The government has cited the Covid second wave to freeze fieldwork for five national surveys, including one on the socio-economic conditions of the epidemic-ravaged migrant workers.
Workers’ representatives, however, have said this should not become an excuse to delay assistance, underlining that a lot of data already exists on the vulnerable sections among the working class that make it clear they need immediate relief.
A labour ministry wing, the labour bureau, was to start these surveys from April.
“The house-to-house survey work has been paused for now because people would not entertain the enumerators. The survey work will immediately begin as and when the situation improves,” said D.P.S. Negi, senior labour and employment adviser in the labour and employment ministry and director-general of the labour bureau.
Labour Bureau to complete 4 surveys including one on migrant workers by Oct: Gangwar
NEW DELHI, Dec 30: Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar on Wednesday said the Labour Bureau will launch four all-India level surveys on migrant workers, domestic workers, employment generated by professionals and transport sector in March and complete these studies by October, 2021.
“The Bureau has recently been entrusted with four All India surveys on migrant workers, domestic workers, employment generated by professionals and transport sector which will be launched by early March, 2020 and the results of these will be available by October, 2021,” said Gangwar while addressing the occasion of centenary year celebrations of the Labour Bureau.
Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar. File
| Photo Credit: Ranjeet Kumar
Results of four separate surveys for migrant workers, domestic workers, employment generated by professionals, and the transport sector, by October 2021
Four separate surveys on migrant workers, domestic workers, employment generated by professionals, and the transport sector, would be started in March 2021 and completed by October, Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar said on Wednesday.
Mr. Gangwar was speaking at the release of a stamp commemorating the centenary of the Labour Bureau, which will carry out the surveys. A message by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also played at the event, in which he said the four labour Codes being implemented by the government would protect the workers’ interest and lead to increasing productivity, a Labour Ministry statement said.