Odisha to prepare plan on credit linkage facility for migrants

The Odisha government will work out an action plan on credit linkage support for migrant workers, an official said on Friday.

Presiding over a high-level meeting here, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi directed the officials concerned to work out the action plan by following the self-help group model.

Padhi asked the Labour and ESI Department to work out the plan in convergence with Odisha Livelihood Mission for migration-prone districts in the first phase.

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development will also provide necessary financial assistance for the formation and mobilisation of the self-help groups at the ground level, he added.

The Labour Department will set up help desks in destination states of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and New Delhi.

These help desks will be single-point contact for all migrant labourers from Odisha and the department will coordinate with the destination states to provide necessary assistance to these workers.

Labour and ESI Secretary G. Srinivas said the government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Tata Trusts to examine the issue of migration and prepared an action plan to arrest distress migration.

He said the department has initiated actions like registration of potential migrants, identification of alternative livelihood options, exploring possibilities of credit linkage, and linking them with agricultural and horticultural schemes.

Informed sources said districts like Bargarh, Bolangir, Nuapada, and Kalahandi are prone to labour migration. As of now, around 32,718 SHGs have been formed in these districts with a total membership of 3,66,253.

The meeting decided to map the credibility of these SHGs and form new ones as per the requirement for carrying forward the action plan designed for migrant workers.

The Chief Secretary directed to expedite the process so that intended beneficiaries could avail credit facility at the earliest.

--IANS

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