On @bsindia front page today:
The central government has begun a massive exercise to map & create a database of millions of migrant workers scattered across the country — in relief camps, on their employers’ premises, or in clusters where they reside.
business-standard.com/article/econom…
Officials say the government wants to create a database of such workers to ascertain whether a relief package could be announced for the most affected segment of the workforce due to the national lockdown to contain the spread of #Covid19.
The database will include details on whether the migrant workers have bank accounts or Jan Dhan accounts, whether the workers get benefits of free gas cylinders for cooking under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, and their Aadhaar numbers.
The data will be segregated on the basis of occupation too. The government will attempt to map the pattern of migration and workers will be asked about their last place of residence and their native place.
The exercise to collect the data began on April 9 and will continue till tomorrow (April 11). The district administration in the States is helping in collection of the data at relief camps, from employers and at clusters where migrants generally reside.
A government official said data collection was an important step towards the government announcing contingency measures for the migrant workers in case the lockdown was extended.
According to the Central government's submission in the Supreme Court, to a petition filed by @AnjaliB_ and @harsh_mander, there are over 1 million workers in the relief camps set up in various states. But this might be an underestimation as data wasn't captured from all states.
India's national lockdown led to a huge reverse migration with workers leaving cities & going back to their villages as industries were shut and paying house rent or taking care of basic needs became a challenge, apart from health concerns.
business-standard.com/article/curren…
Read about the plight of India's migrant workers here:
And read why India's 470-million workforce is the most vulnerable group during this crisis #COVID2019india
#COVIDー19 #COVID19outbreak #CoronaLockdown
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.