The Union Budget for 2021-22 gave little assurance to migrant workers and the unemployed.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday reiterated some old schemes like the One Nation One Ration Card to enable the beneficiaries get rations in places where they have migrated for work. She proposed to launch a portal that will collect information on gig, building and construction workers. This will help formulate health, housing, skill, insurance, credit and food schemes for migrant workers.
However, Sitharaman was silent on the demand from academia and civil society groups for an employment assurance scheme on the lines of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for the urban people.