Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo inaugurated the state’s first Mobile Migrant Resource Centre today at Krushi Bhavan, Bhubaneswar.
This pioneering initiative has been developed under the collaborative effort of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department of the Government of Odisha, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Migrant Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MMTF).
Designed to create awareness in five migrant-prone blocks across the districts of Ganjam and Kendrapara, the Mobile Migrant Resource Centre aims to offer information, support, and emergency assistance to migrant workers. The government has also launched a toll-free helpline — 1800-345-7885 — to ensure easy access to resources.
Shri Singh Deo, who chairs the high-level task force for migrant welfare, emphasised that the government is actively promoting livelihood development, skill-building, and employment generation for women, youth, and returning migrants. “Our goal is to make them self-reliant and provide employment in their own localities,” he stated, adding that the mobile centre would help curb distressed migration.
Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, noted that this mobile initiative would serve as a model for structured and sustainable migration management.
The launch event witnessed attendance from key officials, including Labour Commissioner Shri Indramani Tripathi; Protector of Emigrants, Ministry of External Affairs, Shri Sunil Shah; Additional Secretary Agriculture, Shri Subhranshu Mishra; Dr. Sangram Keshari Pattanaik; Sri Nagendra Mallik; and representatives from FAO, IOM, WASAN, SMRC, and the Department of Labour and ESI.
