer home. The Abhiyaan involves intensified and focused implementation of 25 target driven works to provide employment  and  create  infrastructure  in  the  rural  areas  of  116 districts  of  6  States  with  a  resource  envelope  of  Rs  50,000  crore. Apart from this, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched various schemes for migrant workers who have returned to their native places. One of the schemes is Anganwadi services which has been extended to children of migrant workers.

Ministry  of  Food  Processing  Industries  have  sanctioned in

700 food processing/preservation and  infrastructure projects which migrant labourers will get employment.

To provide employment to the migrant workers Ministry of Transport and Highways has identified the ongoing works/new works for the road construction. Ministry of Steel assisted migrant workers and their families with food packets and face mask, milk powder etc.

The Department of Bio Technology has set up 30 Biotech Kisan hubs in  the   country  covering all  Agroclimatic  zones,  150 Contd..3/-

Districts  including  101  aspirational  districts  which  will  help  migrant workers to earn their livelihood through farming and expose them to the innovative methods of farming of high value crops.

The  Ministry  of  Labour  and  Employment  has  set  up  control rooms  across  the  country  to  receive  and  address  the  grievances  of the workers  who  have been denied wages  or retrenched during national lockdown.

In  order  to  ensure  relief  measures  not  only  for  the  poor people  and  migrant  workers  but  also  their  families/dependents  in  a sustainable  manner,  the  Central  Government  announced  Rs.1.70  Lakh Crore relief package under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) for  the  poor  people  to  help  them  fight  the  battle  against  corona  virus.

The salient features of the relief package are:

- (i) 80 crore people are being provided additional 5 kg wheat or rice and 1 kg of preferred pulses, free of cost every month till November, 2020 to all  the  beneficiaries  under  provisions  of National Food Security Act.
- (ii) 20.65 crores women Jan Dhan account holder has been given cash  assistance  of  Rs.500/-  per  month  per  person  for  three months.  Rs.10,325  Crores,  Rs.10,315  Crores  and  Rs.10,312 Crores  have  been  credited  in  three  installments  to  the women Jan Dhan account holders.
- (iii) 8 crore poor families registered under the scheme of Ujjwala will get 1 gas cylinder, per family per month free of cost for the next three months.
- (iv) MNREGA  wage  has  been  increased  Rs.202/-  a  day  from Rs.182/-, which will benefit 13.62 crore families.
- (v) An ex-gratia financial assistance of Rs.1000 per person will be given to 3 crore poor senior citizen, poor widows and poor disabled. Rs.2814.5 Crores disbursed to about 2.81 crores old age persons, widows and disabled persons in two installments.
- (vi) Rs.17,891  Crore  front  loaded  towards  payment  of  the  first installment of PM-KISAN Yojana to 8.94 crore beneficiaries.
- 2.03  crores  Building  and  Other  Construction  workers  have been given cash assistance of Rs.5000 crores (approx.) from
- (vii) the cess fund.
- (viii) 30  lakh  BOC  workers  have  been  given  food  packages  relief also from cess fund.

Ministry  of  Commerce  and  Industry  has  helped  a  large number of migrant workers working in Special Economic Zone (SEZ) with dry ration, water, sanitation and medical assistance. The Indian Railway  has  operated  more  than  4611  Shramik  Special  Trains  for convenience of  the  workers.  More  than  63.07  lakh  migrant  workers have  been  shifted  to  various  destinations  located  in  Uttar  Pradesh, Bihar,  Jharkhand,  Odisha,  Madhya  Pradesh  and  other  States.  Food and water was also provided free of cost to the workers during their journey.

To empower millions of migrant workers/labourers working in  various  organized  and  unorganized  sectors  to  seamlessly  receive their  food  security  entitlements  under  National  Food  Security  Act (NFSA),  irrespective  of  their  physical  location  in  the  country  the Government has started the implementation of One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) Plan. With the implementation of this plan the migrant beneficiary can get food security from any fair price shop of his choice anywhere in the country.

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