Lok Sabha Question No. 1277 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-08
Subject: Discrimination of Migrant Labour
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Kalyan Banerjee, Shri Abhishek Banerjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1277 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.12.2025

## DISCRIMINATION OF MIGRANT LABOUR

1277. SHRI ABHISHEK BANERJEE:

SHRI KALYAN BANERJEE:

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

- (a)the details of the number of migrant labourers recorded during the year from 2021 to 2025 across the country, State-wise;
- (b)whether it is a fact that migrant workers from West Bengal have been  detained  or  discriminated  on  linguistic  grounds  in  various States, if so, the details thereof, case-wise; and
- (c)the details of the measures taken by the Government to ensure protection against discrimination of migrant labourers, particularly on the basis of language or place of origin and castes?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c): The Ministry of Labour & Employment launched eShram portal,  a  National  Database  of  the  Unorganised  Workers  on  26th August, 2021. It has also been made available to the States/UTs for registration  of  unorganised  workers  including  migrant  workers.  It allows an unorganised worker to register himself or herself on the portal on a self- declaration basis. The main objective of the eShram portal  is  to  create  a  national  database  of  unorganised  workers seeded with Aadhaar. As on 03.12.2025, over 31.39 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.

In order to safeguard the interest of the Migrant workers, Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services) Act,1979 provides for registration of certain establishments employing Inter-State Migrant Workers and licensing Contd..2/-

of contractors. Workers employed with such establishment are to be allowance, medical provided payment of minimum wages, journey displacement allowance, residential accommodation, facilities and protective clothing etc.

This  Act  has  now  been  subsumed  in  the  Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code, 2020. The OSH Code,  provides  for  decent  working  conditions,  minimum  wages, grievances redressal mechanisms, toll free helpline, protection from abuse  and  exploitation  and  social  security  to  all  category  of organized and unorganized workers including migrant workers. With expanded  social  security,  stronger  protections  and  nationwide portability  of  entitlements,  the  codes  place  workers,  especially migrant workers firmly at the centre of labour governance. The Code will be applicable to every establishment in which ten or more interstate migrant workers are employed or were employed on any day in the preceding twelve months.

'Labour',  being  a  subject  under  th e  Concurrent  List,  is regulated by both the State Government and the Central Government within  their  respective  jurisdictions.  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  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1277 FOR 08.12.2025 REGARDING 'DISCRIMINATION OF MIGRANT  LABOUR'  RAISED  BY  SHRI  ABHISHEK  BANERJEE  &  SHRI  KALYAN BANERJEE.

State-wise number of unorganised workers registered on eShram portal, as on 03.12.2025

| S. N.   | States                                      | Registration on eShram Portal as on 03.12.2025   |
|---------|---------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| 1.      | ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS                 | 34,995                                           |
| 2.      | ANDHRA PRADESH                              | 87,65,525                                        |
| 3.      | ARUNACHAL PRADESH                           | 2,12,610                                         |
| 4.      | ASSAM                                       | 77,81,955                                        |
| 5.      | BIHAR                                       | 3,20,88,940                                      |
| 6.      | CHANDIGARH                                  | 1,89,688                                         |
| 7.      | CHHATTISGARH                                | 86,29,306                                        |
| 8.      | DELHI                                       | 36,02,726                                        |
| 9.      | GOA                                         | 87,413                                           |
| 10.     | GUJARAT                                     | 1,22,74,240                                      |
| 11.     | HARYANA                                     | 54,13,464                                        |
| 12.     | HIMACHAL PRADESH                            | 20,11,538                                        |
| 13.     | JAMMU AND KASHMIR                           | 36,11,958                                        |
| 14.     | JHARKHAND                                   | 97,90,502                                        |
| 15.     | KARNATAKA                                   | 1,09,84,695                                      |
| 16.     | KERALA                                      | 60,93,770                                        |
| 17.     | LADAKH                                      | 35,110                                           |
| 18.     | LAKSHADWEEP                                 | 2,858                                            |
| 19.     | MADHYA PRADESH                              | 1,91,32,083                                      |
| 20.     | MAHARASHTRA                                 | 1,81,99,029                                      |
| 21.     | MANIPUR                                     | 4,69,441                                         |
| 22.     | MEGHALAYA                                   | 3,58,615                                         |
| 23.     | MIZORAM                                     | 72,663                                           |
| 24.     | NAGALAND                                    | 2,42,170                                         |
| 25.     | ODISHA                                      | 1,36,65,326                                      |
| 26.     | PUDUCHERRY                                  | 1,97,398                                         |
| 27.     | PUNJAB                                      | 59,07,395                                        |
| 28.     | RAJASTHAN                                   | 1,51,21,791                                      |
| 29.     | SIKKIM                                      | 50,347                                           |
| 30.     | TAMIL NADU                                  | 94,89,987                                        |
| 31.     | TELANGANA                                   | 46,06,527                                        |
| 32.     | THE DADRA AND NAGAR HAVELI AND DAMANAND DIU | 75,645                                           |
| 33.     | TRIPURA                                     | 9,00,206                                         |
| 34.     | UTTAR PRADESH                               | 8,41,60,051                                      |
| 35.     | UTTARAKHAND                                 | 31,00,938                                        |
| 36.     | WEST BENGAL                                 | 2,65,36,224                                      |
| Total   | Total                                       | 31,38,97,129                                     |

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