Mamata Launches ‘Sramosree’ Scheme

The West Bengal government has sent out a clear message that it stands firmly with its migrant workers and will provide them with support, dignity, and security.

Chief minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee. Stock Image.

Kolkata : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced a new financial and rehabilitation scheme for migrant workers returning to the state after facing detention, harassment, or deportation in BJP-ruled states on suspicion of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. The scheme has been named “Sramosree.”

Addressing the media after the state Cabinet meeting, Banerjee alleged that Bengali-speaking migrant workers were being targeted in a “planned manner” in several parts of the country. “In double-engine government states, our workers are being detained, jailed, and even pushed back to Bangladesh. Around 22 lakh migrant workers from Bengal work in other states. Many of them are returning empty-handed after facing such torture. The state has decided to stand by them, and for this we are launching the Sramosree scheme for their rehabilitation,” she said.

According to the Chief Minister, a dedicated portal will be opened for the scheme, where returning migrants can apply for financial assistance. They will also be given employment opportunities under the “Karmasree” project, while being brought under welfare schemes such as Khadya-Sathi and Sasthya-Sathi. If any worker secures a job within a year of their return, the nodal body will then review whether the monthly financial compensation should continue.

Over the past months, multiple cases of Bengali-speaking migrant workers being detained in states like Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Assam have surfaced, particularly during identity verification drives. In some instances, migrants were even pushed into Bangladesh from Assam. While some have since been brought back, families of many deported workers have filed habeas corpus petitions in the High Court.

For the last two months, both the Trinamool Congress and the Chief Minister have repeatedly attacked the BJP for what they termed the party’s attempt to “export its anti-Bengali agenda” across the country. “Speaking Bengali does not make anyone a Bangladeshi. These individuals are as much citizens of India as anyone else. Having failed in their attempts in Bengal, the BJP is now carrying its Bangla-Birodhi agenda to other states in a systematic manner. Disturbing reports are coming from Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh, where Bengali-speaking individuals are being targeted,” Banerjee said earlier in July.