HYDERABAD: The State government, in coordination with some realtors, is planning to launch an exclusive skilling programme for labourers in Telangana to avoid dependency on the workforce from other states.
Most of the labourers deployed in various construction sites and fields are from States like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, which are monitored by contractors. Labour contractors pay Rs 1,200 - Rs 1,500 to skilled masons and Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 per day for semi-skilled masons, whereas labourers are paid around Rs 500 - Rs 600 per day.
On the other hand, most of the labourers from Telangana -- from Kamareddy, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Nirmal, Karimnagar, Jagtial and Peddapalli -- go to the Gulf citing lack of decent pay. Nearly 15 lakh labourers from Hyderabad are believed to be working in Dubai, Sharjah, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, while local labourers are hardly seen in construction sites in Hyderabad.
Now, CREDAI and the State government are joining hands to bring back the workforce from Gulf nations. As part of this skilling programme, unemployed youth would be identified and encouraged to take part in the training for the roles including electrician, plumber, carpenter and masons, depending on their interest.
The plan is to create at least one lakh labourers from the State and employ them at various construction sites in Hyderabad and other districts. Experienced workmen would provide training to newcomers, while the government would provide the required infrastructure. The skilling programme is categorised into three modules -- unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled.
According to CREDAI, there will be plenty of opportunities in the real estate sector in the next 10 years as a host of projects from developers and companies are lined up in Hyderabad. At present, there are around two lakh labourers working in Hyderabad, of which over 70 per cent are from other States.
Earlier, Industries Minister KT Rama Rao had asked builders to collaborate with the government and share the benefits of working in this sector with the locals migrating to the Middle East for livelihood. The Minister is very likely to launch this programme in the next two weeks.