Nitish bats for skill profiling of migrants for suitable job creation

Aware of the potentials of the migrants who are returning to state after the extension of lockdown, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday asked officials

Aware of the potentials of the migrants who are returning to state after the extension of lockdown, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday asked officials to carry out the skill survey of the migrants in order to effectively use their services. Thousands of migrant labourers have been rendered jobless due to lockdown in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

HT Image

Over 2 lakh migrants have so far returned to state after lockdown were announced.

“We need to track their skill effectively so that after the end of quarantine period, we can use their services as per the guidelines,” said Kumar at a meeting with chief secretary and other senior officials on Wednesday. “They will contribute in a big way to state’s economy,” said Kumar.

Kumar said that for more and more job creation apart from MNREGA, there should be efforts in multiple directions with less emphasis on use of machines. “MNREGA can create mandays and there is a need to monitor it in a better way,” he said.

Chief secretary Deepak Kumar informed the chief minister that soon the skill survey of migrants will be done through an app.

CM also instructed the officials to be sensitive to the feedbacks being received from different quarters. “Every complaint should be looked into, grievances should be addresses and every effort should be made to ensure that people can avail benefits of government’s schemes,” he said.

Kumar also advised officials to ensure better screening and health tests of migrants at district levels.

Experts have also opined that there was a growing need to work with a definite plan to convert reverse migration into an opportunity to drive state’s growth post lockdown.

“All the migrants who are returning to the state in distress have some skill sets, which they used to contribute to the growth of other states. Apart from health profiling, this is a welcome move. The government should also do skill profiling of the migrants to work out a long-term strategy for their absorption within Bihar and use them as engines of growth,” said former director of AN Sinha Institute of Social Studies DM Diwakar

Shaibal Gupta of Asian Development Research Institute said that the government would need to increase the coverage of assured employment under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MNREGA)

“It will have to be doubled in the present context. Besides, there is growing need for disbursal of small loans and increase absorption in agriculture, fishery, construction, small-scale industries and allied activities. From food processing to farm mechanization, there is a lot of scope,” said Shaibal Gupta of Asian Development Research Institute

Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Patna centre director Pushpendra said that sustaining the reverse migration for a month at quarantine centres was quite possible for the government with its resources. “After that most of the labourers will get engaged in paddy sowing. The challenges will increase after that period and the government will have to keep its plan ready,” he added.