Several migrant workers, who were walking or riding in other private vehicles, suffered accidents during the closing period. (Image: PTI)
Many migrant workers lost their lives during the 68-day national lockdown that was imposed in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
- News18.com
- Last update: September 14, 2020 1:57 PM IST
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The government has not kept data on the number of migrant deaths that occurred due to the restrictions imposed by the closure of Covid-19 that began on March 25, the Ministry of Labor and Employment of the Union reported to Parliament during the Monsoon Session on Monday. Many migrant workers lost their lives during the 68-day national lockdown that was imposed in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
The ministry’s response was given to a question posed in the Lok Sabha seeking information on state details of the death toll of migrant workers who lost their lives while trying to return to their places of origin after losing jobs amid the pandemic. The question also sought to know if the government provided any compensation or financial assistance to the families of the deceased.
The government was also questioned about its failure to assess the problems migrants faced during the lockdown, especially in Tamil Nadu. However, the Center declared that it was not trying to compensate the families of the victims since the government did not keep data.
“India, as a nation, has responded through central and state governments, local bodies, self-help groups (SHG), Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), medical health professionals, sanitation workers, as well as a large number of genuine and bona fide people. “Fide non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the national fight against the unprecedented human crisis due to the Covid -19 outbreak and blockade across the country, including in Tamil Nadu,” he said. Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State (MoS), Ministry of Labor and Employment.
More than 1.04 crore of migrant workers returned to their respective states of origin during the shutdown with Uttar Pradesh topping the list with 32.4 lakh workers, followed by Bihar (15 lakh) and Rajasthan (13 lakh), the Ministry reported to Parliament. More than 4,611 Shramik Special trains were operated by Railways since May 1 to transport migrants to their home states and more than 63.07 lakhs were transferred to various destinations in UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and other states.
However, the Ministry of Railways had said in early August that many migrant workers had started returning to the cities where they worked, indicating that economic activity had started to pick up after the government eased lockdown restrictions.
“States / UTs have been advised to implement the counseling guidelines by rapidly preparing their labor law enforcement mechanism and ensuring compliance with the law by all stakeholders, which could provide migrant workers with the assistance they need so badly to mitigate the financial crisis and empower them to deal with the pandemic, “the Labor Ministry said, adding that states / UT had also been recommended to keep up-to-date data on migrants to facilitate the benefits of the plans. government welfare for workers.
Several migrant workers, who were walking or riding in other private vehicles, suffered accidents during the closing period. An analysis of news reports in the national media shows that more than 100 migrant workers have died in accidents since the shutdown began, while hundreds of others suffered serious injuries.
In a previous News18 report, it was noted that these figures were based on accidents and incidents that were reported in the media and therefore the actual death toll could be higher than estimated.
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