Indian National Building Construction and Wood Workers Federation and Indian National Migrant labour Federation president Dr Rama Chandra Khuntia met President Rama Nath Kovind and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu recently and submitted a memorandum for giving voting right to all three crore migrant labourers working outside the country and four crore inter-State migrant workers working in different States inside the country.
The migrant labourers working in Middle East countries, the UK, the USA, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan are not able to vote at the time of election. So also, the inter-State migrant labourers are deprived of voting right being absent at home.
Although as per a Supreme Court’s directive, the Election Commission of India has taken a decision to give voting right to the NRIs, but there lies an ambiguity as to whether the NRIs also include all blue colour migrant labourers or not. On the other hand, the inter-State migrant labourers who are moving from one State to the other for employment are also deprived of casting vote, said Khuntia. He urged that they may be allowed for voting in postal ballot system basing on their Aadhar card and voter ID card.
Dr Khuntia also demanded that the NDA Government should bring necessary amendments in the India Immigration Act 1983 and the Inter -State Migrant labour Act 1979 so as to make the law more effective in the line with the suggestion given by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on labour.