With lakhs of migrant labourers losing their jobs due to COVID-19, the need of the hour is employment generation and a way to connect these labourers to employments opportunity. It seems like there is a new way to achieve this goal.
Sending a “Hi” on WhatsApp will now enable labourers to find jobs that suit their skills in their home states, thanks to an artificial-intelligence-driven chatbot launched by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) Wednesday.
The Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) of the DST has created a portal called the Shramik Shakti Manch (SAKSHAM) that will connect labourers to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in their native places via WhatsApp.
According to Pradeep Srivastava, Executive Director at TIFAC, the genesis of SAKSHAM took place during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The portal includes a geospatial map of MSMEs across India. Using data on the availability of jobs, and the skillsets they require, the portal matches labourers with potential job opportunities in their regions.
It is available on the number 7208635370.
