Odisha reports 289 migrant worker deaths in 5 years, govt steps up

Bhubaneswar, Sep 23 (UNI) At least 289 Odisha migrant workers who left the state in search of livelihood have died at their workplaces in the last five years, with an average annual death toll of 60, the government informed the State Assembly today.
This year, 82 deaths have been reported till August, while 120 migrant labourers died in 2024. There were 87 deaths reported each in 2021, 2022, and 2023, said Labour Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia.
Ganjam district, infamous for large-scale interstate migration of workforces mainly to Gujarat, accounted for the highest number of deaths at 48, followed by Bolangir (32), Kalahandi (26), Rayagada (23), and Kandhamal (19).
Similarly, 5,613 migrant workers have been rescued from distressed conditions at their workplaces, mainly brick kilns, in the last five years.
Around 86,000 people migrated to different parts of the country to seek viable employment through 1,254 licensed labour contractors.

Contrary to the government’s claim, rights activists estimate the scale of interstate labour migration to be much larger, conservatively at around 10 lakh.
About three lakh people, including women and minor children from six to seven western Odisha districts, work in brick kilns.
These seasonal migrant workers usually return in May and June.

Migrant labourers from Ganjam, Bhadrak, Balangir, and Bargarh districts are found working in spinning mills in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

Additionally, plumbers from the Kendrapara district have migrated throughout the state and overseas, as their plumbing skills earn them handsome wages.
Instances of migrant labourers trapped in exploitative practices by employers regularly make headlines.

The Odisha government has initiated major steps to combat exploitative advance payment systems, regulate informal recruitment chains, raise awareness for informed migration, strengthen skill development linkages, and work towards inter-state portability of services, officials said.

Fourteen out of thirty districts have been identified as labour-migration-hit pockets, and migrant labour help desks have been set up in multiple locations.
A district-level emergency relief fund of Rs 15 lakhs each has been created to assist migrant workers, officials concluded.