No plan to mandate state nod for hiring workers: UP official
LUCKNOW:The Uttar Pradesh government is working on the framework of a commission that will seek to provide jobs and job security to migrant workers returning to the state, but has no plans to incorporate in its by-laws a provision that will require other states to seek its prior nod before employing people from UP.
Amid the lockdown imposed to curb Covid-19 that left them stranded elsewhere in India without livelihoods, about 2.6 million workers have already returned to UP, where the authorities plan to carry out an exercise to map their skills to help them find jobs.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday discussed the setting up of the commission at a meeting in Lucknow and told his officials to complete the skill mapping exercise in 15 days. Adityanath said a letter should be sent to all state governments to find out about more migrant workers wishing to come back to UP.
“The CM discussed the modalities for setting up the commission as well. There will be no provision requiring other states to seek UP government’s prior permission for employing our manpower. The commission is being set up to provide jobs and social security to the workers. We will also link the migrants to the government schemes to provide them houses and loans etc,” said a senior official who didn’t want to be named.
On Sunday, Adityanath told journalists by a video link that the commission would work in the interest of migrant workers.
“If any other state wants UP’s manpower, they cannot take them away just like that but will have to seek permission of the UP government,” he said.
Some political leaders and experts have questioned the proposal that would require other states to seek the UP government’s permission, saying it would run contrary to the right to freedom of movement of workers.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday termed the proposal
“absolutely absurd.” “I think it’s unfortunate. I think people are first Indian and then they belong to their states. The decision on whether somebody goes to work from Uttar Pradesh to the rest of the country is not the chief minister’s. It is of the people of India and the people of UP,” he said.
Adityanath had been deeply moved by the conditions of returning migrants, the official cited above said. “So, when the CM spoke about the need for seeking UP government’s permission, he did so in the role of a guardian for workers. It’s only CM’s concern for the migrants that came out as a political statement.”
A legal expert CB Pandey said, “The state government can regulate only the recruitment agencies, if any. In more than 99% of cases, no recruitment agencies are involved.”