The Mamata Banerjee government registered 8.5 lakh migrant workers, in addition to its previous database of 14 lakh, in a 10-day special drive comprising doorstep visits for those forced to return during the nationwide lockdown at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

The 10-day drive started on November 1, with an order issued by chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi, after Nabanna was able to register only 14 lakh migrant workers during its month-long Duare Sarkar drive in September this year.

An official said that although the state government so far registered 22.5 lakh migrant workers on its Karma Sathi portal, the number has not been deemed satisfactory, as it has amounted to only 55 per cent of the 40-odd lakh migrant workers that the state government had helped bring home during the lockdown.

“Many migrant workers from our state are yet to register on the portal even after two mega drives to register them. We have to continue with the process till we reach the target of 40 lakh. New plans to reach out to more migrant workers will be taken soon,” said a senior state government official.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee constituted the West Bengal Migrant Workers’ Welfare Board — a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country — in March.

The state government had announced a slew of schemes for migrant workers, especially for the families whose earning members died while working outside Bengal or the country. However, the state government has been facing issues in providing government facilities to unregistered migrant workers.

“The window for registration is always open and any migrant brothers and sisters or their family members can visit the local Bangla Sahayata Kendra and register themselves on the government portal. Registering online is also an option for them,” said Samirul Islam, the chairman of the migrant welfare board and Trinamul’s Rajya Sabha member.

In the special drive, substantial numbers of migrant workers registered from districts like North and South Dinajpur, Cooch Behar and Malda.

“We will give special focus to the districts from where many people move outside Bengal but the number of registrations was not satisfactory,” an official said.

The state government also decided to launch massive outreach drives in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra, where most migrant workers from Bengal go to find work.

“We will organise a special meeting next week to discuss how we can reach out to more migrant workers in out state. Though 40 lakh migrant workers had returned to Bengal during the lockdown, we think the number overall would be at least 50 lakh,” said a source in the labour department.

The state government’s policy to address migrant workers comprehensively — with a database and welfare schemes — is also significant politically before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, as the community could play a key role electorally.

“If there are 50 lakh migrant workers from Bengal then there would be at least two crore (including their families) voters. The vote-bank of migrant workers can’t be neglected by any political party,” said a Trinamul leader.