UP: 450 trains have brought migrants home, 286 more coming
Nearly 450 trains have so far brought 5,64,000 home-bound migrant labourers to Uttar Pradesh and another 286 trains with 3.85 lakh migrants onboard are expected to arrive over the next couple of days.
Nearly 450 trains have so far brought 5,64,000 home-bound migrant labourers to Uttar Pradesh and another 286 trains with 3.85 lakh migrants onboard are expected to arrive over the next couple of days.
The Uttar Pradesh government is bringing all its migrant labourers free of cost (HT Photo)
“The state government is bringing all its migrant labourers free of cost,” said additional chief secretary, home, Awanish Awasthi at a press conference on Saturday.
He said 223 trains had brought 3 lakh people from Gujarat while 1,20,000 people had come by 97 trains from Maharashtra and 90,000 people had been transported by 78 trains from Punjab so far.
“These are besides the 6 trains from Telangana, 5 from Kerala, 4 from Tamil Nadu, 2 each from Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, 12 from Rajasthan and 2 trains from Goa which have brought migrant labourers home,” Awathi added.
He further said the state government had so far transferred Rs 1,000 each to the bank accounts of 32.07 lakh migrant labourers or the destitute.
‘CORONA TESTING TO BE SCALED UP’
Covid-19 testing will be scaled up in the state, Awasthi said. “Testing capacity is to be increased to 10,000 tests per day. To ensure that ventilators are operated by experts, availability of a doctor and a trained paramedic is to be ensured in each district,” he added.
He said the government had ordered availability of one ultra red thermometer for each village.
‘Depts to make plan for using fund announced by PM’
All departments were to ready a plan for utilising the special economic package announced by the PM, Awasthi said.
‘FIR FOR FAKE NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA’
The government had so far come across 983 instances of fake news, he said adding action had been taken in all the cases. “Today (on Saturday) 20 cases, including 8 on twitter, 10 on facebook and 2 on whatsapp, have come to light and all of them have been referred to cyber cell for action,” he said.