Bhubaneswar: A total of 2,176 migrant workers were rescued and brought back to Odisha from other states over the last three years, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia informed the state assembly on Tuesday.
In a written reply to a question by BJD leader and Bhograi MLA Goutam Buddha Das, Singhkhuntia said that 1,055 migrant workers were rescued in 2024, including 626 from Bolangir district and 153 from Nuapada district. In 2025, a further 1,078 migrant workers were brought back, with 572 from Bolangir and 134 from Nuapada. So far in 2026, 43 migrant workers have been rescued from other states.
The minister added that a high-level Task Force has been constituted under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment and Energy, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, to address challenges faced by migrant workers in distress. The Task Force is tasked with preventing distress migration and recommending administrative measures to the concerned departments for effective solutions.
Singhkhuntia also highlighted that the government is taking steps to enable migrant workers to secure employment within the state through coordination among various departments. Workers are being linked to existing employment-generation programmes and self-employment schemes.
As part of these measures, the number of working days under the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) scheme, formerly MGNREGS, has been increased to 300 days to provide more employment opportunities for local workers.
