Unified portal and mobile application and Kerala Interstate Migrant Workers Welfare Registration Ordinance still being readied

Kerala still lacks accurate data on the number of migrant workers in the State.

The Labour department has not taken up any official survey to determine the number of migrant workers in the State, according to data furnished by Minister for Labour V. Sivankutty in the just-concluded session of the Assembly.

Lack of accurate data is a major hurdle in ensuring welfare of migrant workers, including fair wages and access to social security schemes.

More than 5.16 lakh migrant workers have registered under the Aawaaz health insurance scheme of the State government, according to data with the Labour department.

Migrant workers are also registered under the Inter-State Migrant Workers Welfare Scheme and the Athidhi portal and Athidhi app. As many as 4.2 lakh migrant workers have registered with the Athidhi portal/app and 1.65 lakh under the Inter-State Migrant Workers Welfare Scheme that is mainly channelled through the Kerala Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board, show the data.

However, the Economic Review 2024 quotes a study by Parida and Raviraman in 2021 that puts the number of migrant workers at nearly 31 lakh. The Economic Review puts the largest number of migrant workers in the construction sector (17.5 lakh), followed by manufacturing (6.3 lakh).

Interestingly, the number of those registered under Aawaaz had touched 5.16 lakh back in August 2023, according to the Economic Review for the year 2024, published by the State Planning Board.

Last year, the State Cabinet took the decision to develop a unified portal and mobile application for the registration and data collection of migrant workers. It was announced that those who register would be given an Aadhaar-based unique number and the information made available to agencies that deal with migrant workers. The Minister's reply though indicates that steps to develop the unified portal are still on.

Moreover, the Cabinet had decided in 2021 to bring in an ordinance (Kerala Interstate Migrant Workers Welfare Registration Ordinance) to make registration mandatory of all migrant workers. Four years later, the government is still readying the ordinance, according to the Minister.

The ordinance envisages a penalty provision for migrant workers who are not registered and their employers. Besides making welfare schemes accessible to the workers, it is hoped that by registering their details in police stations the identification of those with criminal history will become easier.

All procedures related to registration and job security of migrant workers are currently done as per the Interstate Migrant Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services) Act, 1979.

No accurate data on number of migrant workers in State