Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government under the provisions of the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979 has issued licenses to 1,112 contractors in the state to send 73,973 persons to work as migrant laborers outside the state in the last two years.
Labour & Employees’ State Insurance Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia informed this in a written reply to a question from Rourkela MLA Sarada Prasad Nayak in the state assembly on Tuesday.
According to details shared by the Minister, licenses were issued to 1,037 contractors in the state to send 70,142 persons to work as migrant laborers outside the state in 2024.
Similarly, licenses were issued to 75 contractors in the state to send 3,831 persons to work as migrant laborers outside the state till February 28, 2025.
The Minister also shared detailed district-wise data for 2024 and 2025, outlining the number of licenses issued and the number of migrant workers sent from each district.
Khuntia explained that it is a natural process for workers to seek employment in other states in order to earn higher wages.
However, to ensure that willing workers have opportunities within their own state, the Odisha government has been proactively implementing various employment generation and self-employment programs across multiple departments.
As part of its efforts, the state government is preparing a comprehensive State Action Plan aimed at protecting and promoting the welfare of migrant workers.
Furthermore, the government has launched a special scheme targeting migrant workers in 704 gram panchayats across 30 migrant-dominated blocks in nine districts, including Balangir, Bargarh, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Gajapati, and Kandhamal.
In collaboration with the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, the state has increased the working days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to 300 days. Moreover, the wages under this scheme have been raised to match the minimum wage for unskilled laborers in the state of Odisha.
A task force has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Deputy Chief Minister to address and resolve various problems faced by migrant workers in the state.
Meanwhile, several decisions have been made following meetings held on October 28, 2024, and November 20, 2024, in order to tackle the challenges faced by migrant laborers.
