The West Bengal government on Wednesday, 26 August directed all district magistrates across the state to identify families of migrant workers in their respective districts for allotment of Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Cards (GRGCs) — instruments that provide a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment per financial year to rural households willing to undertake unskilled manual work.

The Scheme Behind the Drive

The directive flows from the 'Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025', which came into effect in West Bengal from 1 July 2025. Under the Act, adult members of rural families are entitled to a maximum of 125 days of guaranteed work annually, focused on unskilled manual labour.

A senior official of the state's Panchayat Affairs and Rural Development Department said the administration aims to use this guarantee to create regular income opportunities for village residents, boost local economies, and provide an incentive for migrant workers to return to their home state. 'The issue of migrant workers has been given special priority in the guidelines of the Panchayat Department,' the official noted.

Scale of the Migrant Worker Challenge

According to estimates from the state labour department, more than 22 lakh migrant workers have been identified in West Bengal. That list has already been handed over to the respective district administrations, which will now begin verifying the on-ground situation of these workers' families.

Murshidabad has the highest concentration at around 4 lakh identified migrant workers, followed by Malda at approximately 3 lakh and West Medinipur at more than 1.5 lakh.

How DMs Have Been Instructed to Proceed

The circular issued by the Panchayat Affairs and Rural Development Department explicitly cautions district magistrates against treating this identification exercise as a routine administrative task. Instead, they have been asked to treat it as a priority and complete the process at the earliest possible date.

The state government has already secured assurance of central assistance for the scheme, and approximately ₹1.265 crore has been allocated by the State Ministry of Rural Development under the VB-G RAM G Act framework.

What This Means for Rural Households

For families of migrant workers — many of whom face income insecurity when remittances slow or stop — the GRGC offers a legally backed employment floor. The scheme's design, linking disbursements to unskilled manual work rather than passive transfers, is intended to generate productive rural assets while sustaining household incomes. This comes amid a broader national push to formalise labour protections for India's vast internal migrant population, estimated at over 10 crore across the country.

How quickly district administrations can verify and enrol eligible families will determine whether the scheme's intent translates into measurable relief on the ground.