Delhi govt announces slew of measures for migrant workers

New Delhi: With Delhi's migrant workers home-bound again in light of the week-long lockdown, the Delhi government on Tuesday issued a slew of orders on Tuesday to ensure that they are taken care of, making provisions for food, shelter, clothing and medical assistance to them.

"We have increased food production by 10 per cent but there is no great demand as such. We are seeing the regular occupancy size — 5,100 or 5,200 per day people — even though the capacity is 7,200," a senior official from DUSIB said, adding that since workers are not aware that food is available for them, the crowd size has not increased.

But if the demand for night shelter increases, the DUSIB has said it has mapped buildings that can be used temporarily and if the pressure on night shelter increases, government schools will be roped in as it was done for the migrant crisis during the first lockdown, a senior Delhi government official explained.

Furthermore, in a bid to ensure basic amenities to the migrants, the government has appointed a senior official as State Nodal Officer who will coordinate and issue orders to the respective District Magistrates so that the basic necessities are being fulfilled. The government also appointed a seven-member committee to look into the same, as per directions of the Delhi High Court.

The Committee has the power to utilise the funds of the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board in order to fulfill the basic requirements of daily wagers, construction and migrant workers. In addition, the Finance Department has also been instructed to provide additional funds if required, according to the orders.

The Delhi government also said that all workers registered with the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, which amounts to 1,71,861 workers, will be getting Rs 5,000 in their bank accounts with effect from April 20.

The committee has also been given leeway to utilise contractors who provide mid-day meals to government schools and provide food for migrant workers. Furthermore, the Education Department has allocated all 39 mid-day meal suppliers to work for providing food to these workers in all 11 districts while the health department is expected to make arrangements to link all major construction sites with a dispensary.

In addition to this, the DBOCWWB will also be running an 24x7 helpline to help migrant workers.

Significantly, more than half the manpower at DUSIB night shelters have been affected by the virus and the shelters are now heavily dependent on NGOs for their smooth functioning. But at the DUSIB night shelters, there is only basic medical assistance available like flu tablets and thermometers.

"There is no facility to check the spread of the virus at the shelters for those who stay the night or those who come for only the meal," the senior DUSIB official said. The official also explained that right before the second peak the officials were speaking to the health department on including night shelter seekers for vaccination, with a list of those above 45 and above people being sent.

"That process has been halted as the government is busy procuring oxygen and increasing beds," the Delhi government official said.