The Jharkhand government has inked an agreement with a social enterprise having pan-India presence to ensure the rights of underprivileged workmen migrating to other states for employment are protected and monitored, in arguably the first of its kind step in the eastern region of the country.

“We have inked an agreement with LabourNet Services India Private Limited on Thursday to weed out the role of middlemen in taking gullible workmen from remote areas of the state to be exploited at firms in big cities under poor conditions and to facilitate an institutionally effective coordination framework for livelihood and job creation ensuring the welfare of migrant workers as per labour laws,” said Jharkhand labour commissioner R.N. Yadav.

Nearly 10 lakh migrants had returned to the state after May amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Yadav added: “It has been made mandatory that more than five workmen leaving the state for jobs in a particular company would have to get registered on the Shramadhan portal (www.shramadhan.jharkhand.gov.in). The workers can leave the state after getting either a green (under a firm or company registered as principal employer) or a red card (on their own) which they should carry with them as then only they would be entitled to get the benefits of state government schemes. The registration would be complete only after LabourNet Services is satisfied with the private company’s assurance of providing all facilities as per the Inter-state Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979, to the workers. The company would also have to register on the same portal as the principal employer.”

Sources said that according to the memorandum of agreement, LabourNet Services, a social enterprise headquartered in Bangalore that enables sustainable livelihoods for men, women and youth in urban and rural areas, would look into all aspects of human resources on behalf of the labour department.

“They would deal with the private companies both in the organised and unorganised sector to ensure that all facilities in wages, healthcare, accommodation for the workers and all precautions to be adopted in view of the Covid-19 crisis are implemented. It would also ensure that the workmen are provided security, cleanliness and drinking water facilities at the worksite and also provide the facility of Anganwadis for children of women workers during the working period. They would also help the government in arranging jobs for the workmen based on the skill mapping in other parts of the country and Jharkhand,” said Yadav.

LabourNet is India’s leading social enterprise committed to enable sustainable livelihood for the disadvantaged population through its workforce transformation model, which uses government funds, CSR funds and corporate business revenues to bring multiple stakeholders together and create interventions related to education, employment and entrepreneurship.

“The selection of workers as per skill category will be suitably assisted by the Responsible Migration Centre (RMC) led by Phia Foundation in partnership with Change Alliance Private Limited and Policy and Development Advisory Group for strategic guidance and support,” said Phia Foundation state manager Johnson Topno, who also supervises the state migrant control room set up to facilitate return of workers during the coronavirus crisis.