Lakhs of migrant workers were left stranded, out of work when the shutdown began on March 25.
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. “If you haven’t counted, haven’t the deaths occurred?” Congressional Leader Rahul Gandhi, who is abroad for his mother Sonia Gandhi’s medical checkup, tweeted this morning.
Here are 10 developments in this great story:
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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.
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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 aid or compensation granted to these families. In his written response, Union Labor Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar said: “No such data is kept. The question does not arise in view of the above.”
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The ministry admitted that more than 1 crore of migrants returned to their states of origin from various corners of the country.
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“The Modi government does not know how many migrant workers died and how many jobs were lost during the lockdown. If not counted, haven’t the deaths occurred? It is sad that there was no impact on the government. the world has seen their deaths. There is a Modi government that has no information, “Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi this morning. Congress head Sonia Gandhi and her son are missing the first part of the 18-day monsoon session They went abroad for the medical check-up of the president of Congress last week.
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Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac called it “utter callous”, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac tweeted: “The center does not care about the deaths of migrant workers caused by being pushed onto trains, makeshift carts And on foot to distant homes Sharmik railway train data and traffic accidents.
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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.
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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. Several states had organized special transportation services in the middle of the shutdown.
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The 18-day monsoon session of parliament began on Monday amid unprecedented precautions against coronavirus, including staggered sessions of both houses and social distancing among MPs.
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Instead of question time, only written questions and answers will be allowed, which has greatly annoyed the opposition.
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“There are so many ways to question the government, the government is not running away from the discussion,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said in Lok Sabha on Monday after a resolution for question time was passed.
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