The State government will begin a special drive to screen migrant workers returning to Maharashtra, after leaving for their home towns during the extended nationwide lockdown.
The Maharashtra Police have been directed to conduct thermal screenings at border checkpoints, which are recording an entry of approximately 15,000 workers daily. Their registration and quarantine will be made mandatory, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Thursday. Senior police officials said a special control room may also be set up to monitor inflow.
Around 13 lakh migrant workers, who left the State during the extended lockdown, are expected to return in July. As many as 60,000 industries have reopened in the first phase of unlocking, and the migrants are returning in large numbers to Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Raigad, officials said.
“At present, 4,000 to 5,000 workers are returning daily to Gondia, Nandurbar, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Pune. Another 11,000 to 11,500 are returning to Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai. The number is low due to limited railway services at present, but will definitely increase,” Mr. Deshmukh said.
“A list of these workers is provided to us by the respective States from where they are returning. The inflow is being recorded accordingly and workers thermally screened. They are then stamped with ‘Home Quarantine’ on their hands and sent to their residence,” he said. Since May 1, over 3,700 Shramik Specials ferried an estimated 50 lakh migrant workers to their native States. Of these, 695 trains originated from Mumbai.
New initiative
Meanwhile, Skill Development Minister Nawab Malik has said the government is making all efforts to provide jobs to unemployed workers and youth, while facilitating availability of labour for the newly opened industry and entrepreneurs.
Inaugurating a website www.mahaswayam.gov.in on Thursday, Mr. Malik said, “Through this platform, the unemployed youth and workers will be able to get information about vacancies in government and private offices. They will be able to submit candidature applications, get information about job fairs, participate in employment promotion programs, and participate in various skill development schemes and skill training institutes of the Central and State governments,” he said.
Info for job seekers
The website will provide entrepreneurs and industrialists with information on registered job seekers, their education, skills, experience, and location.
They will be allowed to register for new plants, branches separately, notify vacancies created from time to time, get the list of eligible candidates, publish these posts free of cost, download the list in PDF or Excel, and conduct interviews. They will also be able to send free SMSes to the selected candidates through the system, and online placement of candidates, the minister said.
