A major fire in Bengaluru gutted at least 20 temporary sheds where migrant workers from West Bengal were living. No injuries were reported as most workers were away voting. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.
A 19-year-old migrant worker from Bihar has been arrested in Tiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu, for the alleged sexual assault of a three-year-old girl, also from Bihar, who tragically died from her injuries.
Police in Kochi arrested five migrant workers from West Bengal and seized 30 kilograms of ganja from them at Puthencruz.
Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the murder of a migrant worker in Kottachira, near Kuruppampady, Kerala. The victim, Pratap Chandra Barman, was allegedly assaulted following a quarrel.
A policeman in Erode, Tamil Nadu, has been transferred to the Armed Reserve after a video surfaced showing him verbally abusing and allegedly slapping a migrant worker at a roadside eatery. The incident, captured on CCTV, sparked outrage and prompted swift action from authorities.
The Indian government has doubled the daily quota of market-priced 5-kg LPG cylinders for migrant workers to ensure stable fuel supplies amidst global disruptions. This move prioritises household cooking gas and addresses the needs of migrant workers who often lack regular connections.
The NHRC has issued a show cause notice to the Tamil Nadu government regarding an attack on a migrant worker, identified as Suraj, demanding his tracing, medical treatment, and compensation.
Nine migrant workers died after an under-construction building collapsed at the Ennore thermal power station in Chennai. Authorities have responded, and compensation has been announced for the families of the deceased.
He said that TEA will also conduct a meeting to raise awareness among exporters and domestic manufacturers to verify the identity of workers.
Two labourers from Chhattisgarh were killed in a terrorist attack at a brick kiln in Kulgam district, Jammu and Kashmir, on Friday evening. The victims, identified as Deepak Ratray and Bopinder, both in their twenties, succumbed to their injuries.
The Odisha government has begun efforts to rescue five migrant workers from Kendrapada district who are reportedly stranded in Thailand. The workers, who travelled on tourist visas but were employed in a plywood company, claim they are being held against their will, denied wages, and subjected to harassment.
The Trinamool Congress on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of spreading lies and criminalising poverty over the detention of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in Odisha, while the saffron party charged the Mamata Banerjee dispensation with providing shelters to illegal immigrants.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claims a Bengali-speaking woman and her child were threatened in Delhi after an alleged assault. She urges Bengali migrant workers in BJP-ruled states to return to Bengal if harassed and questions the absence of central commissions in BJP-ruled states when atrocities occur.
The Supreme Court of India expressed concerns about the long-term sustainability of providing free rations to migrant workers, emphasizing the need for job creation and capacity building instead. The court's remarks came during a hearing on the ongoing issue of providing relief to migrant workers, a matter that gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic. The court questioned the government's reliance on freebies and stressed the importance of creating opportunities for migrant workers to become self-sufficient. The debate highlighted the challenges of balancing immediate relief with long-term economic solutions for vulnerable populations.
A 75-year-old woman was murdered by a migrant worker at her house in Hyderabad, who later recorded a video of himself jumping on her body. The incident occurred on April 11 and came to light after the teenager shared the video with a relative of the victim. Police are investigating the motive behind the murder and are verifying all angles.
Gujarat Police's "Operation Delta Hunt" has led to the apprehension of 501 Bangladeshi nationals for illegal stay. The crackdown, which began on Wednesday, also involves investigating over 6,200 individuals and those who provided them accommodation or employment without verification.
The top court said it is not satisfied with the efforts of the Centre as well as the states on the issue of registration of workers in unorganised sectors.
BJP leader K Surendran has alleged that organised networks are helping Bangladeshi nationals obtain fake identity documents in Kerala, including Aadhaar and ration cards. He warned of a serious challenge if unchecked and called for urgent measures to distinguish genuine migrant workers from illegal infiltrators.
The portal, which has been tentatively named by the labour and employment ministry as the National Portal for COVID-19 Affected Unorganised Migrant Workers, will gather the details of all the unorganised sector workers who are stranded in relief camps, residential or industrial clusters.
South India's manufacturing, construction, and services sectors are grappling with severe labour shortages, prompting employers to offer attractive incentives like free air tickets and salary increments to lure migrant workers back from their home states after recent assembly elections.
