A senior state government official said the maximum number of trains arrived from Gujarat (representative)
Lucknow:
More than 21 lakh migrant workers have returned to Uttar Pradesh from different parts of the country to date in more than 1,500 special trains, a senior state government official said on Saturday.
Indian railways launched special Shramik trains on May 1 to facilitate the movement of migrant workers to their home states during the national coronavirus-induced foreclosure.
“So far, more than 21 Lakh migrant workers have returned to the state on no less than 1,550 trains. The maximum number of trains – 257 – has arrived in Gorakhpur on which 3.31 Lakh migrant workers have returned”, added Chief Secretary General and Information) Awanish Awasthi said.
He said that 109 trains arrived in Lucknow, 125 in Jaunpur, 111 in Varanasi and 99 in Deoria.
Awasthi said the maximum number of trains (520) arrived from Gujarat, followed by Maharashtra (398) and Punjab (233).
“The chief minister has ordered that food and water be arranged for migrant workers returning from various states. They should be taken to quarantine centers,” he said.
“During a medical examination, workers, if found to be fit, should be given ration kits. Those who are found to be medically unfit should be sent for treatment,” he said.
The foreclosure has had a devastating impact on the economy as well as on the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers. Without money to buy food or pay rent, workers across the country returned to their countries of origin.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
