Sakhi Mandals, the women self-help groups in Jharkhand, armed with a web app have become the backbone of the state government’s effort at making a database of migrant workers who have returned from other states.

The database will be used by the state government in skill upgradation, career counselling of the migrant workers and eventually linking them either to a related industry or help them benefit from loans to set up their own units.

“There are 2.40 lakh Sakhi Mandals (each has between 10 and 15 women) in the state having over 30 lakh women who are present in each of the villages and are helping us in preparing database and skill mapping of the migrant workers. Under the Mission Saksham we have shared to the Sakhi Mandals a web link in which they have entered details of each of the migrant worker either in village (home quarantine) or at quarantine centres. We have mapped nearly 2 lakh (193,811) migrant workers so far,” said Rajiv Kumar, special secretary, rural development department, and the CEO olf the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS).

Sakhi Mandals function under the JSLPS in Jharkhand. In the mapping done so far, 132,590 are skilled and 61,221 unskilled. A large chunk of the skilled migrants are in the apparel sector (mostly tailors, sewing machine operators, handloom workers), automotive, beauty wellness, capital goods (making almirahs and boxes), electronics and construction.

“During the survey, we have also tried to figure out if the migrant workers are interested in joining MGNREGA projects or not. The data compiling work would continue till the migrant workers are arriving from other states,” Rajiv Kumar added.

Sources in the chief minister’s office revealed that over 40 career guidance and skill upgradation centres would be activated in each of the employment exchanges across Jharkhand.

“The skill mapping database prepared by the JSLPS would be shared to the employment exchanges (functioning under state labour and employment training department) in all the 24 district headquarters and sub-divisions. The employment exchanges have already been asked to be ready as career counselling, skill upgradation and certification centres and migrants workers will be asked to visit their nearest employment exchanges after completing their quarantine protocols.

“They can be counselled based on their interest and either placed in suitable industries or if needed linked to empanelled agencies for skill upgradation for better employable opportunities. Those interested in starting their own units will be helped in getting benefits from PMEGP (Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme),” said a source in the chief minister’s secretariat.

Chief minister Hemant Soren was optimistic of providing job opportunities to each of the migrant workers returning to the state.

“We already have plans in place for providing employment to 10 lakh migrants either in MGNREGS or in different companies based on their skills,' Soren said.

As on Monday, nearly 5 lakh migrants have returned to the state from other states.

Hemant Soren earlier on Monday in a tweet urged industries and corporate houses in the state to support the government in the evacuation of workers still stranded in other states.

“We have made sincere efforts to bring back our migrant workers from inaccessible remote areas like Ladakh and the Andamans. We still have hundreds of workers stranded in such remote places. My humble appeal to all industries/corporate

houses to support us in evacuating our workers,” Soren tweeted.

The Jharkhand government had been in news for airlifting migrants stranded in Ladakh and Andaman and Nicobar islands last week.