Chennai, Aug 21 : The Tamil Nadu government has floated a tender to carry out a comprehensive statewide survey of inter-state migrant (ISM) workers in a bid to build a reliable and updated database of this workforce.

The initiative will supplement the ongoing enrolment drive undertaken by the state labour department through its online registration portal. So far, officials have managed to compile a sector-wise database of 12.51 lakh workers, a process that took nearly five years due to difficulties in reaching ISMs across all 38 districts.

To accelerate the process, the department has decided to engage private agencies and institutions to complete the exercise within a shorter timeframe.

A senior bureaucrat said the absence of accurate and complete data had hampered the government's ability to effectively deliver welfare measures to ISMs.

'Migrant workers themselves were also unaware of several social security schemes available to them. The survey will bridge the gap between the existing portal enrolments and the actual numbers, which will help us design better policies and monitor the mobility of this workforce,' the official explained.

According to data available with the labour department, 12,17,229 workers have been registered so far.

Migrants from Odisha form the largest group at 2.89 lakh, followed by Bihar with 2.51 lakh. Workers from Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal also make up significant portions of the workforce.

Sectors such as manufacturing, construction, and textiles account for the highest employment of ISMs. In Tiruppur district alone, more than 1.22 lakh migrant workers are engaged in garment and textile manufacturing. In Kancheepuram, Coimbatore, and Chennai districts together, officials have recorded over 2.22 lakh workers across industrial units and construction sites.

While the existing data provides insights into migration patterns and labour-intensive sectors, officials stressed the need to cover at least 80 per cent of the ISM population to make the database truly representative.

The upcoming survey is expected to be a key step in ensuring welfare delivery and creating a sustainable framework for integrating ISMs into Tamil Nadu's growth story.

/IANS