Lok Sabha Question No. 3558 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-11
Subject: Detention of the Migrant Labourers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Abhishek Banerjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3558 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.08.2025

## DETENTION OF THE MIGRANT LABOURERS

## 3558. SHRI ABHISHEK BANERJEE:

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

- (a)the  details  of  the  number  of  migrant  labourers  in  the  country,
- State/UT-wise;
- (b)whether  it  is  a  fact  that  migrant  labour  from  Bengal  has  been detained in many States for speaking Bengali and if so, the details thereof, case-wise; and
- (c)the details of the steps taken by the Government to ensure that there  is  no  discrimination  against  migrant  labourers  from  West Bengal on the premise of language?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)

(a) to (c): The  Ministry  of  Labour  &  Employment  has  launched eShram portal, a National Database of the Unorganised Workers on 26th  August,  2021.  The  main  objective  of  the  eShram  portal  is  to create a national database of unorganised workers including migrant workers seeded with Aadhaar, and facilitate delivery under existing Social Security and Welfare Schemes to such workers. It allows an unorganised worker to register himself or herself on the portal on a self-declaration basis. As on 05.08.2025, over 30.98 crore unorganized workers including migrant workers have registered on eShram portal. State-wise number of unorganized workers including migrant workers registered on eShram portal is annexed.

'Policy'  and  'Public  Order'  are  State  subjects  as  per  the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. The States /UTs are primarily responsible for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution  of  crimes  through  their  Law  Enforcement  Agencies

(LEAs).

In order to safeguard the interest of the Migrant workers, the Parliament has enacted  the Inter-State  Migrant  Workmen (Regulation  of  Employment  and  Conditions  of  Services)  Act,  1979 which, inter alia, provides for registration of certain establishments employing Inter-State Migrant Workers, licensing of contractors etc. Workers  employed  with  such  establishment  are  to  be  provided payment  of  minimum  wages,  journey  allowance,  displacement allowance, residential accommodation, medical facilities, protective clothing etc.

The  enforcement  authorities  under  Central  Industrial Relations  Machinery  (CIRM)  conduct  regular  inspections  of  the registered  establishments  and  licensed  contractors  in  the  Central Sphere. The State Governments are mandated to enforce the Act, in the State Sphere.

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ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) TO (C) OF LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO. 3558 FOR 11.08.2025 REGARDING 'DETENTION OF THE MIGRANT LABOURERS' RAISED BY SHRI ABHISHEK BANERJEE, MP(LS).

States/UTs -wise number of unorganised workers including migrant workers registered on eShram portal, as on 05.08.2025.

| S.N.   | States                                    | Registration on eShram Portal as on 05.08.2025   |
|--------|-------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| 1.     | ANDAMANANDNICOBAR ISLANDS                 | 34,455                                           |
| 2.     | ANDHRA PRADESH                            | 86,18,260                                        |
| 3.     | ARUNACHAL PRADESH                         | 2,09,908                                         |
| 4.     | ASSAM                                     | 77,13,924                                        |
| 5.     | BIHAR                                     | 3,00,29,469                                      |
| 6.     | CHANDIGARH                                | 1,88,480                                         |
| 7.     | CHHATTISGARH                              | 86,03,259                                        |
| 8.     | DELHI                                     | 35,79,202                                        |
| 9.     | GOA                                       | 82,998                                           |
| 10.    | GUJARAT                                   | 1, 21,79,153                                     |
| 11.    | HARYANA                                   | 54,02,184                                        |
| 12.    | HIMACHAL PRADESH                          | 20,03,493                                        |
| 13.    | JAMMU AND KASHMIR                         | 35,99,050                                        |
| 14.    | JHARKHAND                                 | 96,94,965                                        |
| 15.    | KARNATAKA                                 | 1,08,88,631                                      |
| 16.    | KERALA                                    | 60,66,525                                        |
| 17.    | LADAKH                                    | 34,686                                           |
| 18.    | LAKSHADWEEP                               | 2,843                                            |
| 19.    | MADHYAPRADESH                             | 1,89,30,439                                      |
| 20.    | MAHARASHTRA                               | 1,78,55,616                                      |
| 21.    | MANIPUR                                   | 4,63,867                                         |
| 22.    | MEGHALAYA                                 | 3,52,419                                         |
| 23.    | MIZORAM                                   | 72,255                                           |
| 24.    | NAGALAND                                  | 2,38,334                                         |
| 25.    | ODISHA                                    | 1,36,07,406                                      |
| 26.    | PUDUCHERRY                                | 1,94,804                                         |
| 27.    | PUNJAB                                    | 58,63,282                                        |
| 28.    | RAJASTHAN                                 | 1,49,06,374                                      |
| 29.    | SIKKIM                                    | 48,796                                           |
| 30.    | TAMIL NADU                                | 93,15,434                                        |
| 31.    | TELANGANA                                 | 45,42,660                                        |
| 32.    | THE DADRA AND NAGAR HAVELI ANDDAMANANDDIU | 75,408                                           |
| 33.    | TRIPURA                                   | 8,96,317                                         |
| 34.    | UTTAR PRADESH                             | 8,39,81,159                                      |
| 35.    | UTTARAKHAND                               | 30,86,316                                        |
| 36.    | WEST BENGAL                               | 2,64,81,453                                      |
|        | Total                                     | 30,98,43,824                                     |

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