Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Thursday urged migrant workers, desperate to return home amid the lockdown, to stay put wherever they were and assured that his government would make arrangements for their safe return no sooner than the restrictions were lifted.
In a video message, the senior BJP leader expressed dismay over "unfortunate incidents witnessed recently in places like Mumbai, Surat and Delhi" which he blamed on "rumour-mongering that trains were available to ferry the migrant workers back home".
"Trust me, had it been possible to arrange for special trains to bring you back to your homes in this hour of distress, it would have been a done deal," the deputy CM said, in an apparent rebuff to opposition leaders like RJD's Rabri Devi a former chief minister herself who have mocked the Nitish Kumar government for its inability to facilitate Bihari migrants' journey back home. She had cited the example of Andhra Pradesh pilgrims who left for their places from Varanasi earlier this week.
"Please be rest assured that we are making all efforts, coordinating with governments of the states where you may be stranded, to ensure that your needs are taken care of. Our government has extended a financial assistance of Rs 1,000 each to 6.67 lakh Biharis so far, spread across the length and breadth of the country," said the deputy CM who also holds the finance portfolio.
Modi disclosed that among the beneficiaries of the special assistance scheme, Delhi had the highest number at 1.30 lakh, followed by 95,999 in Haryana. In Maharashtra, the number was 72,243, while in Gujarat it was 61,964.
"We have received 13.26 lakh applications so far. We are committed to providing assistance to the remaining 6.59 lakh at the earliest. Those who are yet to receive benefits are requested to upload their details on the website concerned," he maintained.
Help will reach all, he said, urging the relatives of migrants to make this known to their loved ones far away so that they do not panic.
"I assure you all, as soon as the lockdown is lifted we will make arrangements for vehicles to bring the migrants back home. The government is sensitive towards the anxieties people are feeling amid the coronavirus pandemic," he added.
A large number of migrants had returned in the end of March from the national capital, ferried by buses arranged by the Yogi Adityanath government at the Delhi-UP border, triggering fears of a surge in COVID-19 cases in the state.
Huge crowds had turned up at Bandra in Mumbai and in Surat earlier this week when migrants marched to railway stations allegedly in the wake of rumours that upon the expiry of the three-week-long lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, trains would resume operations.
On April 13, the prime minister extended the lockdown till May 3.
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