Kerala is ‘Apna Ghar’ away from home for guest workers

Seated in the chair in the new house in Kanjikkode, Plakkad, migrant worker Sonu beamed from ear to ear. Over the past five years, Sonu has been living in a congested, single room which did not have any basic amenities. But for the first time as a migrant worker, he is enjoying a decent stay, thanks to the Apna Ghar programme rolled out for guest workers.

Toiling hard at the construction site under scorching heat, Sonu has only one thing on his mind- build a house for his family in his native Assam. While he is carefully walking towards the dream, his living condition in Kerala has been pitiable. Now with the government announcing the completion of Apana Ghar, the migrant workers can lead a life they dream in Kerala too.

A first-of-its-kind initiative, the government completed the venture building a four storey-building with 64 rooms in Kanjikode of Palakkad in 2019. The government completed the project at a cost of Rs 8.5 cr. The Apna Ghar was built in three blocks, with 32 kitchens, 96 bathrooms, eight dining halls, and cloth line areas. Each room in the house is equipped with bed and bunker facilities and can accommodate at least 10 people. Overall 640 workers will have a comfy home away from home in Kerala.

With Apna Ghar, the government aims to send across a message that Kerala is a safe place for guest workers which has a population of over 2.5 million in Kerala.Apart from building a safe haven for the workers, Kerala is also is ensuring that they feel secure and safe in the state. For this, it has appointed security guards in the hostel and has tasked a separate agency with ensuring cleanliness in the house. The workers get separate areas on each floor for taking rest after each day's work.

The highlight of the programme is these rooms are available for nominal monthly rent ranging from Rs 75 to Rs 1000. However, as there is no canteen facility as of yet, the workers have to cook for themselves. The state and Bhavanam Foundation will begin the construction for similar projects in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, and Kozhikode. The government has already found places to construct the Apna Ghar in all of these district

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