A huge rush of passengers at Shalimar railway station in West Bengal. FILE
| Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI
Over 21 lakh migrant workers from West Bengal have applied for enrolment in the Karmasathi Parijayee Shramik portal, a government database that maintains records of migrant workers from the State, with more than 18 lakh applications digitised on the website.
The State government has recently launched a special drive for registration of migrant workers in the portal.
“Through this special drive, 8,17,020 migrant workers were approached. They are being registered through the Karmasathi Parijayee Shramik portal. Of the 21,58,016 applications received during the campaign, 18,01,415 applications have already been digitised,” a press statement by the West Bengal government said.
In the face of Opposition criticism
The issue of migrant workers has emerged as a political issue and the Opposition parties often target the Trinamool Congress government alleging that lack of jobs in the State has triggered migration. In August 2023, more than 20 workers from the State died in a bridge collapse in Meghalaya. About 100 migrant workers from the State had died in the horrifying Odisha train accident in June 2023. Estimates suggest that there are about 40 lakh migrants working in other States.
In April, the State government set up the West Bengal Migrant Workers’ Welfare Board. The third meeting of the Board was held on Friday at the State Secretariat.
‘Will open office in Delhi’
“We want to create a database so that we can provide economic opportunities to the citizens in the State. A help desk to facilitate migrant workers travelling through Sealdah and Howrah railway stations is going to be set up at the earliest. We are also opening up an office in Delhi,” Samirul Islam, chairperson of West Bengal Migrant Workers Welfare Board told The Hindu.
Mr. Islam, a Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member, said the initiative is a first of its kind in the country. Considering the success of the special drive, it has been decided to follow it up with a similar campaign in districts across the State next month to ensure last-mile enrolment of the migrant workers who have been left out of the process, he added.
Meanwhile, Mr. Islam also added that the State government is in touch with the Uttarakhand government where 41 labourers are stuck in the partially-collapsed Silkyara tunnel at Uttarkashi. Three of the 41 workers stuck in the tunnel are from West Bengal.