The Tamil Nadu government has been actively taking steps to ensure the safety of the migrant labourers in the State, said C.V. Ganesan, Minister for Labour Welfare and Skill Development, in Tiruchi on Monday.
Over the past couple of weeks, rumours have been doing the rounds of attacks on migrant workers, leading to panic, and many migrant workers leaving the State. Since then, the government has been reassuring migrant workers of their safety in Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Ganesan told journalists that members of the Bihar Assembly Committee had visited Tiruppur and inspected the situation of migrant labourers there. They also held a meeting with the Tiruppur district administration and expressed confidence that the migrant labourers in the State were safe.
The State government has given directions to the district and city administration of Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, and Nilgiris districts, which have a significant population of migrant labourers, to ensure their safety, and to conduct outreach and awareness programmes.
Based on the directions of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, a special team comprising the Collector, Commissioner, Police, and Labour department officials have been formed at the district-level to closely engage with the migrant labourers. The team is also continuing to estimate the population of migrant labourers in its respective districts. As per preliminary data, more than 6 lakh migrant labourers are in the State, and the government has been taking all steps to ensure their safety, he said.
After inspecting the ESI Hospital in Tiruchi, Mr. Ganesan said, the district administration will take steps to address the demands of the patients, such as setting up an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and providing mosquito nets, within a week.
