Migrant Workers

Over 18 million workers were employed in Saudi Arabia in the second quarter of 2025 (Q2 CY2025). Out of these, nearly 77.5 per cent were foreign workers

A new scheme is being launched soon to provide interest subsidies on loans taken by registered workers to encourage self-employment

Under the Shramshree scheme, each returning worker will receive ₹5,000 per month for a year or until they secure new employment in Bengal

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a PIL which alleged that Bengali-speaking migrant workers are been detained on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, however, refused to pass any interim order with regard to the detention, saying any order will have consequences especially with respect to people, who genuinely came from across the borders. "States where these migrant workers are working have the right to inquire from their state of origin about their bonafide but the problem is in the interregnum. If we pass any interim orders, then it will have consequences, especially those who have illegally come from across the border and need to be deported under the law," the bench said. It asked advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioner West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board, to wait for sometime for the responses from the Centre and nine statesOdisha, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, ..

The overall funds released under MGNREGS have gone down over the last five years, even as the allocations in the Budget have gone up, information given by the government in the Rajya Sabha showed. According to a written reply by Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan to a question by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, the year of the Covid lockdown 2020-21 saw many migrant workers return to their native villages and Rs 1,11,170.86 crore was released under the rural job scheme, the highest in the five-year period. At the Budget Estimate stage at the beginning of the financial year, Rs. 61,500 crore was allocated for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). In 2021-22, Rs 98,467.85 crore was released under the scheme, against a Budget Estimate of Rs 73,000 crore, while in 2022-23, Rs 90,810.99 crore was released, well over the estimate of Rs 73,000 crore when the Union Budget was announced. In 2023-24, Rs 89,268.30 crore was ...

The West Bengal Police on Friday launched a WhatsApp helpline, 9147727666, to provide assistance to migrant workers facing problems in other states. The helpline was launched after several complaints were received that people from the state were encountering a range of problems, from workplace exploitation to unsafe living conditions, while working in other states, a police officer said. "In many cases, the victims or their families do not know where or how to report such incidents. To bridge this gap, the state police are urging affected individuals or their family members to promptly inform their local police station or district control room," he said. "The WhatsApp-only helpline is also launched for the purpose, so that families can send messages detailing the nature of the problems, along with the victim's name and address," he said. The officer said all messages will be verified, and we will coordinate with the state authorities concerned to take necessary action. This initia

A viral video shows a group of people, allegedly from Shiv Sena (UBT), slapping the driver and making him publicly apologise for his 'anti-marathi' remarks

Voters added after 2003 must submit one of 11 documents, but many poor and migrant families lack paperwork, raising concerns ahead of the Bihar elections

Former Delhi Chief Secretary Shailaja Chandra urged CM Rekha Gupta to show courage, end vote-bank politics, and prioritise long-term urban planning over short-term populist measures

Responding to the SC bench, Bhushan noted that the claim made is not just his, but a similar concern has been flagged by former chief economists, who believe that India's poverty is on the rise

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday said he would hold a combined meeting of Home and Labour departments along with Labour Minister Santosh Lad on measures that can be taken regarding the increasing number of crimes involving migrant labourers from other states. He said workforce coming to Karnataka from other states cannot be stopped, but there is a definite need to take note of criminal activities involving them and take measures against it. The Home Minister's statement came in the wake of alleged kidnapping and murder of a five-year-old girl in Hubballi by a 35-year-old Ritesh Kumar, who hails from Bihar's Patna, who was killed in a police firing on Sunday. "Labourers are coming from different parts of the country as Bengaluru is a fast developing city and also across Karnataka. In many cases we see they are involved in criminal activities. We definitely need to take note of this," Parameshwara said in response to a question that people coming from other parts of th

The USAID grant, awarded in 2020, was given to the Good Business Lab, co-founded by Ahuja, the brother of Kapoor's husband, Anand Ahuja

