Govt takes note of steps to safeguard migrant rights

Caste-based enumeration of migrants, access to subsidised food and legal framework, low cost money transfer and inter-state operability of the PDS system were part of the recommendations submitted to the government today for safeguarding interests of the migrant community.
The 'Working Group on Migration' called for amendment in the protocols of Registrar General of India to enable caste based enumeration of migrants, who constitute about 30 per cent of the country's population and also the working force, as per 2011 census.
The group, which was set up by the Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ministry in 2015, said in its report that the move would help migrants to avail benefits in the states to which they migrate.

The 18-member group, headed by Partha Mukhopadhay of the Centre for Policy Research, also pitched for legal and policy framework to protect the interests of migrants.
It said the migrant population makes substantial contribution to economic growth and their Constitutional rights need to be secured.
The group recommended that migrants should be enabled to avail benefits of Public Distribution System (PDS) by providing for inter-state operability of the system.

Noting that money remittances of migrants was of the order of Rs 50,000 crore during 2007-08, the group called for "effective use of post offices to enable low cost money transfer."

It suggested that the hugely "under-utilised" 'Construction Workers Welfare Cess Fund' should be used to promote rental housing and working women hostels for the benefit of migrants.
According to the recent Economic Survey, annual migration in the country increased from 3.3 million in 2011 to 9 million in 2016.
Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who had discussions with the members of the group, asked officials to send reports to ministries concerned and convene a meeting on further course of action.
The Working Group on Migration has representatives of various ministries, including Home, Housing, Labour and Employment, Urban Development, Rural Development, Women and Child Development, Social Justice and Empowerment, Statistics and Programme Implementation.

It also has members from NITI Ayog, Registrar General of India, UNESCO, TATA Trust, Indian Institute for Human Settlements and Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research.