Gujarat govt wants biometric database of Alang workers:

GANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat government is all set to prepare a complete database of tens of thousands of workers who work at the Alang Shipbreaking Yard, claimed to be Asia's biggest. Well-placed Sachivalaya sources said, the data base, which will be stored in the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) computers, is mainly being prepared for security reasons, but will go a long way in improving the pathetic living conditions of the workers as well.

"Every worker, who enters into Alang or the neighbouring Sosiya shipyard, will be required to register and photograph himself, provide biometric details, including that of the palm and the face, and get a computer-generated identity card to work in any of the 150-odd ship-recycling plots," a senior official said, adding, "Before he enters into a recycling plot, he would have to get himself verified on a biometric instrument, put up on the gate of each."

While the cost of creating infrastructure for the data base is not much - around Rs 1 crore - it would help trace every worker. "This would be particularly useful in case of an accident," the official said, adding, "Currently, when an accident takes place, it is with great difficulty that we come to know about the antecedents of each worker. With the data base intact, we can know if the worker was provided with necessary safety equipment."

The database is particularly important, as most of the shipbreaking workers are immigrants from other Indian states like Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They are on daily or monthly contracts and driven by poverty to leave home to seek work and send money back to their families who are dependent on their income. About 70% of them are agricultural workers between 20 and 40 years, belong to lower castes and are uneducated.

At any given point of time, there are 35,000 workers in Alang, and there is no means to know which worker is working in which plot. With the database in hand, the authorities hope to know if the plot owner is violating a labour law. It will contain details like whether the worker has undergone the training to work in a yard, educational background, health status, blood group, the place of origin, and so on. The database will be shared with the local police.

Source: Times of India. 10 June 2011

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/surat/Gujarat-govt-wants-biometric-database-of-Alang-workers/articleshow/8794791.cms