“No such data is available,” the government responded to the question enquiring whether thousands of migrants have died during coronavirus lockdown.
On Monday, during the first day of the monsoon session in parliament, the government admitted that it has no data available on the deaths and job losses among migrant workers due to the imposition of lockdown owing to the coronavirus pandemic. In a written reply, the Ministry of Labour and Employment said the government has not maintained a state-wise break-up of distribution of free ration to migrant workers.
“No such data is available,” the government responded to the question enquiring whether thousands of migrants have died during coronavirus lockdown.
The government, responding to a question seeking its admission that the government failed to assess problems faced by migrant labourers during the lockdown, said: “India, as a nation, has responded through the central government, state governments, local bodies, self-help groups, resident welfare associations, medical health professionals, sanitation workers as well as a large number of genuine and bonafide nongovernmental organisations in the nation’s fight against the unprecedented human crisis due to the outbreak of Covid-19 and country-wide lockdown.”
When asked for details about its free ration distribution scheme during the lockdown, the government said in its reply that “State-wise details are not available.”
“However, 80 crore people are being provided additional 5 kg wheat or rice and 1 kg of preferred pulses, free of cost every month till November 2020 to empower millions of migrant workers/labourers working in various organized and unorganised sectors to seamlessly receive their food security entitlements under National Food Security Act (NFSA), irrespective of their physical location,” it added.
“The government has started the implementation of One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) Plan. With the implementation of this plan, the migrant beneficiary can get food security from any fair price shop of his choice anywhere in the country.”
Elaborating other steps taken by the government during the Covid-19 pandemic, it said, “The central government has issued comprehensive advisory guidelines on 27.07.2020 to all the States/UTs for the welfare of the migrant workers returning to the destination states in the backdrop of Covid-19.”
“The States/UTs have been advised to take adequate steps to streamline the migration of the workers to mitigate the hardships of migrant workers returning to the destination States/UTs,” the government said.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
