Labour ministry set up monitoring centers to track migrant workers' movement

The labour ministry has activated twenty one monitoring centers across India to track the movement of migrant workers or address job related grievances, if any, in the wake of rapid rise in Covid cases.

Besides, the Centre has advised all state commissioners to reassure the migrant workers amidst the third wave so as to prevent exodus while requesting them to maintain records of returnee migrant workers, if any, the labour ministry said in a statement.

The labour secretary Sunil Barthwal had held a virtual meeting with all states and union territories in respect of workers in general and migrant workers in particular so as to gauge the movement of workers on the ground, if any, as on account of rising cases of Covid in the third wave.


Top officers of state labour departments, state labour commissioners, officers of ministry of railway and department of food and public distribution attend the meeting held on Wednesday.

According to the statement, labour secretary Barthwal has requested all the state/UT governments put in place a mechanism to maintain a record of the migrant workers and register all the remaining workers who have not registered themselves on the e-Shram Portal as yet.

“This will facilitate the state governments to plan and deliver financial and other benefits to them at appropriate time,” he said.

Further, the secretary advised the labour surplus and labour deficient states to work in close coordination to tackle any migrant workers’ situation, if need arises.

Labour ministry said that the state labour commissioners have confirmed to the Centre that the functioning at construction sites, factories and establishment has remained undisrupted and there is no exodus of workers, especially migrant workers, back to their home states.

“The central as well as the state governments are keeping a close watch on the situation and fully ready and prepared to tackle the situation as per demand of the situation,” it added.