Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Saturday referred to the workers of the state as “soldiers” for deciding to build roads on our borders as he flagged off a train carrying over 1,500 labourers from Dumka for projects under the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

“There is tension in the border. And the way our workers are fearlessly leaving their state to serve the country makes them no less than soldiers,” Hemant said.

Hemant, who has recently won accolades for his efforts to bring stranded migrants back home from different parts of the country, is also the first chief minister of Jharkhand to come up with the idea of signing an MoU with the BRO for ensuring ethical treatment of workers from the state.

Although the proposed MoU between the labour department of Jharkhand and BRO is yet to get the defence ministry’s nod, the Dumka district administration and BRO on Saturday signed a Term of Reference and Standard Operating Procedure in Hemant's presence to ensure ethical treatment of workers who left for projects in Ladakh and parts of India-China border in the special train.

“All workers will be kept in quarantine after reaching Leh Ladak and all health check-up would be conducted as per NOC norms by divisional commissioner of Ladakh,” said a close aide of the chief minister.

Earlier this week, the state government gave its consent to the BRO for recruiting workers from Jharkhand provided BRO registers as an employer under the provisions of the Interstate Migrant Workmen Act and does away with middlemen. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress-led government also asked BRO to ensure increased wages and welfare benefits for the workers.

Talking to media persons at the Dumka railway station after the grand send-off on Saturday, Hemant said that the workers were putting their lives and wellbeing at risk for construction of roads at the borders, and they deserve to be treated with utmost respect. “I am only a catalyst in the process of giving our workers their due,” he said.

Workers from tribal-dominated Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand have been serving the BRO since 1970s. However, the process was never regulated.

Hemant was scheduled to flag off a train carrying 1,500 workers for BRO projects from Dumka on Friday, but the train was cancelled as the chief minister could not fly to Dumka due to bad weather.

The government's move assumes significance as tension simmers at the Line of Control between India and China. Besides, migrants from Jharkhand, mostly trafficked by slave trading agents, have been subjected to inhuman treatment in other parts of the country since decades. Jharkhand is also one of the worst-affected states when it comes to human trafficking.