Need for a Database for Migrant Workers to beat the Impact of Pandemic

In News

The Standing committee on Home Affairs noted in its report that a database for migrant workers should be accumulated soon so that if any situation similar to COVID-19 arises then all relief measures should reach the intended beneficiary.

About

• The committee noted that during lockdown it became difficult for the central government to identify the intended beneficiary, their location and providing them relief measures due to lack of any data on migrant workers.
• It also recommended the high-priority need to review the 123-year-old Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.
• The module of database should contain the source state, the destination state, the skill set of the worker and other details of contact.
• It was also discussed by the committee that government should devise our own strategy to deal with such pandemics in future rather than depending on global trends to tackle it.
• India has two acts to deal with situations like pandemic- the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.
• The Disaster Management Act, 2005 is already being reviewed and recommendations are being given to review the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 too.

Why the act needs to be reviewed?

• The committee appreciated the role of Epidemic Diseases Act,1897 in controlling COVID but the act is outdated now as it is too old formulated during colonial era.
• So this act should be revisited, updated and amended so that it can become capable to deal with such pandemic like situations in future.
• The act was formulated during colonial era to control the bubonic plague of 1890 that was spread in erstwhile Bombay presidency.
• The state government is empowered through this act to take such measures and prescribe temporary regulations that may be required to control an epidemic disease.
• Through this act government is enabled to issue directions to isolate and quarantine the affected persons.

While appreciating the government’s efforts, for taking several steps to screen passengers coming from abroad into India ahead of other nations the committee said that more testing facility should be provided at the airport apart from just screening for high temperature. It was said so because asymptomatic patients travel after taking medicine to control the high temperature are one of the main source of spreading COVID-19 infection.