BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has decided to conduct skill mapping of migrant returnees to provide them employment opportunities. The issue was discussed at the meeting of the Council of Ministers held recently.
It was decided that `140 crore will be spent on skill development of migrant workers. The Panchayati Raj department will train the migrant returnees. The skill set of migrant workers will be mapped after they reach temporary medical centres (TMCs) and quarantine facilities by the SHGs with assistance from the Technical Education department, official sources said.
The skill mapping of migrant workers will be beneficial for MSME units and large projects announced by the Government because of the large requirement of labour. Lakhs of migrant workers, who have returned due to the lockdown, can fill the shortage of labour in industrial units.
Around two lakh MSME units in the State have stopped functioning because of the extended lockdown. More than 3.76 lakh migrant workers have returned to Odisha and it is expected that four to five lakh more will arrive in Odisha in the coming days.
Official sources said the skilled workers who have returned are mostly from textile, apparent and garment sector.
The Council of Ministers also approved establishment of a textile park at Dhamra. The project to be set up under the Centre’s Mega Textile Parks Scheme will provide employment opportunities for 20,000 people.
There is also a proposal to establish a second textile park in either Ganjam or Khurda district.