Amid rising coronavirus cases, driven by highly contagious Omicron variant, Labour secretary Sunil Barthwal chaired a meeting with states and union territories to take stock of the preparedness in respect of workers in general and migrant workers in particular. "So far, there is no report of unusual movement of migrant workers at present owing to the limited restrictions imposed by the governments. "The Centre as well as the state governments are keeping a close watch on the situation and fully ready and prepared to tackle the situation as per demand of the situation," the ministry of labour said. Some state governments said they have already made plans for distributing dry rations to the needy labourers, if required. Some have made preparations to provide financial assistance from the building and other construction workers cess fund and social security fund available with the states.

Source: Mint January 13, 2022 15:57 UTC