3.75 Lakh Migrants Have Returned to Chhattisgarh: Govt

RAIPUR:
Nearly 3.75 lakh migrant workers and others from Chhattisgarh, who were stranded in various parts of the country due to the lockdown, have returned to their home state so far, a government official said on Tuesday.

Of these, 1,06,928 migrant workers returned by 78 Shramik Special trains, the others returned by various other modes of transport and some even walked back home, he said. The first Shramik Special train arrived in the state on May 10.

“Altogether, 3.75 lakh labourers and other people from Chhattisgarh who were stranded in various parts of the country have safely returned by trains, buses and other modes of transport, the official said. The state government has spent Rs 4.16 crore on the transportation of migrants by trains and buses, he said.

The government sanctioned Rs 75 crore to the health department and Rs 18.20 crore to the revenue and disaster management department for providing facilities to labourers, the official said. State Labour Minister Shivkumar Dahariya said ration and monetary relief are being provided to workers by constituting teams of the department officials in coordination with various industrial institutions and other organisations.

In the second phase of the lockdown, 1,08,158 workers were provided employment by restarting 1,464 small and big industrial units in the exempted areas from April 21, the minister said. Migrant workers who have returned from other states are being given employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in rural areas, Dahariya said.

So far, over 26 lakh labourers are employed under MGNREGA in the state, he added.