The exodus of workers began within days of the prime minister announcing a nationwide shutdown in March. (Proceedings)
New Delhi:
There is no data on migrant deaths, so the “question does not arise” from compensation, the Union Labor Ministry said in parliament on Monday when asked whether the families of those who had lost their lives while trying to arrive home in the coronavirus lockdown had been compensated. The government’s written response in Lok Sabha on the first day of the monsoon session drew anger and criticism from the opposition.
The ministry admitted that more than 1 crore of migrants returned to their states of origin from various corners of the country.
In the session, the first since the nationwide lockdown was imposed to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the ministry was asked if the government has data on migrant workers who returned to their states.
The ministry was also asked if the government was aware that several migrant workers lost their lives during the return to their hometown and the details, if any. The Government was also asked about the financial assistance or compensation granted to these families.
In his written response, the Union Labor Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar said: “No such data is kept. The question does not arise in view of the above.”
“It is shocking that the Ministry of Labor says that it does not have data on migrant deaths and therefore it is not a question of compensation,” said Digvijaya Singh of Congress. “Sometimes I feel like we are blind or that the government feels it can take everyone for granted,” he added.
Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide blockade in March, thousands of migrant workers, desperate without work or shelter, many were evicted from their homes, leaving for their places of origin on foot or in any vehicle that could handle.
With their sources of income running out overnight, the workers walked for days, tired, hungry and sick; many died before they could reach their homes, reports of which from around the country made headlines.
Faced with protests and criticism from the opposition, the Center asked the states to seal the borders. After weeks of tragic images of migrants on the roads, the center began operating special trains for the workers.
But due to confusion over who should pay the fines and mismanagement of lists, many workers continued to find their way home on foot, in tricycles, and in illegal trucks, sometimes leading to accidents.
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