Migrant Workers in West Bengal Alleged Harassment by Odisha Police

• Migrant workers from West Bengal are being harassed by Odisha Police, who are verifying identities of Bengali-speaking people suspected to be foreign nationals.

• Over the past three days, 444 people working in the construction and mining sectors have been detained by the Jharsuguda police.

• The primary documents being sought are birth certificates and passports, but many of the detained workers hail from rural areas and do not possess formal birth certificates.

• The police are reportedly slow in processing alternative proofs, including land documents and relatives’ Aadhaar cards.

• Workers who spoke to The Hindu on the condition of anonymity were released after two days, and were allowed to return to their local residences and jobs.

• The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has recommended that the Department of Science and Technology (DST) cut its ‘core grant support’ for State Science and Technology (S&T) Councils and pare them down to ‘project-based support’.

• The State S&T Councils are a vital source of funding for scientific research, science popularisation, patent applications, and scientific policy-support activities.

• The report suggests that the bulk of India’s scientific output and productivity comes from Centrally funded institutions, and the State-administered institutions are yet to make a meaningful contribution.

• The report revealed a 17.65% increase in total funding for State S&T Councils for 2023-24 and 2024-25, reflecting growing investment in scientific research and innovation at the State level.