The East Singhbhum district administration has asked Tata Steel’s corporate social responsibility arm to set up a call centre here to counsel migrant workers coming back to the district from other states.
East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Ravi Shankar Shukla today asked Tata Steel CSR chief Sourav Roy, also the convener of the district response coordination group, to ensure that the call center is set up at the earliest.
“The call centre will counsel the migrant workers, who will be quarantined either at home or at state centres, about safety protocols, precautions and social distancing. The call centre will psychologically counsel migrant workers who will obviously be under enormous mental stress. The call centre will advise migrant workers about skill upgrades and earning using government schemes,” said DC Shukla after a meeting of the district response coordination group at the collectorate on Saturday evening.
The call centre will also guide the migrant workers in finding jobs based on skills in factories nearby.
Call centre personnel will call up each migrant worker at least once daily, it was said at the meeting.
“The Tata Steel Foundation and East Singhbhum district administration are exploring a positive outreach mechanism to address migrant worker issues and link them with the cash-for-work programme. Their stress level, skills and economic implications are issues that are being worked upon. The immediate concern of the government is reintegration of migrant labourers,” Roy told the media.
So far, Rs 30 lakh, benefiting 2,700 households, has been disbursed through the Tata foundation’s cash-for-work scheme, which includes wall writings, newspaper bags, kitchen gardens and more. The foundation, during 31 days of the lockdown, has reached out to 3.15 lakh individuals.
“TSF community initiatives in addition to the Tata Steel’s operational areas in Jharkhand and Odisha have also reached out to another 19 states in the country during the lockdown. A total of 18 lakh meals have been served to the poor during this period and 28,000 packets of dry ration distributed in the company’s operational areas. More than a lakh masks have been made and distributed to 40,000 people,” said Roy.
Dr Rajen Chaudhary, general manager, medical services, Tata Steel, said Tata Main Hospital has till Friday tested 145 samples and ruled out starting full-fledged OPD because of social distancing difficulties. He advised patients to phone for consultation. He also said one attendant would be allowed per patient admitted to the hospital.
Kota students
The East Singhbhum district administration sent 10 buses for bringing back 143 students who will reach Hatia station from Kota (Rajasthan) by a special train on Saturday evening. The students will board the buses to reach Jamshedpur late in the night.
