Developers to employ returned migrants at sites, PM Modi to inaugurate project

When the country-wide lockdown was imposed on March 25 to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), millions of migrant workers began their journey back to their home states as jobs dried up in cities, including Noida and Greater Noida.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh (UP) chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday will inaugurate a project for developers in Noida and Greater Noida, and other state cities, to employ people at their construction sites.

According to Naredco, around 60% of out of the migrants will be employed in Noida, Greater Noida, Yamuna Expressway and Ghaziabad sites. (PTI file photo. Representative image)

When the country-wide lockdown was imposed on March 25 to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), millions of migrant workers began their journey back to their home states as jobs dried up in cities, including Noida and Greater Noida. With construction activities beginning to pick up pace with the central government many restrictions since May 4, work is returning to construction sites.

The Uttar Pradesh government on May 29 had signed a memorandum of understanding with the national real estate development council (Naredco), an autonomous self-regulatory body under the aegis of Union ministry of housing and urban affairs, in order to employ at least 250,000 people who have returned to its cities from other states.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath will present letters of employment and also interact with migrants to encourage them to work with motivation at new workplaces. We had assured the UP government to employ 250,000 migrants and now it is time to train them and engage them at different construction sites. We will provide jobs in next 2-3 months as the construction is starting at the sites,” said RK Arora president of the UP unit of Naredco.

According to Naredco, around 60% of out of the migrants will be employed in Noida, Greater Noida, Yamuna Expressway and Ghaziabad sites. “The remaining migrants will be employed in cities like Meerut, Lucknow and other districts. The developers are starting the construction at their sites after completing formalities required,” Harendra Yadav, a developer member of Naredco.

The UP government has also shared another list of 900,000 returned migrant workers with Naredco.

“The government wants to provide employment to returned migrant workers under its ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ project that aims to skill and employ at least 3 million returning migrant workers across the state,” said Satish Mahana UP industry minister.

The central government has identified 116 districts across the country that have witnessed the return of migrants in large numbers. In UP there are 31 districts, where over than 35,000 migrants returned from Mumbai, Delhi and other big cities.

“The government wants to provide jobs to who have lost their livelihood due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The government has identified and prepared a database of all those, who have lost jobs and returned to their home towns due to covid 19 pandemic. The government is trying to rehabilitate these migrants in the state,” said Dhirendra Singh BJP MLA from Jewar.