Odisha, WFP Sign Pact to Strengthen Social Protection for Migrant Workers

Bhubaneswar: In a significant step towards ensuring inclusive and portable social welfare, the Government of Odisha and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have signed a Technical Assistance Agreement aimed at strengthening access to social protection for vulnerable migrant workers and their families. The partnership seeks to ensure uninterrupted access to essential services as households move within the State.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Anu Garg. The Government of Odisha was represented by Additional Chief Secretary of Labour and Employees’ State Insurance Department Chithra Arumugam, while Elisabeth Faure, Representative and Country Director of WFP India, signed on behalf of the UN agency. Senior officials from the Labour & ESI and Planning & Convergence Departments were also present.

Highlighting the objective of the collaboration, Arumugam said the State is investing in robust digital systems to enable seamless portability across multiple welfare schemes. She stressed that access to nutrition, education, health and other essential services should not be disrupted due to migration. “A child’s access to nutrition and services should not stop at a district border. Every migrant household must be able to rely on a predictable social protection safety net wherever they are,” she said.

Elisabeth Faure noted that by combining strong Government leadership with WFP’s technical expertise and innovative solutions, the partnership aims to strengthen social safety nets, particularly for nutrition. She added that the initiative will help migrant women, men and children access food and essential services when and where they need them.

At the core of the agreement is the development of an integrated digital platform to track migrant households and enable portability across key programmes, including the Public Distribution System (PDS), PM POSHAN, ICDS, school enrolment, immunisation, health services and labour benefits. The platform will be supported by multi-modal alerts, dashboards and data analytics to help officials ensure timely service delivery. A Learning Management System will also be developed to enhance the capacities of frontline workers, along with public awareness campaigns to improve outreach.

With nearly 100 million migrants in India contributing about 10 per cent of the national GDP, the initiative seeks to address critical gaps in social protection coverage. The pilot will be implemented in Khordha district, offering a scalable model aligned with Odisha’s vision of a coordinated, whole-of-Government approach to social protection.