The district administration has decided to launch a special registration drive for migrant workers at fishing harbours as the first phase of an intensified campaign to bring all the workers under the State’s unified registration system.

The decision was taken at a recent review meeting on migrant worker registration chaired by Additional District Magistrate P.N. Purushothaman at the Collectorate.

Officials said around 10,000 migrant workers are employed across the district’s eight fishing harbours. The Fisheries and Labour departments will jointly conduct a special registration camp to collect the workers’ details and issue Aadhaar-based identity cards.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of registration in other sectors. A second phase of mass registration drives will cover industrial units, construction sites, commercial establishments, and other workplaces with the cooperation of various government departments.

The meeting also decided to integrate data collected by different departments to avoid duplication. Employers and those providing accommodation to migrant workers have been instructed to ensure that all workers are registered on the portal. Awareness campaigns in the workers’ native languages will also be organised, while inspections will be conducted at labour camps to ensure hygiene and sanitation standards.

So far, 33,601 migrant workers have been registered in Kannur district through special camps and direct data collection by the Labour department. At fishing harbours, including Ayyikkara, Azhikkal, Puthiyangadi, Thalai, Gopalpet, and Palakkode, 3,177 workers have been registered through 63 registration camps. Officials said the remaining workers would be covered under the special drive once they return after the end of the trawling ban, as many have temporarily gone back to their native States.

Published - July 19, 2026 11:25 pm IST