Govt concedes lockdown forced large number of migrants to trudge home

NEW DELHI: Over 46,000 calls, including 32,986 for movement of stranded persons by Shramik special trains, were received by the home ministry control room between the onset of the first Covid lockdown on March 25, 2020 and December 31, 2020, according to the home ministry annual report for 2020-21.
Conceding that a large number of migrants were seen treading on foot during the lockdown-triggered exodus, the report said the MHA control room and area officers coordinated with the respective state/district administration for placing these persons in the nearest relief camps.
“Around 41,000 relief camps and shelters were set up across the country. More than 14 lakh people were housed there. Besides, 30,000 food camps were also made operational. Around 17 lakh workers stayed with their employers or in industry campuses where they were provided shelter and food,” it said.
Starting May 1, 2020, Indian Railways, based on the requests from state governments, operated Shramik special trains and approximately 63 lakh migrants were ferried to various destinations, according to the report.
Following the outbreak of Covid pandemic, control room operations in the ministry of home affairs (MHA) were expanded and made functional 24×7 under the supervision of senior MHA bureaucrats and representatives of key central ministries, to coordinate inter-state and inter-ministerial issues. The number of helplines was increased from 7 to 66, out of which 15 were dedicated to the people of the northeast region.