The labour ministry has reactivated the 21 monitoring centres across India to mitigate the problems of migrant workers through coordination with various state governments, union labour minister Bhupender Yadav said on Wednesday.

Yadav was addressing a virtual interaction with the leaders of the unorganized workers’ unions and associations. The aim of the interaction was to understand the issues impacting unorganized workers and ensure schemes related to them are effectively implemented.

Government has estimated 380 million unorganized workers in India, which is 90% of the country’s estimated workforce of 420 million.

The representatives of construction workers, domestic workers, textile workers, municipal workers, transport workers, street vendors, brick-kiln workers and railway malgodam workers participated in the meeting, which was attended by the top labour ministry officials.

“The government has been working relentlessly and sincerely for the welfare and upliftment of unorganised workers in particular and for the working class in general,” Yadav said.

According to the statement issued by the labour ministry, Yadav assured the representatives of the unorganized workers that he and his officials would travel extensively and interact with the working class and the labour union members once the pandemic situation is eased and take their views on implementation of various welfare and social security measures.

Stating that 230 million unorganized workers have registered on the e-Sham portal in just 200 days of its launch, Yadav said special enrollment camps will be organised for workers employed in the brick kiln, forestry and plantation sector, among others.

“The government has undertaken several social security schemes for the unorganized workers. Besides, the all India survey of Domestic and Migrant workers is also undertaken with full earnestness and soon the government will take meaningful and constructive action on the report, keeping in view the aspect of social security and welfare of the working class,” Yadav said.

“After the survey of migrant and domestic workers, the data shall be linked to the e-Shram portal and the National Career Service portal shall also be linked to eShram,” he added.

Pratibha R, president, Garments and Textile Workers Union, Ramendra Kumar, general secretary, National Platform for Domestic Workers, Ashok Agyani, national chief convener for municipal workers, Arvind Singh, national president of All India Unorganised Workers Congress, S K Mittal, chairman and Navin Kumar Gupta, resident and secretary-general of All India Motor Transport Congress, Promod Patel of Trade Union Coordination Centre for Construction Workers, Gautam Kumar, general secretary, Railway Malgodown Shramik Sangh and Sudhir Katiyar, Brick Kiln Workers Association attended the meeting.