KOLKATA: Migrant workers from West Bengal will get financial assistance on their return to the state, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Monday.
After a cabinet meeting at Nabanna, the state administrative headquarters, Banerjee said that migrant workers on their return to West Bengal from other states would get monthly financial assistance of Rs 5,000 for next 12 months in addition of getting social benefits like ‘Khadya Sathi’ and ‘Swasthya Sathi’, while announcing a new scheme ‘Sramasree’ to roll out these facilities.
The Chief Minister said, “The project is only for migrant workers from Bengal. Those who return to the state will get a one-time payment of Rs. 5,000 along with travel assistance. This is a rehabilitation allowance. Financial assistance of Rs 5,000 per month will also be provided for one year, until new work arrangements are made for them.”
The West Bengal Labour Department is the nodal department for this scheme. The Chief Minister informed that skill training is provided through the ‘Utkarsh Bangla’ scheme of the state government.
“We will assess the skills of the workers who return to the state. If they have requisite skills, we will provide employment by providing training as needed. Apart from this, we will also give ‘job cards’ to them,” she stated, while adding that 78 lakh job cards have been given under the ‘Karmasree’ project.
According to her, if the migrant workers do not have a home, accommodation will be provided to them in community coaching centers. School admission will be arranged for their children and they will also get the benefits of ‘Kanyasree’ and ‘Shikshasree’.
The Chief Minister announced, “All the 22.40 lakh workers who are outside of Bengal will get the benefits of ‘Sramasree’. If they register on the ‘Sramasree’ portal, they will be given an I-card. As a result, they will get the facilities of the state government.”
She said that in the last few days, 2,700 families returned to Bengal after being ‘tortured’ in other states. The state government has also brought more than 10,000 people, she informed.
Without naming the BJP, she alleged that in various states ruled by ‘double engine government’, an attack has been made on the Bengali language and Bengali identity.
“If someone speaks Bengali, he is being labeled as a criminal. Someone is being ‘pushed’ to Bangladesh, somewhere he is being put in jail. Somewhere he is being taken to the police station and harassed,” Banerjee complained, while claiming that about 22 lakh migrant workers from West Bengal have been harassed for speaking Bengali in other states.
She also noted that about 1.5 crore people from other states work in West Bengal.