Patna: The Bihar government will bear the cost of transporting the mortal remains of migrant workers who die in accidents while working outside the state or abroad, Labour Resources and Migrant Workers Welfare Department Additional Chief Secretary K Senthil Kumar announced on Friday.
Addressing a press conference at Soochna Bhawan in Patna, Kumar said the decision has been in effect since 9 February 2026 and aims to provide relief to families facing financial hardship following the death of a migrant worker.
Under the new provision, the state government will arrange transportation of mortal remains to the worker’s permanent residence through any available mode of transport.
Ex-Gratia Assistance Doubled
Kumar also announced that the ex-gratia amount payable to the legally determined dependants of deceased migrant workers has been increased from Rs2 lakh to Rs4 lakh.
Under the Bihar State Migrant Workers Accident Grant Scheme, 446 beneficiaries received assistance amounting to Rs8.67 crore during the 2025-26 financial year.
In the current financial year, 168 beneficiaries have so far received grants totalling Rs3.35 crore.
Nearly 6.85 Lakh Migrant Workers Registered
The department has launched the Bihar Migrant Worker App to build a comprehensive database of migrant workers and support the formulation of social security policies.
According to Kumar, 684,708 migrant workers had registered on the platform as of 10 June 2026.
The government expects the database to improve policy planning and the delivery of welfare benefits.
Social Security Scheme For Unorganised Workers
The Additional Chief Secretary highlighted progress under the Bihar Centenary Unorganised Sector Workers and Artisans Social Security Scheme.
During 2025-26, 9,719 beneficiaries received assistance amounting to Rs54.91 crore under the programme.
So far in 2026-27, 1,303 beneficiaries have received grants worth Rs7.97 crore.
Residential Training Centres For Rescued Child Labourers
The Labour Department has signed an agreement with Prayas Juvenile Aid Centre to operate special residential training centres for children rescued from labour.
The centres will be established in Patna, Gaya and Sitamarhi.
Officials said the initiative is intended to support rehabilitation and reintegration efforts for rescued children.
More Than 1,000 Child Labourers Rescued
According to department data, 1,054 child labourers were rescued during the 2025-26 financial year.
For rehabilitation, Rs31.5 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund was deposited as fixed deposits in the accounts of 126 rescued child and adolescent labourers during 2026-27.
An additional Rs3.09 lakh was provided as immediate assistance to 103 child labourers.
The department also deposited Rs8.3 lakh into the District Child Labour Rehabilitation-cum-Welfare Fund for 166 rescued children.
Welfare Board Registers Over 42 Lakh Construction Workers
Kumar said the Bihar Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board currently implements 16 welfare schemes for registered construction workers and their families.
A total of 4.23 million construction workers have been registered with the board. Of these, more than 1.1 million registrations were recorded during the 2025-26 financial year.
The board collected Rs755.56 crore in construction cess during 2025-26 and Rs115 crore up to 8 June in the current financial year.
During 2025-26, welfare assistance amounting to Rs1,119.83 crore was distributed among 1.55 million beneficiaries. In the current financial year, Rs1.48 crore has been disbursed to 1,287 beneficiaries so far.
Labour Facilitation Centres Expanding
The department is also expanding Labour Service Facilitation Centres across Bihar.
Ten centres have been proposed across the state’s nine divisions, with facilities already operational in Patna, Kaimur, Saran, Saharsa and Darbhanga.
Officials said the centres assist workers with registration, renewal processes and awareness regarding welfare schemes and benefits available through the Construction Workers Welfare Board.
The press conference was also attended by Labour Commissioner Rajesh Bharti, Special Secretaries Sunil Kumar Yadav and Upendra Prasad, along with other departmental officials.
