Bhubaneswar: Over 8.5 lakh migrant workers have returned to Odisha over the past six months, informed Rural Development and Labour Minister Susanta Singh during the Monsoon Session of the State Legislative Assembly Wednesday.
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Replying to a question raised by Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja, the Minister said that a total of 8,53,777 Odia migrant workers have returned to the state so far and the highest number of people have returned from states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
“District and block-wise details of Odia returnees, including labourers, who had done the online registration before returning to the state, are being collected,” the Minister expressed.
In another reply, the Minister further informed that a total of 277 Sharmik Special trains were engaged for brining the migrants back to the state.
A total amount of Rs 9 crore from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) has been paid to East Coast Railway (ECoR) towards the transportation expenditure, the Minister added.
PNN