PATNA: In a first for the country, officials of the Bihar government have started work to carry out a massive "skills survey" of migrant workers returning in the state amid the nationwide lockdown for their skill profiling.
If everything goes well, a database of skills of Bihar's migrant population would be ready to help various departments in creating skills-based employment opportunities ahead to ameliorate their economic conditions together.
As per an estimate figure, more than 7 to 9 lakh migrant workers will return till the end of the COVID-19 crisis in Bihar from across the country resulting into an additional burden of engaging them in employment.
Directing officials to start the skills survey, chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said that the survey should be completed in order to classify the skills of migrant labourers so that after the end of lockdown, employment would be created in every departments. "Skill-profiling of them would help us in utilising their services and expertise to the development of the state," he said during review meeting with officials.
For the conducting the skill survey of migrants, an app is being developed which will obtain skills of each of the migrants and store into a massive skill database.
Lauding this first of its kind initiative aimed at converting the crisis into opportunity, prominent social researcher Dr RK Verma said that the skills profiling willhelp in boosting the efforts in creating employment opportunities in the state.
CM Nitish Kumar also directed the officials to prepare in advance for creating skill based employments to the migrants in all govt schemes including the MNREGA and others. Besides this, Kumar also asked the officials to start random testing facility for checking the spread of COVID-19 infection in every districts.
"Random testing will not only be helpful in checking the spread of coronavirus pandemic but also inculcate a sense of security among the people," said Kumar, adding also to review the identified chains of infection to ensure no one is left unattended and unchecked in the fight against the outbreak.
With the random testing, Bihar would be the first to start it in the country as it is the first state to provide financial assistance to the migrants stuck in the lockdown in other states.