New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent call to Bengali migrant workers—urging them to return from BJP-ruled states with the promise of jobs and livelihood—has stirred political debate while exposing the state administration’s unpreparedness. Behind the Chief Minister’s bold offer lies a tangled web of practical and logistical complications that could make its execution a daunting task.
At the heart of the issue, as acknowledged by senior officials in the state secretariat, is the absence of a credible and comprehensive database. West Bengal currently lacks reliable statistics on the number of migrant workers who originate from the state, as well as information on where they have migrated, the sectors they work in, or the nature of their employment. “We do not even have foundational data separating floating migrant workers from those permanently residing outside the state. There is also no categorization of workers as skilled or unskilled, which is crucial for planning,” said a senior official from the Planning, Statistics and Programme Monitoring Department, requesting anonymity.
Who are these workers?
Floating migrant workers are those who typically reside in West Bengal for most of the year but travel seasonally to other states for employment—usually in unskilled sectors such as construction or agriculture. These workers have no long-term employment contracts and migrate according to seasonal demand.
In contrast, permanent migrant workers have relocated to other states, often with families, and return home to Bengal only during festivals or holidays. Many among them are skilled labourers working in specific sectors like garment manufacturing, real estate construction, jewellery-making, gem-cutting, and the sculpting of metal idols.
While the state may find ways to absorb some unskilled or floating migrants into local employment schemes—especially in rural development, agriculture or public infrastructure—there are no obvious pathways to meaningfully re-employ skilled workers whose expertise serves niche industries that are largely absent in Bengal’s economic structure. “There is almost no infrastructure or demand within the state to reabsorb highly skilled workers such as jewellery makers or gem cutters. Our economy lacks the specialization and market to provide them with viable employment,” said another senior official involved in the planning process.
Why many may not return
Even for unskilled workers, the appeal to return might be economically unattractive. Many earn substantially more in industrially advanced or agriculturally rich states than they would in West Bengal. This wage disparity presents a formidable obstacle to persuading workers to return, despite the emotional pull of their home state.
The political motivations behind Mamata Banerjee’s appeal are not lost on observers. Many see it as a counter-narrative to the BJP’s growing reach in states with high concentrations of Bengali-speaking workers. By calling them back and promising “dignified livelihood at home,” Banerjee is attempting to reclaim political ground. However, officials warn that without a viable economic framework, the effort may falter.
What needs to be done
Experts argue that the first step must be to build a detailed and accurate registry of migrant workers. This would involve cooperation with destination states, local panchayats, and labour contractors. Once a database is in place, the state must conduct a sector-wise analysis to identify local demand and skill gaps. This could be followed by incentives such as wage support, relocation subsidies, or targeted skill development to bridge mismatches between returning workers and local opportunities. Without such preparatory steps, officials fear that the promise of job security could remain an aspirational slogan rather than a policy with measurable outcomes.
Broader implications
Mamata Banerjee’s announcement has once again spotlighted the precarious condition of migrant workers, who were disproportionately affected during the COVID-19 lockdown and continue to remain politically marginalised. By bringing their issues to the forefront, the Trinamool Congress hopes to re-engage with a segment of voters that had drifted away, especially in constituencies with high out-migration.
However, unless the state swiftly addresses its infrastructural and planning gaps, the call for homecoming could end up exposing more administrative weakness than political strength. In its current form, Banerjee’s appeal may hold symbolic significance and emotional value, but the ground realities suggest that fulfilling the promise of “employment with dignity” for returning migrant workers will require much more than rhetoric.
