Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; July 22, 2020)

Over the last few months, Sonu Sood has helped thousands of migrant labourers get back to their hometowns across India during the Coronavirus lockdown. While he continues to do so, with the number of unemployed labourers crossing a lakh, the actor has devised an app, Pravasi Rozgar, which can help workers find employment.

He says, “After returning to their villages, these workers have started seeking livelihood, which is not easy in the current scenario. Though the Central Government has devised a plan to provide them with work, I felt that they needed a long-term solution. It’s important to connect these workers to jobs in cities and towns, while trying to provide livelihood options in their villages, too.”

Sonu has sought assistance from his engineer friends, while several companies, institutions and NGOs are providing him with on-ground support. The platform, currently in English, will soon be available in five more languages, and will also provide migration support to workers travelling from one place to another.

“We have a website and an app. We will have people on ground, to help workers register themselves. We will also have a helpline number where they can call and register themselves, tell us about their skill sets and the ones they need to acquire. We will create their profiles, train them and help them reach potential employers. Right now, they don’t know kaam kidhar milega. And people who need labour don’t know where and how to find it. The idea is to make this an end-toend exercise for people seeking work from the grassroot level without charging them a rupee for it,” says Sonu.