Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao is planning to develop a new policy to enhance the benefits of welfare schemes for migrant workers. Labour and industry department officials have already started a special effort to collect comprehensive information on migrant workers in the state. 

Govt Plans to Develop Welfare Scheme for Migrants 

The new migrant workers' welfare policy aims to broaden the benefits of state welfare schemes, including ration cards, healthcare, education, and training for skill development.  

Within 10 days, the officials have been instructed to undertake special efforts to collect full data on migrant workers in the state. The government will then develop ways to extend the benefits to migrant workers. 

Labor and industry department officials were directed to prepare an Action Plan for the collection of information from all industries, including pharmaceuticals, textiles, rice mills, and construction. The officials were instructed by Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to coordinate with the department, appoint a nodal officer and take special steps to collect information within 10 days. While officers collect data on the exact number of migrant workers in the state, the figure is estimated to be around Rs 6.5 lakh. 

The data on migrant workers is essential to determine how government welfare schemes are extended to them and their financial impact on the budget of the state. Sources reported that several migrant workers had already received free ration rice from the state government in accordance with the policy adopted by the central government to move their ration card. In the same way, the officials are looking at the feasibility to extend education, health facilities, and training programs to the development of skills, using the Central Funds efficiently.

By: Shailaja K