Bhubaneswar: Labour Minister Sushant Singh on Tuesday informed the Odisha Assembly that Rs 134.62 crore has been paid to 6,73,079 migrant returnees in the state as initial assistance. This amounts to 63 per cent of migrant returnees who have received assistance during coronavirus induced lockdown.
To a query from Khandapada MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, the State Labour Minister said: “10,07,330 migrants returned to Odisha between March 2020 and October 2020 from different states.” They were made to stay in quarantine centres before being allowed to enter their native places, he added.
Singh said 6,73,079 migrant returnees were paid Rs 2000 each as an initial relief from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) amounting to a total sum of Rs 134.62 crore.
Odisha government has implemented special COVID-19 financial package under various schemes and departments like MGNREGA, DDUGKY, UWEI and Mission Shakti to protect the livelihood of the migrant labourers, the Minister added.
This apart, Rs 1500 each was paid to 4689 migrant construction workers who were registered under the Labourer Welfare Board. The amount was credited through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
The government has no information about the migrants who left Odisha again after relaxation in lockdown rules, the Minister added.
