Guv Bose proposes measures for migrant workers, sends report to Centre & state

Kolkata: A day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a scheme to rehabilitate migrant labourers from Bengal allegedly harassed outside the state, Governor CV Ananda Bose put forward a set of recommendations to address the multiple challenges faced by the state’s migrant labour force.

The recommendations, sent to both the Centre and the state government, came amid growing concerns over alleged incidents of exploitation, lack of social protection, and poor living conditions that many Bengali migrant workers endure in the states where they work.

Bose’s proposals include signing memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with major destination states, issuing a migrant worker card, appointing Labour Welfare Officers (LWOs) in key hubs, and creating a 24x7 multilingual helpline for Bengal’s migrants.

The Governor has suggested the launch of a registration drive for migrant workers, following which each worker would be issued a unique digital and physical card serving as a portable identity document. This card would provide access to government health services, micro-insurance schemes, and enable the opening of bank accounts for direct wage deposits, reducing dependence on informal channels.

He has also recommended MoUs with states that receive a large number of workers from Bengal—Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi. These agreements, he said, should clearly outline responsibilities for enforcing minimum wages, ensuring workplace safety, and establishing faster grievance-redress mechanisms.

To strengthen support on the ground, the Governor has proposed deploying dedicated Labour Welfare Officers in major migrant hubs such as Kochi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi. These officers would assist workers in distress, mediate disputes with employers or contractors, and coordinate with local authorities. Other recommendations include developing affordable migrant hostels in labour clusters of destination states, setting up skill training centres in high-migration districts, and facilitating certification of informally acquired skills.

On food security, the Governor has called for replacing the ongoing “One Family One Ration Card” scheme with a “One Citizen One Ration Card” initiative, so that individual members can access ration benefits even when away from home. Further proposals cover legal aid and mediation services, extending ICDS, crèches and healthcare outreach to migrant families, establishing an emergency transport and relief fund, and launching a comprehensive insurance programme.

He has also suggested setting up a single-window agency in destination districts to function as a one-stop grievance redressal system for migrant workers.