14.75 lakh migrants workers register as UP govt plans to employ them in MSMEs, other industries

Lucknow, May 26

With 25 lakh people returning to Uttar Pradesh during the COVID-19 lockdown, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Tuesday, directed officials to complete the skill-mapping of migrant labourers in 15 days and get a survey conducted to employ them in the MSMEs and industrial units, officials said.

In the first phase of skill mapping, more than 14.75 lakh workers registered themselves, Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Information) Awanish Awasthi said.

At a meeting with senior state officials to review the lockdown situation, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said skill-mapping should be completed in 15 days and the data should be prepared, an official spokesperson said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asked for all-out efforts to increase industrial activity and directed that a survey be conducted in different industries, including the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), for adjusting the labourers and workers in accordance with their skills, the spokesperson said.

Awasthi said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed that information about the qualifications of all workers should be collected through a call centre of 200 people.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath pressed for a continuous dialogue between the Chief Minister Helpline and the migrant labourers and workers, and reiterated that his government was committed to ensuring a safe and respectable return of the workers, for which the state and Central Government had made arrangements of free travel by trains and buses, the officials said.

He directed the officials to write to other state governments for getting a list of labourers and workers who were willing to come back to Uttar Pradesh.

Stressing on the need for proper screening of all workers returning from other states, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said they should be put in quarantine centres, before sending them for home quarantine.

Awasthi said that more than 25 lakh people had returned to UP so far.

“Till Tuesday, as many as 1,265 trains have arrived in UP ferrying over 17 lakh people,” he said.

While allowing morning walk in parks at a scheduled time, Adityanath said there should be adequate patrolling to ensure security and social distancing there.

With the start of domestic flights, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also directed that taxis be allowed to ply from airport with two passengers and a driver.

He said home-delivery system in the COVID-19 containment zones should also continue.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also directed the officials to ensure a proper supply of PPE kits, N95 masks, gloves, hand-sanitiser and other things required in checking the infection in all COVID hospitals, while seeing that they remained active round the clock.

He called for efforts for effectively controlling the infection in jails and among police personnel.

Asking the officials to increase the bed capacity in the L1, L2 and L3 COVID hospitals to one lakh by month-end, he said that maximum number of people should be tested for the virus.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the work to have at least one testing laboratory in every district should be given momentum.

While adopting all safety measures to check the infection, the work on starting emergency services and necessary operations should begin in the non-COVID hospitals, he said.

He also laid stress on equipping the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), King George’s Medical University (KGMU) and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute with all modern facilities.

In view of the prevailing heatwave conditions, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the officials to ensure proper drinking water supply in the water-scarce Bundelkhand region and tankers in urban areas. PTI