Industries may face workforce crunch as 6-8L migrants leave
The large scale exodus of migrant workers from Maharashtra amid the Covid-19 lockdown is likely to pose a challenge to industries that are expected to become operational in phases.
With 6 to 8 lakh migrant workers on their way out of Maharashtra, the government has now launched its own mechanism to provide the skilled workers required by industries, by roping in local unemployed youth.
The state has sent more than 1.5 lakh migrants back to their hometowns by arranging 70 trains and over 2,500 state transport buses to transport them. The government has also demanded at least 225 more trains to transport migrants from cities like Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Nashik, and Pune. Several migrants travelled out of the state in private vehicles.
The state government had made arrangements for 5.70 lakh migrants in more than 4,600 shelter camps since the lockdown was imposed on March 24. The number has now come down to 3.84 lakh migrants at 3,164 camps across the state.
“Around 15-20 lakh people are expected to migrate back to their home states, and of them, 6-8 lakh are expected to be labourers,” said an official from the relief and rehabilitation department. According to the 2011 census, Maharashtra has more than 38 lakh migrants living mostly in the urbanised areas of the state.
Sensing a challenge in the days ahead, the state government has decided to form a Kamgar Bureau which will enrol the local unemployed youths and impart them with training in various fields. “It will be a joint venture of industries and the skilled development and labour department, to generate the workforce required by various sectors,” said Subhash Desai, industries minister.
Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, in his video conference on Wednesday, directed the district authorities to ensure that local youths fill the gap created due to the exodus of migrant workers.
Manohar Shroff, senior vice president, Navi Mumbai unit of Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI) said that the construction industry will suffer a lot. “The real estate projects will be delayed by four to six months due to the crunch of workers. At least 70% of them will not even return,” he said.
511 COMPLAINTS OF JOB, PAY CUTS FILED
The state government received 511 complaints of lay-offs and salary cuts during the lockdown, in response to its appeal to employers
not to issue pink slips to employees. Of them, 362 have been successfully disposed by mediation.
8 MIGRANTS INJURED AFTER VEHICLE TOPPLES A small transport vehicle carrying 25 labourers toppled at Cadbury Junction in Thane on Wednesday after the driver lost control of the vehicle. Eight labourers were injured. The labourers had hired the vehicle from Masjid Bunder to take them to Bhiwandi and from there they planned to go to their village in Uttar Pradesh.
The Rabodi police have registered
a case against the tempo driver, Najir Qureshi, 35. “The tempo was speeding and rammed into the divider and turned turtle,” said an officer of Rabodi police station.
100 MIGRANTS BOOKED BY NAGPADA POLICE
The Nagpada police have booked more than 100 migrants for gathering and protesting on Wednesday morning near Kamathipura. The crowd was demanding immediate transport to Uttar Pradesh. “We told them that we are making efforts to get a train as approval must come from the concerned state too.