The West Bengal government has reconstituted West Bengal Migrant Workers Welfare Board and appointed Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam, who was recently elected to Rajya Sabha, as the chairperson of the board. The 10-member board has officials from the Labour Department, including Labour Commissioner and MLAs Tapas Roy and Mosarraf Hossain.
The notification by the State government points out that challenges faced by migrants are unique and critical in nature and were exposed during the recent pandemic.
Mr. Islam also said the pandemic brought out the plight of migrant workers and West Bengal is the first State where such a board has been set up. “While the COVID-19 pandemic brought the plight of migrant workers into the public domain, the issue of migrants has been there from the time of independence,” the MP said.
He said that the board will start with registration and provide identity cards to migrants alongside legal support to those who go to other States for work. According to the newly elected MP there might be opportunities of employment in the State and the board will try to find employment for all so that they need not migrate to other States in search of job.
Like the adjoining States of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, a large number of migrants from West Bengal migrate to States in the west and south of the country.
