STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: To provide relief for the state's migrant workers during the lockdown and restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic, the state government is going to introduce the 'Assam Migrant Workers Food Security Scheme'. The relief will be provided to the migrant workers in the form of dry rations during emergency times. The dry ration will be provided as per the 'Assam Disaster Management Manual-2015'. Under the scheme, 600 grams of food grain (rice), 100 grams of dal, 30 grams of salt and 30 ml of mustard oil will be provided per migrant worker per day. Officials said that the plight and distress of the migrant workers had become vivid during the nationwide lockdown which was declared to contain the spread of Covid-19.
In Assam, there was a mass exodus of workers to their native places from the metropolitan cities due to the cessation of their work. The loss of employment had led to an acute financial crisis among the migrant workers, particularly among the daily wage earners. For proper implementation of the scheme, data of such migrant workers will be primarily collected through the e-SHRAM portal. Currently, the process of registration has been going on. Government estimate says that there is registration of around 4-5% of migrant workers in the e-SHRAM portal daily.
A source in the Labour Welfare Department said that the distribution of dry ration to the migrant workers will be done by the respective district administration. The district-level officers under the Commissioner of Labour will collect data from e-SHRAM portal and other available sources and provide the same to the Deputy Commissioner for distribution of dry ration under the scheme whenever the need arises.
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