Govt conducting migrant workers' survey across Tamil Nadu: State Minister amid alleged 'attacks'

Trichy (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 6 (ANI): Amid the row over alleged attacks on the state's migrant workers from Bihar, Tamil Nadu's minister for Labour Welfare and Skill Development, CV Ganesan, on Monday said the DMK government was in the process of conducting a census of its migrant workforce.
The minister said migrant labourers were safe in the state and the same was conveyed to a four-member team from Bihar, which visited the state recently to gather information the alleged attacks on migrant labourers.
"Our government is in the process of conducting a census of migrant labourers. Migrant workers in Tamil Nadu are safe. They said as much to the fact-finding team from the Bihar government that visited the state recently," Ganesan said at a press conference on Monday.
He added that the government, led by Chief Minister MK Stalin, has taken steps to make sure that the migrant labourers from across the country are safe.
"Our government has been proactively taking steps to ensure the safety of migrant labourers. A census of migrant workers is ongoing in every district. There are an estimated 6 lakh migrant workers in Tamil Nadu," the minister said.
Earlier, on Saturday, a 4-member team from Bihar reached Chennai and went into a huddle with Chenna's district collector, commissioner of the state Labour department and other government officials in connection with the matter.
The fact-finding team was sent after videos of alleged attacks led to panic among the state's migrant workers.
"We met senior officials of the Tamil Nadu government, assuring them that the Bihar government is focussed on ensuring the welfare and well-being of our migrant labourers. We are getting all the support and cooperation from the Tamil Nadu government," Balamurugan, IAS, secretary of Bihar's Rural Development department said earlier.
Speaking to ANI, Mukesh, secretary of Bihar Association in Tamil Nadu said there is no truth to calls that they received of attacks (on migrant labourers) in Tamil Nadu.
"A 4-member team had come from Bihar to gather information on rumours of attacks on Bihar migrants that are doing the rounds. Some videos (of purported attacks on Hindi-speaking migrant labourers) have gone viral. Their families back home were concerned and scared as these rumours gained ground. We allayed their fears and assured the team that the migrannt labourers are safe. I get 150-200 calls per day. We visit the spot after getting a call and try to ascertain facts. We do not inform the police till we have checked facts. We have visited around 10 to 15 places so far. There was no truth to such claims. It was fake news," he said.
Stating that no such attack took place in the state, the official said Tamil Nadu was the "safest place" for migrant workers.
He said that they have urged the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar not to allow broadcast of any such news report unless its authenticity has been ascertained.
The four-member team, comprising D Balamurugan, secretary, Rural Development, P Kanan, IPS (IG CID), Shree Alok, special secretary, Labour Department and an IPS officer, are to submit a report to the Bihar chief minister after their visit.
Amid pressure from the Opposition over alleged attacks on migrant workers from Bihar in Tamil Nadu, Kumar on Saturday said a four-member team will visit the southern state to take stock of the situation.
"As soon as I got to know through newspapers, I directed officials to look into the matter. They talked to their counterparts in the Tamil Nadu government and reported that a team should be sent there to ascertain facts," Nitish Kumar said, adding that the four-member team will look into the matter in detail. (ANI)