UP government to set up migration panel to ensure job security

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath
LUCKNOW: In a bid to provide employment and social security to over 23 lakh migrant workers who have come back to the state from various states in the past two months, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced to set up a migration commission.

The commission, Yogi said, would provide social security to the migrants including insurance, in what would pave way for a mechanism wherein other states would be required to take UP government's permission before taking back the migrant labourers after lockdown is fully lifted.

The CM took the decision while presiding over a review meeting with team 11 at his official residence. Yogi said the state government would not only resort to scanning of migrant but would also skill map them and would assist wherever a migrant moves across the country. “Energy of a worker from UP needs to be channelized for the progress of the state,” he said.

Later, speaking at a webinar, the CM said: “This is being done to save the migrant workers from exploitation in other states. Any state hiring them back in future would have to provide an insurance cover to them to ensure social security."

Yogi said that this would protect the labourers against the inhuman conditions in which the migrants of UP were forced to survive so far. “We have seen how the migrants of Uttar Pradesh were surviving in inhuman conditions and discrimination, especially, during the lockdown in other states. They were craving for basic human necessities like food, water and a shelter over their head,” the CM said.

Additional chief secretary, home, Awanish Awasthi said that the commission would ensure minimum job guarantee for the migrants. While the structure of the commission is yet to be formalised, sources said, it was likely to have on its board top officials from departments like labour, revenue, industries and rural development. “The state government is committed to bring back the migrants safely and free of cost,” he said, underlining on the need of the migrants getting linked with the state economy, while providing sops including insurance and other facilities.

The move comes days after the Yogi Government announced profiling of migrants for their skills for being roped in different category of jobs including the Centre’s flagship scheme, Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS). Awasthi said that many migrants may also be provided jobs in the agriculture and dairy sector.

He said that nearly 23 lakh migrants have returned to UP, of which 15 lakh alone have returned with the help of as many as 1,113 trains. The rest 8 lakh have returned with the help of buses and other mode of transport, while many have come back on foot. Awasthi said that the state government has also given its nod to arrival of another around 200 trains in the next couple of days, taking the number of trains bringing migrants to over 1300.

The UP CM also asked the officials to send a proposal for construction of new housing units under the Central assistance of 20 lakh crore. This would also include the proposal to provide house on minimal rent to the needy. The proposal would be prepared by the housing and urban planning department.

The ACS said that with the increase in the number of migrants, the role of surveillance committee has increased in both urban and rural areas. He said that the state government has decided to provide face masks to those who are fined for not wearing one while coming out. He said that the CM also stressed on increasing foot patrolling and patrolling by 112 PRV vans of police as a prevention escalating measure in the days to come.