Bengaluru: Karnataka continues to draw migrant workers from across India, reflecting its strong economic growth and expanding infrastructure sector.According to the state labour department, 46,393 migrant workers from more than 30 states and union territories are registered with various welfare boards.Workers from West Bengal form the largest group (10,730) in the construction sector, followed by Bihar (9,489) and Jharkhand (6,021). Uttar Pradesh (3,845) and Odisha (3,508) are the two other states in the top five. At the other end of the spectrum, only one worker each has been registered from Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep, while five workers are from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.A significant number of these workers are employed in Bengaluru’s construction industry, contributing to major infrastructure and real estate projects such as Metro expansion, road development, and large residential and commercial complexes.In addition, 10,475 gig workers registered to avail social security benefits. Of these, 1,316 workers are from other states. Among migrant gig workers, Assam accounts for the highest number, with 296 workers, followed by Odisha with 275. West Bengal ranks third, with 136 workers registered as gig workers in the state. These migrant workers are employed as bike-taxi riders or as food delivery executives.“While these numbers pertain only to those registered with the (labour) department, the actual numbers are much higher. Most of the workers from outside are concentrated in Bengaluru,” a labour department official said. The department stated that no comprehensive survey was conducted so far to assess migrant workers employed across various sectors in the state, and therefore the exact number of migrant workers remains unavailable.However, under the provisions of labour laws, including the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979, employers are required to obtain prior permission from the assistant commissioner of the labour department before engaging inter-state migrant workers.A total of 40,945 migrant workers registered with the Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. The board provides a range of social security benefits to registered workers.These include a monthly pension of Rs 3,000 for members aged above 60 and a family pension of Rs 1,500 for the dependants of deceased members. Registered workers are also eligible for skill training and tool assistance, maternity benefits of Rs 50,000 for the first two children, and Rs 4,000 towards funeral expenses.In addition, the board offers scholarships for workers’ children ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 60,000, depending on the course of study. Members are also covered under insurance schemes and preventive healthcare programmes provided through the welfare board.Replying to concerns raised by MLC Govinda Raju about locals losing job opportunities to migrant workers, Labour minister Santosh Lad said the state govt did not receive such complaints.The govt also stated that contractors employing more than five migrant workers are required to register them with the labour department; otherwise, registration is not mandatory. This, however, indicates that a large number of migrant workers employed across various sectors may remain outside the registration framework, suggesting that the actual number of migrant workers in the state could be significantly higher than the official figures.
