Over 48K migrant workers returned from J&K to their state during COVID 19 pandemic: GoI
As many as 48,780 migrant workers returned from Jammu and Kashmir to their states during the first wave of COVID 19, the Government of India has said.
As per the data compiled by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India in its annual report 2021-22, the number of inter-state migrant workers who returned to their home State is 1,14,30,968 in the first wave.
As per the report during the second wave of Covid – 19 only 5,17,332 interstate migrant workers returned to their home States as per the data received from States/ UTs.
Most of them actually returned for crop cutting, marriage, and vacation which may be termed as routine movement every year and certainly not an exodus.
The data also states that Jammu and Kashmir are among the states and Union Territories that have pre-published the draft rules on the Code on Wages, 2019, Industrial Relations Code, 2020, Code on Social Security, 2020 and Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions Code, 2020.
Further, the annual report states that the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) had dedicated 50 isolation beds to exclusively provide COVID medical services to the general public of the area.
At the same time, the annual report has pointed out that Jammu and Kashmir have not adopted the system of Variable Dearness Allowance. Further among the 20 districts in Jammu and Kashmir, only three districts are under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) scheme. Those districts are Jammu, Srinagar and Udhampur.
The annual report also states that the Ministry of Labour and Employment is planning to establish a Regional Labour Institute in Jammu which will be catering services to the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and the State of Himachal Pradesh.
Further, the Ministry of Labour and Employment in its annual report has pointed out that Jammu is among the 25 States/Union Territories which is providing Coaching-cum-Guidance Centres for SC/ST (now called National Career Service Centres for SC/STs). It further mentions that Jammu is among the few places where a scheme for providing computer training to SC/ST job seekers registered with employment exchanges takes place.
