NEW DELHI: In a big step towards a central database of migrants, the ministry of tribal affairs is preparing to launch the ‘National Tribal Migration Support Portal’ and a mobile application to capture and upload migration data right down to the village level, an exercise that has gathered steam after the pandemic put the spotlight on an “invisible” population.
The data collection exercise is expected to begin soon with Goa set to put up its migration cell later this month and Odisha to begin its data collection process in February. With no central database for migrants, a standardised questionnaire has been developed and integrated with the portal and mobile application by the ministry. Tribal Research Institute (TRI), Odisha, along with civil society organisations, is developing standard operating procedures to gather data across India.