Biswabrata Goswami
KRISHNAGAR, 3 SEP: In a first-of-its-kind move to bridge the gap between migrant workers and welfare schemes, the Nadia district administration unveiled a QR code-based facility at an Amader Para Amader Samadhan (APAS) camp held in Debipur Primary School, Kalinarayanpur Gram Panchayat, Ranaghat-I block on Tuesday.
The initiative, formally launched by Bankim Hazra, MIC (Sundarban Affairs), in the presence of Tarunum Sultana Mir, Sabhadipati, Nadia Zilla Parishad, S. Arun Prasad, IAS, District Magistrate, Nadia, Anup Kumar Dutta, ADM (ZP), and Bharat Singh, IAS, SDO Ranaghat, seeks to extend the government’s outreach to thousands of migrant workers who often remain excluded from physical camps.
Explaining the rationale, DM Nadia Mr Prasad said many migrant workers, by virtue of their transient livelihoods, are unable to attend APAS or Duare Sarkar camps. “This QR code facility enables them to lodge grievances and apply for schemes online. The local administration will then reach out and assist them with the enrollment process,” he said.
Launched on a pilot basis across blocks and municipalities of Ranaghat subdivision, the facility will gradually be expanded across Nadia district. Mr Hazra lauded the administration’s “innovative steps” and distributed ration and clothing to several distressed migrants who had recently returned home.
Detailing the design, SDO Ranaghat, Mr Singh, noted that the system was kept deliberately simple: the QR code leads to a bilingual (English and Bangla) Google Form. For those unable to fill it independently, helpdesks manned by trained staff are stationed at APAS camps.
Officials underscored that the measure was not merely technological but humanitarian — a step to ensure no migrant worker remains outside the ambit of state welfare programmes.
Alongside the launch, the camp witnessed multiple activities: service delivery of pending Duare Sarkar applications, distribution of Subechcha Barta, and handing over of job offer letters to candidates trained under the Utkarsh Bangla programme.
