Ker mulling law to provide welfare scheme for migrant workers

Kerala Government is considering a legislation to provide welfare schemes for migrant workers, who have become a major work force in the state.
Announcing this in the Assembly today, Labour Minister Shibu Baby John, however, said a consensus needed to be reached on the issue, as there were differences of opinion about extending such facilities to migrant workers.
"A section in the society is skeptical whether it is good to provide welfare measures and keep them in the state always," he said, adding government was even planning to call an all-party meeting to arrive at a consensus on the matter.

John ruled out a suggestion to issue identity cards for all migrant labourers.
"Every Indian citizen has the right to work anywhere in the country, so providing them with identity cards to work in the state was violative of fundamental rights", he said.
John, while narrating the difficulties in dealing with them, said language was the main blockade. Now itself government has provided certain welfare schemes to these workers, but they were ignorant about it, he said.

As a first step to communicate with them, government plans to set up kiosks at four major railway stations-Ernakulam, Aluva, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode- with help desk managed by people who speak Hindi language, he said.

He said so far about 42,000 workers from other states have registered with the Labour Board.
Moving the calling attention, K Suresh Kurup said as per a study of Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation, the number of migrant labourer stood at 25 lakh and their number would become 50 lakh in another ten years.
He wanted government to ensure protection and wages as per law to them.