Bhubaneswar, March 10: Odisha has successfully rescued a total of 2,176 migrant workers from various states in the past three years, according to Forest, Environment, and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia. He made this statement in the state assembly on Tuesday.

Responding to a query from Bhograi MLA Goutam Buddha Das, Singhkhuntia shared that, in 2024, 1,055 workers were rescued, with 626 from Bolangir district and 153 from Nuapada district. In 2025, the rescue efforts brought back 1,078 workers, including 572 from Bolangir and 134 from Nuapada. This year, 43 migrant workers have been rescued so far.

The minister also informed the house about the formation of a high-level Task Force under the leadership of Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture, Farmers’ Empowerment, and Energy, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo. This Task Force aims to tackle the challenges faced by migrant workers in distress. It is entrusted with preventing distress migration and recommending effective solutions to the relevant departments.

Singhkhuntia emphasized that the state government is focusing on creating local employment opportunities for migrant workers through collaboration among various departments.