Amid pushback against ‘non-locals’, Meghalaya Cabinet gives in to pressure

Changes approved to existing law – greater scrutiny in checking records of migrant workers, increase in fine for not registering them

According to Meghalaya government spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh, amendments to the Meghalaya Identification Registration Safety and Security of Migrant Workers 2020 and the rules for the implementation of the Act were among the various topics discussed at the Cabinet meeting on Friday.

Verifying “criminal antecedents” of migrant workers and a twenty-fold increase in fines for their non-registration — these are some of the major changes that the Meghalaya Cabinet approved to an existing law on Friday as the state witnesses a massive pushback against non-locals.

Among these changes is increasing the fine for non-registration of migrant workers to Rs 1 lakh from the current Rs 5,000, Lyngdoh said after the meeting.

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The Act itself defines migrant workers as a person “not belonging” to Meghalaya and who is not domiciled in the state but seeks employment in the state and excludes “any work ordinarily involving research or is managerial, administrative or supervisory capacity, etc”. It mandates that every such “migrant worker” be registered with the state government, which will issue them a Registration Card, and places the responsibility for this registration on the person employing or engaging them.

The Cabinet decided to adopt a system to “ensure that only those with no criminal antecedents can join the workforce as migrant workmen” in Meghalaya, Lyngdoh said. The Indian government’s Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System is to be used for this, with police and labour departments coordinating in its implementation.

“These amendments will be introduced in the state assembly in the upcoming (autumn) session,” Lyngdoh said. The session is to be held from August 23-30.

These announcements come against the backdrop of growing pressure from various organisations in the Khasi hills for the implementation of an Inner Line Permit in the state and tighter regulations for those entering the state. Last month, the Khasi Students’ Union claimed that 2,500 workers found “without valid documents” were “pushed back” from the state.

There were also reports of migrant workers being assaulted.

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Following a meeting with KSU on July 19, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that while there was no system of “work-permits” in Meghalaya, the state will “strictly” enforce its registration system.