The move follows the state’s decisive action of filing FIRs against a Mumbai-based company and several intermediaries accused of withholding wages from the workers. These individuals, hailing from Jharkhand, had been left in dire straits in the African nation.

“Under the directives of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, 11 migrant workers have been brought back to Jharkhand. The Labour Department has facilitated their return to their respective homes. The process to bring back the remaining 36 workers is actively underway,” stated a release from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat on Sunday.

Earlier this month, FIRs were lodged at police stations in Hazaribag, Bokaro, and Giridih against the middlemen and employers. This action was prompted by complaints received by the Chief Minister regarding unpaid wages for a period of three months.

Following governmental intervention, the process to disburse the owed wages commenced. “The control room team has been in constant communication with officials, the company, and the workers via email and phone. The total outstanding amount of Rs 39.77 lakh has been settled,” the statement confirmed.

It was alleged that the employers and intermediaries dispatched these workers to Cameroon without registering them under the Inter-State Migrant Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979, and without securing the necessary licenses.

The workers had reached out to the Chief Minister, highlighting the non-payment of their wages, which led to the State Migrant Control Room’s intervention. The state government is now seeking detailed contracts and wage documents from the employers.

Efforts are being made to ensure the workers’ safe return, with the Ministry of External Affairs being duly informed, the statement concluded.