Isatta Bah wakes up from a nap in a crowded shelter on the outskirts of Beirut, clutching her baby, Blessing. The 24-year-old from Sierra Leone spends her days waiting for an exit visa that could put her and her 1-year-old on a plane back to the West African nation. She wants to reunite with her family after what she called exploitative work conditions and sexual violence, along with the recent horrors of war in Lebanon. My experience in Lebanon is not good for me. I am really tired, Bah said. I want to go home. Hundreds of migrant workers in Lebanon are waiting to be repatriated after the ceasefire ending the 14-month war between the Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Israel went into effect last month. Lebanon has long drawn migrant workers dreaming of building better lives for their families. Enticed by promises of stable jobs and decent pay, they enter Lebanon via recruitment agencies under a sponsorship-based labour system known as Kafala only to find themselves often trapped with .

The terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on workers from a private company at the under-construction Z-Morh tunnel in J&K's Gund area, which connects Gagangeer to Sonamarg in central Kashmir

We have lost our patience, the Supreme Court has said while expressing concern over delay by the states and Union Territories in providing ration card to the migrant workers. A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah granted a final opportunity to the Centre, states and Union Territories (UTs) to take necessary steps in this regard by November 19. "We have lost our patience, we are making it very clear that there will be no more indulgence. "We are giving you one last window to comply with our order or your secretary will remain present," the bench said. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, informed that only one ration card is issued per priority household under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana. The top court was hearing a suo motu case registered in 2020 after taking cognizance of problems and miseries of the migrant labourers during COVID. The apex court had earlier asked the Centre to file an affidavit giving details about compl

These workers contribute a great deal to society and should be guaranteed a fair wage, he said

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to file an affidavit giving details about compliance of its 2021 judgement and subsequent directions on providing ration cards and other welfare measures to the migrant workers. The top court, in June 29, 2021 judgement and subsequent orders, had passed a slew of directions to the authorities asking them to undertake welfare measures, including giving ration cards to all migrant workers, who were distressed during the COVID-19 pandemic, registered with the e-Shram' portal. The e-Shram' is a comprehensive National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW) launched by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment with a primary aim to facilitate delivery of welfare benefits and social security measures to unorganised sector workers across the country. The Union of India is directed to file a comprehensive affidavit explaining the steps taken in compliance of the judgement dated June 29, 2021 and other subsequent orders. Such an affidavit will ..

A fire likely sparked by exploding lithium batteries swept through a manufacturing factory near South Korea's capital on Monday, killing 22 mostly Chinese migrant workers and injuring eight, officials said. The fire began after batteries exploded while workers were examining and packaging them at the second floor of the factory in Hwaseong city, just south of Seoul, at around 10:30 am, fire officials said, citing a witness. They said they would investigate the cause of the blaze. The dead included 18 Chinese, two South Koreans and one Laotian, local fire official Kim Jin-young told a televised briefing. He said the nationality of one of the dead couldn't be immediately verified. In the past few decades, many people from China, including ethnic Koreans, have migrated to South Korea to seek jobs. Like other foreign migrants from Southeast Asian nations, they often end up in factories or in physically demanding and low-paying jobs shunned by more affluent South Koreans. Kim also one .

With numerous well-paying opportunities back home during LS polls, including pamphlet distribution and providing tenting, vehicle services etc., many migrant workers have returned home

With women-friendly policies in the UAE, the number of women workers from India to MENA (Middle East and North Africa) countries, especially in the hospitality and construction sectors, are expected to witness a growth of over 71 per cent, blue-collar worker marketplace Huntr's senior executive said. "There has been a 23 per cent growth in demand for women migrants in 2023 in the MENA's hospitality and construction industries compared to the previous year. With more and more women-friendly policies like removal of restrictions during night hours, the demand is likely to surge 71.42 per cent in next 2-3 years," Huntr CEO Samuel Joy told PTI. The report by Huntr is based on a mixed-method combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews analysing a sample size of 1,00,000 blue-collar workers enrolled on the platform. Currently, 35 lakh women from India are working in the Middle East, which is expected to reach 60 lakh in next 2-3 years, in line with the growing demand, he ..