Bhubaneswar, 10 March (H.S.): The Odisha government has issued 2,608 licences for 1.67 lakh migrant workers over the past three years under the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979, Labour and Employees’ State Insurance Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia informed the State Assembly on Tuesday

Replying to a question by Pradip Kumar Dishari, MLA from Lanjigarh and a leader of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the minister provided year-wise details of licences issued for migrant workers.

According to the minister, 1,037 licences were issued in 2024 covering 70,142 migrant workers, while 1,465 licences were issued in 2025 for 92,176 workers. In 2026, a total of 106 licences have been issued so far for 5,062 workers.

Singhkhuntia further informed the House that a high-level Task Force has been constituted to address the issues faced by migrant workers, particularly those migrating due to distress.

The Task Force is headed by Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment and Energy Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo. Its objective is to prevent distress migration and recommend administrative measures to relevant departments for effective intervention and support for migrant workers.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda