Mamata Launches ‘Shramasree Project’ for Migrant Workers

• Mamata Banerjee has launched the “Shramasree project” for returning Bengali migrant workers.
• The scheme offers job cards and Rs 5,000 per month for up to a year.
• It also includes benefits for health and food, and support for children’s education.

GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 18th Aug: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced a new scheme, the “Shramasree project,” aimed at providing support to Bengali migrant workers who have been forced to return from other states. The project, announced today, will provide these workers with job cards through a web portal.

Under the scheme, returning workers will receive Rs 5,000 per month for one year, or until they secure new employment, whichever comes first. They will also be granted benefits under the “Khadhya Sathi” food assurance scheme and the ‘Sawastha Swathi’ health scheme. The government has also pledged to support their children’s education.

The announcement comes as Ms. Banerjee sharpens her attack on the BJP ahead of next year’s state elections, claiming that Bengali migrant workers are being “harassed” and “tortured” in BJP-ruled states. She alleged that “pre-planned attacks” are taking place and that around 22 lakh workers and their families are being targeted. Her remarks follow an incident in Gurugram, Haryana, where 52 Bengali workers were detained on suspicion of being illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

The move was met with criticism from the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal assembly, the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari. “Every migrant worker earns Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh. This Rs 5,000 will not do anything for them,” he said, claiming workers are happy in other states and will not return for the small sum.

Sources have also indicated that Ms. Banerjee is likely to skip the inauguration of three Kolkata metro projects by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 22.