SHILLONG, April 23: The state government has received over 1,800 applications from migrant labourers willing to work in the state ever since the government enacted the Meghalaya Identification, Registration (Safety & Security) of Migrant Workers Act.
Principal Secretary in the Labour department, GHP Raju, on Thursday said 1,813 such applications were received till April 19. The government has issued 1,602 registration cards while the issuance of the remaining 211 registration cards is in the process.
The department has collected fees of Rs 90,650 by issuing the cards.
Of the 1,813 applicants, 526 sent requests to work in East Khasi Hills, 506 in Ri Bhoi, 211 in West Garo Hills and 10 in South West Khasi Hills, among other districts. A majority of them applied online.
Raju took cognizance that many employers are not registering migrant workers with the Labour office.
Stating that it is the duty of the employers to inform the nearest Labour office while engaging the migrant workers for registration, he said each worker will have to register online wherever possible and offline at the respective office of the Labour Inspector in the districts.
“It is also the duty of the employers to ensure the registration of the migrant workers. Failure shall be liable for a fine which may extend to Rs 5,000 as per the provisions of Meghalaya Identification, Registration (Safety & Security) of Migrant Workers Act,” he added.
The Labour department has directed all Labour Inspectors, who conduct field visits, to carry out verification drives and initiate legal action as per the law against the defaulters.
Raju said given the second wave of the pandemic, such verification drives are of paramount importance to ensure the health of the migrant workers as well as that of their co-workers and employers.
Every migrant worker shall adhere to the COVID-19 protocol before being employed, he added.
Last month, Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong had launched the migrant workers’ online portal.
