Bengal govt preparing database of labourers working outsidestate

Eyeing to help labourers working in other states and facing problems in getting food and shelter during the ongoing lockdown, the West Bengal government has decided to prepare a database on them, a senior official said on Monday.

Directives have been sent to all district administrations to prepare the database of the labourers who are currently stranded in different states during this lockdown imposed to contain the coronavirus outbreak, he said.

"This will enable us to ascertain how many people from West Bengal are stuck in other states where they had gone in search of livelihood. After that, we will try to communicate with the state governments concerned to help these labourers getting food and shelter," the official said.

Thousands of labourers from West Bengal are currently stranded in states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.

"We have been receiving video messages regarding shortage of food and other problems these people are facing there," the official added.

Sources in the government said that block development officers have already started collecting information on the labourers working outside the state.

"We do not want these people to walk back to West Bengal during the lockdwn period," he added.

As soon as the database is completed, the administration will start contacting the labourers and take steps to help them, the official said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to her counterparts in 18 states to provide basic shelter and food to labourers from West Bengal, who are stuck in those states because of the lockdown.