CHENNAI: Amid concerns raised by political parties that large number of migrant workers could get added to Tamil Nadu’s electoral rolls, the state’s labour department is set to conduct a survey of interstate migrant workers for the first time to get a realistic picture of their population in TN.
The objective is to understand migration patterns, nature of work, health and living conditions. Though termed a survey, the exercise is aiming at 100% enumeration of every migrant worker with a rough target of finishing the exercise within six months.
Earlier this month, numerous parties, including the ruling DMK and its allies, based on a media report, expressed fears that over 6.5 lakh migrant workers from Bihar could get included in TN’s rolls, following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar.
The SIR reportedly removed 65 lakh voters, including those who had migrated permanently to other states.
Survey to classify interstate migrant workers under two broad categories
However, TN has no reliable data to arrive at a fair estimate of the number of interstate migrant workers, let alone accurate information on workers from specific states.
The only data available is the number of people registered in the labour department’s Interstate Migrant (ISM) Workers portal. This is only 12.17 lakh, of which unorganised construction workers account for merely around 3,000.
A majority of the registrations made with the portal are those from the organised sectors, based on information collected primarily through the department’s factory inspectors. However, the actual population of interstate migrant workers is likely to be much higher, given the 2011 Census showed that 34.87 lakh people had moved into TN for work and employment.
“We intensified the drive to register more persons (in the portal) and, in the last three months, registered around 3 lakh workers.
But the department, by itself, will not be able to cover the entire population of interstate workers due to lack of manpower. We are looking to hire a private agency to actively reach out to all the workers and carry out a state-wide survey,” said a government official.
The survey will have interviewers in each district recording all interstate workers and classifying them under two broad categories — construction workers, including those working in mines, quarries, etc, and those employed in other sectors such as textiles, hospitality, manufacturing and shops.
One field coordinator will be deputed per district to coordinate with the interviewers and a state-level coordinator will oversee the process. The department estimates that 48.78 lakh TN workers are employed in unorganised sectors. These native workers are entitled to various benefits through the department’s welfare boards.
Interstate workers, on the other hand, are entitled only to a compensation of Rs 8 lakh to their kin in case of death due to accidents at work sites. “This survey will allow the government to think of specific interventions and welfare measures (for interstate workers),” an official said.