New Delhi: As many as 17,690 migrant workers were allotted 171.690 MT of rice and 1,743 migrant families were given 3.486 MT channa under Atma Nirbhar Bharat (ANB) scheme, the state government has informed the Supreme Court.
In an affidavit filed by the state counsel Sibo Sankar Mishra in the apex court Sunday, it has been stated that several initiatives have been taken by the state government to tackle the migrant crisis in compliance with the order of the Supreme Court.
The state government has informed the court that no willing migrant worker is stranded in Odisha as of the current date. It further said that advertisements have been published in media asking the migrant workers to register themselves through the helpline number to enable the state government to facilitate their return to their home states. The state has submitted that as many as 1,428 willing migrant workers were sent back to their home states.
The state has introduced Urban Wage Employment Initiative to provide employment opportunities to urban poor working at the informal sector with a budgetary allocation of Rs 100 crore. It has also taken steps to provide employment under MGNREGA to unskilled migrant workers.
The Odisha government informed the court that it has established helping centres at block and district levels for providing necessary information to the migrant workers regarding the employment schemes. The state has also maintained the details of migrant workers village-wise and district-wise as per the order of the Supreme Court.
The state government has extended supplementary nutrition plan to 4,038 pregnant women and 17,131 lactating mothers. The state has also given financial assistance of Rs 1,500 to 17,84,780 construction workers registered under the Odisha Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board.
The state informed the court that 24 cases under section 51 of Disaster Management Act, 2005 have been registered against migrant workers; out of which, 21 cases have been charge-sheeted.
It is to be mentioned here that the Supreme Court had June 6 passed an order in suo motu petition directing the state governments to take necessary steps for transporting the migrant workers to their home states and also asked the states to provide employment opportunities to the migrants affected by the national-wide lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic.