HYDERABAD: With the lockdown extended amid rising cases of Covid-19, the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA), a wing of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD), asked the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to help migrant labourers, homeless and daily wagers earn a living.
ULBs were told to gather information on the number of migrant labourers — skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled — in their respective areas. They were also told to identify the homeless and daily wage earners. The ULBs will also identify the number of temporary shelters set up for the vulnerable sections. All this data will be uploaded on the CDMA portal along with an action taken report.
Based on this data, the government will provide employment to skilled labourers and plan training sessions for the semi-skilled and unskilled. The exercise was being undertaken following instructions from the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, which told States to help the vulnerable sections of the society cope with the lockdown. The Ministry wanted skilled labourers to be registered at the local level to address the problem of manpower crunch for the completion of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).
Looking out for migrant workers’ children
The Women Development and Child Welfare Department is temporarily linking anganwadis to the Integrated Child Development Scheme so that migrant workers’ children and pregnant women get nutritious food during the lockdown. Eggs, milk and dry ration will be given to mothers and children.