Bhubaneswar: The state govt has drawn up a multi-departmental rehabilitation strategy to provide sustainable livelihoods for migrant workers who returned from Tamil Nadu following the ammonia gas leak at a seafood processing unit in Tiruvallur district.Moving beyond immediate relief, the plan focuses on personalised livelihood interventions, skill development, welfare coverage and convergence of govt schemes.With the arrival of Sima Juanga of Keonjhar on Saturday, labour department has managed to bring back all 85 affected migrant workers. The majority of them are from Keonjhar district, while the remaining workers belong to Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal, Koraput, Jajpur and Rayagada districts.According to the decisions taken at a recent high-level review meeting chaired by the principal secretary of Labour and ESI department, the rehabilitation programme will be implemented in a mission mode through close coordination among multiple departments, district administrations and Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC). The strategy will be based on workers’ existing skills, preferences and livelihood aspirations rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.One of the key decisions is the preparation of individual rehabilitation and livelihood action plans for every willing migrant worker. The plans will classify interventions into immediate, short- and long-term measures while ensuring eligible family members are covered under govt welfare schemes. Chief development officer-cum-executive officers of zilla parishads will serve as district nodal officers to coordinate its implementation in Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal, Koraput, Jajpur and Rayagada districts.At the state level, all line departments have been directed to nominate nodal officers and submit details of employment, livelihood, skill development and welfare schemes to prepare a consolidated repository. The labour commissioner will coordinate implementation and monitoring of the rehabilitation programme across departments and districts.The meeting also decided that Odisha Livelihoods Mission (under the aegis of department of mission shakti) will prepare household livelihood plans for affected families using its micro investment plan framework. The exercise will involve a detailed survey to capture household resources and livelihood requirements, and design customised interventions for each family.The rehabilitation strategy will draw upon schemes of the ST and SC development, MSME, agriculture, panchayati raj, mission shakti and skill development departments.The OMC officials said during the meeting that the corporation would leverage its CSR initiatives in Keonjhar by engaging implementation partners and NGOs to bridge gaps not covered under govt programmes.District administrations also presented their preparedness for the rehabilitation exercise. The Keonjhar administration outlined a framework centred on skill mapping, livelihood options and convergence of welfare schemes, while the collectors of Koraput, Rayagada, Mayurbhanj and Dhenkanal detailed assistance already extended and proposed for the returned workers.
