The Bokaro administration has begun working on generating employment for the thousands of migrant workers who arrived back home amid the nationwide lockdown and are currently jobless.

The district witnessed the influx of more than 20,000 migrant workers in Lockdown 4.0.

The administration — anticipating a job crisis — has conducted skill mapping of each of the migrants, especially skilled labourers, on arrival. District officials now have access to a large database of carpenters, electricians, cooks, tailors and other skilled workers, which is being maintained in a software called Saral.

With several steel, coal, power, gas and cement industries and more than a hundred MSMEs, Bokaro is a popular manufacturing hub of the region. But fears that the lockdown would lead to the exodus of labourers engaged by the manufacturers prompted the administration to provide the database of skilled workers to the industries so that they can avail manpower as per their need.

Mukesh Kumar, the DC-cum-regional director of Jharkhand Industrial Area Development Authority Telegraph picture

Mukesh Kumar, the DC-cum-regional director of Jharkhand Industrial Area Development Authority (Jiada), said the officials were updating the database after conducting skill mapping of each migrant worker arriving in the district. Soon, the authority will make the database open to the public, so that everyone from big industries to small traders can hire the out-of-work migrants.

“Our database contains the names of hundreds of skilled workers, including cooks and carpenters. It is in the benefit of the workers too as they get work here. We are going to display the name of the workers, their skills and phone numbers so that anyone can talk to them directly and hire them. We will be a facilitator,” said Kumar.

He added: “We are gathering information about each migrant’s profession and skills based on which are mapping them.”

Unskilled migrant workers will be assigned to the MGNREGA scheme and other developmental projects. Comprehensive planning is under way for matching skilled migrant workers to the right job.

The administration has reached out to industrial bodies, chambers of commerce and prominent businessmen seeking their support. It will also publicise the skills of migrant workers so that they can be hired.

The president of Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Sanjay Baid, said: “The creation of the database by the administration categorising the skills of migrant workers arriving from other states is a welcome step. It will help industries and traders operational in the district in recruiting or hiring required skilled manpower from the database. The chamber extends its full support to the administration and appreciates the concept of skill mapping.”

The concept of skill mapping is the brainchild of Kumar. He has formed a team comprising final-year engineering students, Chitransh (22) and Abhisheikh (22) and aspirational district fellows Aaditya Mohan (27) and Aditya Arun (27).