Chhattisgarh leading state in terms of providing facilities to migrant labourers during lockdown

Raipur: Chhattisgarh is the top ranking state of the country in terms of providing facilities to the migrant labourers, revealed the survey report of Interferential Survey Statistics and Research Foundation (ISSRF). It is noteworthy that on Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's initiative, quick initiatives were taken to provide various kinds of facilities to migrant labourers and many decisions were taken in interest of labourers.

Interferential Survey Statistics And Research Foundation conducted survey in six major states with migrant labourers including Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, based on the livelihood, education, health and other basic facilities provided to the migrant labourers during lockdown.

100% of the migrant labourers were provided quarantine facility, 97.8% of the migrant labourers were provided ration free of cost/concessional rates as per their eligibility. Likewise, labourer families were provided LPG connection, financial aid, employment under MNREGA, agricultural loans and other facilities during lockdown.

Chhattisgarh holds top rank in the country in terms of providing free LPG connection to the labourers.

This survey was conducted in 99 gram panchayats of Bilaspur, Dantewada, Jashpur, Mahasamund and Rajnandgaon between June 30 to July 28. This includes 28 gram panchayats of Bilaspur district, 15 gram panchayats of Dantewada, 20 gram panchayats of Jashpur districts, 19 gram panchayats of Mahasamund district and 17 gram panchayats of Rajnandgaon district.

More than 500 migrant labourers were included under the survey.

According to the survey, migrants of Chhattisgarh can be categorized into two categories, first being the non-agricultural labourer/helper which constitutes 52.98% skilled migrants, and second being the labourers skilled in ironwork, welding and fabrication which constitutes the 40.43%. Chhattisgarh contributed more than one-third of the labourers with these two skills.

This survey was conducted by ISSRF on migrant workers in 34 districts of Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal, with an aim to study the impact of reverse migration on their livelihood during lockdown.