Concerned about the ‘exploitation’ of migrant workers from Jharkhand in various parts of the country, especially in difficult terrain, Chief Minister Hemant Soren expressed the need to put in place a strong mechanism to control such practices and said he would hold the necessary discussions. with its counterparts in other states.

Soren also claimed that several central government agencies failed to protect the rights of workers after hiring them for development projects, while stressing that a “link between recruiting agencies and contractors” makes such unfair treatment possible.

” It pains me to see their plight … Workers are denied their legitimate dues even when organizations such as NTPC and BRO hire them through contractors or intermediaries.

Policies to protect their rights exist, but they are generally not implemented, ” Soren told PTI.

The CM further stated that it had raised the issue on different platforms but to take advantage of it.

“ Once we have overcome the COVID-19 crisis, I will personally hold meetings with the chief ministers and administrators of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, between other states and UTs, and I will advocate for a robust mechanism to control the exploitation of workers, ” Soren said.

He lamented that the state had to use its own resources during disasters to evacuate workers or, in some cases, bring their remains home, having received no assistance from stakeholders.

Citing examples, the CM said 15 migrant workers from Jharkhand hired by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, near the Indo-China border, were killed in an avalanche. in April.

Likewise, several workers were killed in February when a devastating flash flood demolished a 13.2 MW hydel project and caused extensive damage to another NTPC company along Dhauliganga in Uttarakhand, a-t- he declares.

“We have lost workers in an explosion of clouds in Jammu and Kashmir … during other natural disasters. Despite the reporting of such cases, policies to protect migrant workers are not being implemented, ” the CM said.

Soren further said his government, despite its unpleasant experiences in the past, had approved BRO to employ workers, keeping the national interest in view amid the India-China confrontation in Ladakh.

Hundreds of migrant workers are forced to live in pitiful conditions on rugged and difficult terrain, devoid of adequate amenities and wages. They are reluctant to take on similar jobs when they return to the state. Jharkhand, for its part, strengthens the union-management system by ensuring the registration of all workers, and efforts are made for their paid work, ” he said.

The CM pointed out that his government launched the Mukhyamantri Didi Kitchen Yojana, which fed four crores of people during the lockdown last year.

We made sure that the first available special train carried up to 1,200 workers from Telangana to Hatia in Ranchi. Migrant workers stranded in Leh were taken to Delhi, from where they boarded another flight to Jharkhand after two months of anxiety and uncertainty, ” he noted.

Soren was the country’s first chief minister to airlift 60 migrant workers stranded in Ladakh in May last year.

The Supreme Court said on May 24 that the process for registering migrant workers is “very slow” and needs to be speeded up so that the benefits of various regimes can be extended to them amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Supreme Court also observed that it was “not satisfied” with the efforts of the Center during the hearing of a request filed by three activists who had requested instructions from the Union government and the states to ensure food security, cash transfers, transport facilities, and other welfare measures for migrant workers facing distress due to restrictions induced by the pandemic.

(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)