Question : Monitoring of Migrant Workers

(a)whether the Government is aware that a large number of youth and employed people from North Eastern Region (NER)as well as other rural areas of the country are migrating to urban areas especially the metros in search of jobs/livelihood;
(b)if so, the details thereof along with the data of people migrated from different North Eastern States during the last three years, State-wise;
(c)whether lack of employment opportunities in the NER and the other rural areas are one of the prime reasons for the said migration;
(d)if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto; and
(e)the steps taken/being taken by the Government to create more employment opportunities in the country including NER to stop/prevent this migration?

MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SHRI BANDRU DATTATREYA)

(a) & (b): No data is maintained at central level in respect of migrant workers including workers migrant from North East Region.

Contd..2/-


:: 2 ::

(c) & (d): Every citizen has a right to migrate to any part of the country. It cannot be decisively said that the migration of workers is only due to lack of employment opportunities.
(e): The Government has enacted Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 which aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage-employment in a financial year to a rural household, whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. According to the Act, employment shall be provided within a radius of five kilometers of the village where the applicant resides at the time of applying. In case the employment is provided outside such radius, it must be provided within the Block and the labourers shall be paid 10% extra wages. As such, providing local employment, on demand by the household, mitigates distress migration.

*******