Will give houses, shops to migrant workers, pay their GST: UP govt

Through the migrant commission, the government would provide returning workers social security, insurance and training during which they will be provided an internship allowance.

Two days after setting up a new migrants commission in the state tasked with registering and providing jobs to migrant workers, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday announced that workers and labourers, who have returned from other states, will be provided affordable houses and shops.

Briefing officials of his Team-11 overseeing the relief work in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the Chief Minister also said that the government would pay the GST (Goods and Services Tax) for them besides facilities like power, water and other basic amenities.

Through the migrant commission — Kamgar/Shramik Kalyan Aayog — the government would provide returning workers social security, insurance and training during which they will be provided an internship allowance.

Meanwhile, the government also announced that they have completed skill-mapping of around 16 lakh migrant workers who have returned to the state in the last few weeks, boosting their prospect to be employed in the MSMEs in the state.

The government had earlier announced the skill-mapping exercise in which all the returning migrants have to register themselves with the government and provide information on the kind of skill they possess.

Giving a break-up of those who have registered, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi said that the biggest chunk of migrant workers have the skill of working in real estate – around 1.5 lakh, followed by furniture technicians (26,989), building decorators (26,041), home decorators (12,633), drives (10,000), IT and electronic technicians (4,680), home appliance technicians (5,884), automobile technicians (1,558), paramedical and pharmaceuticals workers (596), dressmakers (12,103), beauticians (1,274), handicraft and carpets makers (1,284), security guards (3,364).

The government also claimed that it will complete the skill-mapping of all migrants in the next 15 days.

Awasthi said that arrangements have been made to bring back around 21.17 lakh migrant workers to the state in 1,454 special trains. Till Monday, he said, 1,265 Shramik Special trains have brought back around 17 lakh workers to the state.

He also said that the CM has sought a list of workers from other states who are wanting to return to UP. “All those who want to come back will be brought back in a respectful manner,” Awasthi said.

Giving a break-up of migrant workers who have returned to the state, Awasthi said that around 2.51 lakh people have come back to Gorakhpur through 199 trains, while 1.09 lakh people have come to Lucknow on 86 trains. From Gujarat, 457 trains have brought back 6.60 lakh people, while from Maharashtra, 3.80 lakh migrant workers have returned on 280 trains and from Punjab, 2.22 lakh people have returned through 2014 trains.