The death toll from the Wayanad landslide has increased to six after three more bodies were recovered. The deceased include migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Bihar. Search operations are ongoing for two missing individuals, while several injured remain hospitalised.
The Congress leader, dressed in black pants and a white kurta, was seen sitting on the footpath and asking migrant labourers near the Sukhdev Vihar flyover about their ordeal.
Four migrant workers from West Bengal were arrested in Perumbavoor, Kerala, with 34 kg of ganja as part of 'Operation Toofan'. The accused allegedly smuggled the contraband from Odisha and sold it in Kerala, making significant profits.
Launching the scheme, Modi said during the nationwide lockdown, the talent from cities returned to villages and it will now give a boost to development of rural areas. The 'Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan' will be implemented on a mission mode in 125 days in 116 districts of six states -- Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha -- that received the maximum numbers of migrant workers back.
Pune police are investigating the death of a migrant worker from West Bengal, denying claims of a hate crime made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
'There are 8-12 members living in the same accommodation. While in pre-lockdown days, since most were out on work, social tension among them was less because of limited interaction. But now, no food and livelihood, along with having to live in cramped conditions, is taking a toll on their mental health.'
Indian football icon Bhaichung Bhutia on Monday offered shelter to migrant workers of Sikkim to tackle the ongoing crisis arising out of the 21-day nationwide lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Migrant workers of unorganised sectors, desperate to return home, have been badly hit after the nationwide lockdown was imposed last week.
The Philippines' foreign ministry confirmed in a statement that one of its nationals had died while working at a resort south of the capital Doha. It said its embassy was "working with legal authorities to ascertain more details of his passing".
A 48-page report by Amnesty, Reality Check 2021, said that practices such as withholding salaries and charging workers to change jobs was still rife, despite labour reforms in 2014, as the country prepares to host the soccer tournament next year.
'We thought everything will be back to normal within one month. Now it's four months and still a final solution is miles away.'
Qatar, host nation of the 2022 World Cup, is still doing little to improve conditions for migrant workers despite promising reform last year, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
Eight labourers were killed and 32 others injured in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district when their pickup vehicle collided with a dumper truck. The accident occurred early Tuesday as the labourers were returning to Uttar Pradesh after paddy transplantation work. Preliminary investigations suggest the driver lost control while avoiding cattle. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced financial assistance for the victims' families.
It took a lockdown for us in India to even recognise that the plight of migrants needs to be addressed. They were faceless and unrecognised. They were unappreciated and even hounded. They were poorly paid and exploited, notes Ramesh Menon.
Buoyancy in the real estate sector along with improved construction activities created jobs and facilitated the return of migrant workers to cities, the Economic Survey for 2022-23 tabled in Parliament on Tuesday said. This assumes significance in view of loss of jobs due to lockdown restrictions imposed in various parts of the country from time to time amid different waves of pandemic since March 2020. The survey points towards sustained recovery in the economic activities during 2022-23 fiscal year.
Extensive search operations are underway in Wayanad, Kerala, a day after a landslide at a tunnel road construction site claimed three lives. Five people remain missing, and authorities have registered a case of unnatural death. Rescue teams, including NDRF and cadaver dogs, are facing challenges due to ongoing rains and significant mud accumulation.
Traffic between Assam and Meghalaya was disrupted after Guwahati-based cab operators blocked National Highway-27, protesting alleged attacks on people from Assam during a Khasi Students' Union (KSU) rally in Shillong, which saw 31 vehicles damaged and several pedestrians assaulted.
Forty-nine migrant workers have been inducted by the state government as members of its 'COVID-19 Warriors Club' to assist the coronavirus patients.
Three people have been arrested in Chennai in connection with the murder of a migrant worker from Bihar, his wife, and their two-year-old son. The investigation revealed a sexual assault and subsequent killings.
In a two-pronged strategy to secure migrant workers, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to set up a migration commission for the employment of such labourers in the state and made it clear that any state that wants them from UP has to seek its permission.
The incident comes days after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had assured the safety of all migrant workers in the southern state.
