E-Paper
Pain of poor and migrants can’t be expressed in words: PM Modi on Mann Ki Baat
Millions of migrant workers were left jobless by the lockdown, which is aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus disease, and have walked thousands of miles home, many dying in accidents along the way.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that no section in the country is untouched by the coronavirus pandemic and acknowledged that migrant workers and poor are the worst hit by the outbreak as he said the government is making every effort to mitigate their problems.
“There is no section in our country that has not faced difficulty and is not in trouble. And the worst-affected by this crisis are the poor and labourers. Their suffering and pain cannot be expressed in words,” he said.
“Who among us would not have felt for their suffering. All of us along with the entire country are trying to share their pain and suffering,” he added.
Millions of migrant workers were left jobless by the lockdown, which is aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus disease, and have walked thousands of miles home, many dying in accidents along the way.
The government announced it will spend Rs 35 billion on food for nearly 80 million migrant workers over the next two months. The allocation is part of a Rs 20 lakh crore fiscal and monetary package to prop up the ailing economy.
The Indian Railways started Shramik Special trains on May 1 to ferry the migrant workers stranded after the lockdown was announced on March 24 and extended further.
The Prime Minister said the Indian Railways is working round the clock in their efforts to help the poor and the migrant labourers. So are the Centre, state governments and other local bodies, who are working day and night for the migrants and poor people, he added.
PM Modi was addressing the 65th edition of his Mann Ki Baat on the final day of the fourth phase of nationwide lockdown to control the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
He had announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown on March 24 as a precautionary measure to contain the infections. The lockdown was later extended thrice till May 31.
The Centre has now further extended the lockdown till June 30 and issued new guidelines for phased re-opening of “all activities outside containment zones for the next one month beginning June 1”.
PM Modi also stressed that people have to be more cautious after a major chunk of the economy has been opened up.
“With all the precautions, aeroplanes have started flying and the industry has started running gradually, meaning a large part of the economy has opened up. In such a situation, we need to be more vigilant,” PM Modi said on Mann Ki Baat.
“There should be a rule of two yards and people should use masks and as far as possible, stay inside. You must follow all these things and there should not be any slop in it,” PM Modi said.
India recorded more than 8,000 new cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in a single day for the first time as the tally surged to 182,143 and death toll stood at 5,164, according to the Union health ministry.
Data showed there were 8,380 fresh Covid-19 cases, up from Saturday’s 7,964, and 193 fatalities in the last 24 hours. The number of deaths went down from 265 reported on Saturday, a day before the fourth phase of the nationwide lockdown was scheduled to end.
