UP to launch dedicated job portal for returning migrant labourers

Portal to help companies/agencies hire skilled labour; So far, more than 2.1 mn workers have returned by trains and roadways buses

Amid the heavy influx of stranded labourers following covid-19 lockdown, the Uttar Pradesh government today said a dedicated job portal was being developed for the migrants.

The state revenue department is developing the online portal, wherein the details of the skilled labourers would be uploaded to enable their speedy recruitment by the interested companies or agencies.

So far, more than 2.1 million labourers have returned by trains and roadways buses to UP from industrialised states, such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand etc.

“Most of these migrants are skilled workers and posses skills in different fields, including metal, concrete etc. The website will help them get suitable employment,” UP additional chief secretary Awanish Kumar Awasthi said here this evening.

He said arrangements are being made to help the migrants fill up the ‘job cards’ at the quarantine centres itself, so as to map their skills at the earliest on their return.

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath had already instructed officials to create more than 2 million local level employment opportunities for these migrants. Besides, the government has planned to energise the rural sector industries viz. micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), one district one product (ODOP) scheme, dairy, animal husbandry etc to generate fresh employment.

So far, 1,018 trains and roadways buses have brought back over 2.1 million labourers from other states, while 178 additional trains are en route to the state and expected to arrive later today or tomorrow, Awasthi informed. On a daily basis, about 150,000 workers are coming back to UP.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to raise a ‘Covid Volunteer Force’ to create awareness regarding covid-19 and help the state in curbing the disease, especially in the backdrop of the migrants’ arrival, which has increased the infection load in UP.

“We will mobilise the NSS, NCC, Nehru Yuva Kendra cadres apart from other youth organisations to volunteer for social service,” UP medical and health principal secretary Amit Mohan Prasad said adding the youth, boys or girls, should be between the ages of 21 and 30 years to volunteer.

Since, the corona cases have been rising with the arrival of migrants, the government is increasing the daily sample testing capacity to 10,000 from about 7,000 at present.

The government has procured new machines for the purpose, while newer testing centres are being set up too. The number of covid-19 beds is being ramped up to 100,000 from the present count of about 80,000 across the states.

So far, the ASHA (accredited social health activist) workers have surveyed nearly 0.75 million migrants and reported 844 suspected cases to the medical department.

Besides, 90,0000 health teams had surveyed and screened more than 35 million people in the hotspots and other areas for random and targetted sample collection.