UP starts bringing back migrant workers

First batch of 2224 workers arrives in west UP from Haryana

The state government on Saturday launched an exercise to bring back Uttar Pradesh migrant workers who were stuck in other states due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

A group of migrant workers walk towards their native places during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 disease, in Prayagraj on Saturday. (ANI Photo)

The first batch of 2,224 migrant workers was transported from the neighbouring Haryana to 16 districts in west UP on 82 buses, additional chief secretary, home, Awanish Kumar Awasthi said at a press conference here.

Another lot of 11,000 migrant workers will be brought back to UP on Sunday, he said. On their return, the migrants will be lodged in quarantine facilities in their native districts for 14 days, he said.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the district magistrates of all the districts to get medical checkup, testing and screening of the migrants done.

The district authorities were also asked to arrange for their food, shelter and ensure that migrant workers did not face any problem at the quarantine facilities, he said.

In a meeting on Friday, the chief minister had directed officers to prepare a plan to bring back migrant workers of UP from other states in a phased manner.

The state government is also preparing a plan for employment of migrant workers so that jobs can be given to 15 lakh labourers.

The chief minister met senior officers over the last two days to draft a plan for employment of migrants as well as labourers staying in rural and urban areas of the state.

A cabinet meeting will be held under his chairmanship to give final approval to the employment schemes, Awasthi said.

The chief minister had ordered that after institutional quarantine, the migrants will be sent home with a ration kit and Rs 1000 sustenance allowance each, he said, adding that they will stay in home quarantine for another 14 days.

The chief minister directed the officers to also prepare a plan to send home the migrant workers of other states who are staying in quarantine facilities in Uttar Pradesh, if they completed 14 days’ quarantine and were screened by health teams.

The Uttar Pradesh government has already appointed nodal officers to coordinate with the respective governments of states where migrant workers have been staying after the nationwide lockdown announced on March 25.