Kolkata, August 27: The West Bengal government has directed all district magistrates to identify families of migrant workers in their respective districts. This initiative aims to issue them ‘Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Cards’ (GRGC). These cards guarantee 125 days of wage employment each financial year for rural families, provided they are willing to undertake unskilled manual labor.
The state’s Panchayat Affairs and Rural Development Department has sent a circular to all district magistrates, urging them to promptly initiate and complete the identification process of migrant labor families.
An official from the Panchayat Affairs and Rural Development Department stated that the ‘Vikasit Bharat–Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) (VB-G-RAM Ji) Act, 2025’ came into effect in West Bengal on July 1 of this year. Under this act, adult members of rural families are guaranteed a maximum of 125 days of work annually. However, this work is primarily intended for adults willing to engage in unskilled physical labor. The administration’s goal is to create regular income opportunities for villagers, boost the local economy, and encourage migrant workers to return to their home state.
The official emphasized that the issue of migrant workers has been given special priority in the Panchayat Department’s guidelines.
According to estimates from the state labor department, over 2.2 million migrant workers have been identified in the state so far. This list has already been submitted to the respective district administrations. The next step involves verifying the actual status of these families based on that information.
The state government has advised district magistrates not to view the identification and data verification of migrant labor families as merely a routine process.
The state government has already received assurances of central assistance in this matter, with the state’s Rural Development Ministry approving approximately 12.65 million rupees under the VB-G-RAM Ji Act scheme.
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